BRADENTON BEACH – County officials announced earlier this month that they would take control of the Coquina Beach Market, but some commissioners are saying, “Not so fast.”
Commissioner Carol Whitmore brought up the topic of the county running the beach market at a commission land use meeting on Aug. 18.
“I think this needs to be decided by the board if we’re going to do this,” Whitmore said. “I don’t believe in the board interfering with the private sector in this. I don’t want to run a flea market.”
Manatee County Information Director Bill Logan announced in a press release that oversight for the market would shift to Manatee County and that the county would take over the beach market from Nancy Ambrose, its director for the past decade.
Whitmore asked for the board to put the issue on the agenda for a future work session.
“This shouldn’t be going out for bids without our board talking about this,” Whitmore said. “I think we need to have public comment.”
Commissioner Misty Servia supported Whitmore’s request to put the topic on a future session.
“It’s unfortunate that we have to go to a work session because this is a policy matter that should have been brought to this board to discuss but we find ourselves in a situation where we’re backpedaling trying to correct a situation,” Servia said.
Chairman Kevin Van Ostenbridge said he would place the discussion on the agenda for the regular meeting to be held on Tuesday, Sept. 13.
“I don’t believe government should compete with private business,” Whitmore told The Sun on Aug. 19. “This (county running the market) sets up all kinds of liability issues. There’s a lot of risk involved.”
Whitmore said the county does not have the authority to take over the market and the commission is the only entity that can make decisions in that regard.
“Her (Ambrose’s) contract was approved by the board and only the board has the right to terminate it,” Whitmore said.
County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said since Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes was not present at the land use meeting, a discussion about the market would be in poor taste due to his absence.
“I don’t think the administrator understands his role,” Whitmore said. “His role is to follow board policy – it is not to set policy.”
In the meantime, Ambrose has said she is looking for new venues for the market. She has garnered support through the “Where’s the Market?” Facebook page.
I am appalled and disturbed that Manatee County abruptly ended – and without due cause or notice – Nancy Ambrose’s job running the Coquina Beach Market.
For over 10 years, she worked hard building up a business and helping many small artisans to sell their various items. As Commissioner Carol Whitmore said, Nancy Ambrose did this without any help from the county.
Now a greedy Manatee County official has taken it upon himself to steal away someone’s hard-earned business. This is wrong! There is no need required or requested for the Convention and Visitors Bureau to take this away!
I thank Nancy for her dedication and building up small businesses in the area. I detest county takeovers when it was selfish and unasked for and apparently for their profit. County Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan’s comment of “no further comment on the contract termination” shows no transparency in his views. It’s just wrong!
Natalie Thrasher
Bradenton, Holmes Beach, Anna Maria
BRADENTON BEACH – Since the Aug. 2 announcement that Manatee County would take over the Coquina Beach Market from Nancy Ambrose, its director for the past decade, she has been looking for new venues.
Ambrose told The Sun that she is exploring the permitting process for one or more new venues for the market and said there are several good possibilities.
“This all happened so fast,” she said. “My concern is always the vendors having a place to go. When this happened, I almost felt like I let them down. I would say right now there is probably more than one place that we’re looking at.”
Ambrose declined to say where she was looking, but said that her search was not limited to Manatee County.
“The market will probably be at more than one place,” she said. “There’s one
in particular that I’m very excited about.”
“I’m done with the county as far as the beach market,” she said. “My reports are in to the county, I’ve destroyed my signs and business cards. I had 30 days, but I got it all done.”
Ambrose had expressed astonishment that her franchise license agreement for use of the beach parking lot had been terminated, thus ending her longtime management of the market.
“I was completely shocked when I received the coldest termination without cause letter out of the blue yesterday,” she wrote on Aug. 2 on her Facebook page. “I spent the day trying to figure it out and was so worried about the vendors.”
An Aug. 2 press release from Manatee County Information Director Bill Logan stated in part, “Artisans and other vendors will be back along the Coquina Beach South promenade, once again, when the 2022-23 season opens in November as oversight for the market shifts to Manatee County.”
On Aug. 5, Logan declined to give a reason for Ambrose’s termination and said by email, “I do not have any further information why the contract was terminated.”
“In a perfect world, I at 64 would retire as my husband retired in May and we would get the Thor Vegas or Atlas and travel with our dogs – that we dream about,” she wrote. “However instead of relaxing now – I must work on finding other venues as I honestly feel that some of our vendor family will not have a home in November.”
“We have fabulous vendors,” she said. “It has a family vibe and that makes it a special place. People can feel that.”
Ambrose’s supporters have come out in force on social media. The Facebook page, “Where is the Market?” has garnered 1,200 members – many of whom are vendors who have worked with Ambrose and are expressing loyalty. For example, “941 Beach Vibes” will NOT be vendors at the Coquina Beach Market, we will be following Nancy,” is posted there.
Ambrose said she started the Beach Market as vendors at her previous Bridge Street market were not allowed back when she left as manager.
“I am afraid that I will see the same thing now – that the vendors who helped build and make the Beach Market at Coquina Beach so special will not be back,” she wrote. “I fear for this on so many levels. So, I have no other decision than to start anew and help the vendors… I am mama bear to my vendors – you do not mess around with them.”
County organizing new market
County leaders are working to create a “more engaging and enjoyable experience” when the Coquina Beach Market reopens in November, Logan wrote in an Aug. 11 press release.
He declined to speculate as to what some of those changes could be, saying, “Everything is being looked at in order to make it a better event.”
“Every aspect of the market is being studied, from location to hours and dates of operation to enhancing vendor and guest opportunities,” Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes said. “We want to integrate this into the beach experience.”
The new director has not yet been chosen, Logan said.
“There are discussions as to who will be in charge of the market, but no person has been appointed or named yet,” he said.
More than 150 vendors have responded to initial survey requests, expressing their interest in continuing to work with the new management team, according to Logan.
Vendors for the county beach market may apply at coquinamarketvendors@ mymanatee.org.
Are we starting to see an adjustment in the real estate market, maybe, or are only some parts of it changing? One thing that is still very strong relative to the country as a whole are the cash offers being made.
No matter how you spin the sales statistics, which we’ll get to shortly, when it comes to having the edge, buyers with all-cash offers are still the top of the heap. There is a slight downturn in cash offers both nationally and locally, however, the percentage of cash sales is still staggering.
Because of this, buyers are teaming up with family members to consolidate funds for cash offers. Many of these sales are converted to mortgages or home equity loans after closing. Of course, you need to find the cash first and there are suddenly a number of companies that are funding the cash on behalf of the buyers and then taking a fee in the form of a percentage of the cash fronted at a later time when a loan can be put on the property. Some cash offer companies buy the house on behalf of the buyer and then sell it to the buyer. Others give buyers cash to make the purchase themselves.
About 25% of home sales in June were paid in cash according to the National Association of Realtors, near the highest level since 2014. Comparing the national to the local market, the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee for June reported cash sales for single-family properties were about 39%, significantly higher than the national average. Cash condo sales for June in Manatee County were just about 55%, however, I don’t have a national “paid in cash” figure for condos.
So, let’s move on to the overall June sales statistics recorded by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee.
Single-family homes closed 22.3% fewer properties, the median sale price was $550,000, the same as last month, the percentage was up 37.5% from last year, and the average sale price was $690,524, up 19.8% from last year. The median time to contract is six days and a month’s supply of available properties is up 200% from last year, at 1.8 months. This is because there are 31.5% more new listings this June compared to last, adding to the available inventory.
Condo sales closed 23.6% fewer properties, the median sale price was $356,500, up 27.3%, and the average sale price was $441,868, up 33.2%. The median time to contract is seven days and a month’s supply of inventory is 1.5 months, up 200% from last year. In addition, there are 8.4% more new listings this month compared to June of last year, accounting for an increased monthly supply of condo inventory.
The Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee indicates that both Sarasota and Manatee counties are beginning to see more and more homes available for sale compared to last year. This trend will likely continue considering the record high prices and rising mortgage rates. Sellers will get serious about selling and buyers who can qualify for the higher rates will want to buy before the rates start going up again. Nevertheless, even a two-month supply of available properties is still far from the six-month inventory that was always considered a balanced market.
Cash trumps everything in real estate in every market – always has and always will. Keep an eye on the future and the possibility of a sea change to a more level real estate market.
BRADENTON BEACH – Paid parking and potential future millage increases were primary topics of discussion during the city commission’s July 12 budget meeting.
The tentative budget discussed on Tuesday proposes $4.17 million in total city expenditures – an increase of $584,618 from the current fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30.
The commission intends to maintain the current 2.3329 millage rate for the 2022-23 fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.
A significant portion of the city’s expenses will be covered by the $2,005,086 the city anticipates receiving in ad valorem property tax revenues. Due to skyrocketing property values, the city anticipates a significant increase in ad valorem property tax revenues in the coming fiscal year.
City Treasurer Shayne Thompson told the commission this equates to a $291,521 increase in property tax revenues for new fiscal year. He said the city usually sees a $120,000 to $140,000 annual increase in property tax revenues as property values increase by an average of 6-8%, but in this current fiscal year, property values have increased by approximately 17%.
“That is an anomaly, plain and simple. The raise in property values this year is certainly not the norm. Without that increase, we would probably be faced with a millage increase, like it or not,” Thompson told the commission.
Higher property values mean property owners will pay higher property taxes and Mayor John Chappie said the commission does not intend to adopt a lower rollback millage rate that would generate the same amount of property tax revenues as last year while lowering the millage rate for city taxpayers.
Thompson said the city’s reserve fund has been drawn down in recent years and needs to be replenished, and small annual millage increases may be needed in future years to accomplish this.
Thompson said a one-tenth of a percent millage increase on a home with a $1 million assessed value would result in the property owner paying an additional $100 in property taxes. According to Thompson, a one-tenth of a percent millage increase would generate approximately $85,000 in additional property tax revenues during a single fiscal year.
Chappie and Commissioner Jan Vosburgh said they would not support a millage increase this year and they hope to avoid doing so in future years.
Police Chief John Cosby supports paid parking in city-owned parking lots. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Police Chief John Cosby said, “Every year for the past five years I have told you that you need to raise the millage a little bit every year. I do agree with Shayne that it’s something to keep in the back of our mind. I don’t think we’re in trouble yet, but I think next year will be the year we really have to look at it. I think you should heed Shayne’s advice that going up a little bit every year at some point is not going to hurt.”
Chappie noted the commission intends to discuss paid parking in city-owned parking lots as a possible means of generating additional city revenues. That work meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 9 a.m.
Potential paid parking locations include the city-owned portion of the parking lot behind the BridgeWalk resort, the city hall parking lot and the unpaved parking lot near the Public Works Department building.
The city-owned parking lot near the Public Works Department building could be used for paid parking. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
In recent months, Cosby has repeatedly told the commission the police department is underfunded and understaffed when it comes to policing a city that receives thousands of visitors on any given day. During the budget meeting, he mentioned paid parking as the most likely revenue source for additional policing and also replenishing the city’s reserve fund.
“Paid parking is it. We’ve got to get it back from the people that are coming here and enjoying our amenities, and the only way to do that is paid parking. That could generate a lot of revenue. That would take care of your concern and Shayne’s concerns,” Cosby said.
“I’ve done a little research and Pinellas County just went to $7 an hour for paid parking. It’s an option we need to look at. Your citizens have already told you they want you to find a way to generate revenue outside of a tax increase and this is one way to do it,” he added.
Cosby said the city’s current reserve fund would cover approximately 20-25% of the city’s annual expenses, but a coastal community that’s more prone to storm and hurricane damage should really have a reserve fund that would cover $30-35% of the city’s operating expenses.
“This city has to rely on itself until FEMA can get here to help us. We’re going to have to be self-sufficient and we’re not there yet. When we do the paid parking, we have to really look at how we’re going to distribute that revenue. I think a percentage of that revenue should automatically go into reserves so we can build a good strong reserve,” Cosby said.
Other budget matters
As is the case each year, the city’s largest expenses are employee salaries, benefits and retirement fund contributions. City Clerk Terri Sanclemente told the commission that due to budget constraints, she and the other department heads are requesting a 6% cost of living adjustment (COLA) increase for all city employees but are not requesting any additional salary increases.
The police department budget includes enough money to hire one more officer at an approximate cost of $100,000, including the officer’s annual salary and employee benefits.
According to Thompson, the city has received to date $320,296 in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds from the federal government and expects to receive an additional $320,296 before the current fiscal year ends.
The ARP fund expenditures included in the 2022-23 fiscal year budget allocate $37,000 for the public works department to buy a new pickup truck and a new GEM cart, $88,000 for two new police vehicles, $20,000 for a Polaris-like ATV to be shared by code enforcement and the police department for beach patrols and $66,600 for server upgrades for the city and police department computer systems.
The budget remains a work in progress and will be finalized and adopted during two public hearings in September.
BRADENTON BEACH – In the interest of protecting all the animals along the food chain, a local animal rescue organization is urging Island homeowners to consider a natural alternative to the chemical eradication of rodents.
A strategically-placed wooden screech owl box or barn owl box will attract the owls that naturally prey on rodents, according to the experts at Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Inc.
“You can get these boxes online and it’s simple,” Wildlife Inc. volunteer Krista Carpenter said. “You put it in a tree and put a bird feeder near it. As the bird seed falls out of the feeder, rats and mice will gather and then are eaten by the owls in the box.”
Installing an owl box can save many lives.
“From one block of poison, a poisoned mouse could be eaten by a bird, which is then eaten by an animal such as a fox or raccoon. A hawk could eat that fox or raccoon and then a bobcat or coyote could eat that,” causing all their deaths, Carpenter said. “A vulture could eat the last one. The circle of life is also the circle of death.”
That food chain poisoning became apparent in May when Carpenter got a call from the organization’s co-director, Gail Straight, that an American eagle in distress was found on the grounds of IMG Academy in Bradenton.
“The person who had called us was a golf pro there, an Australian man who knew what the eagle meant to the United States,” Carpenter said.
Describing the female bird as huge and beautiful, Carpenter knew right away that something was very wrong.
“She put up a little fight but it wasn’t what it should be,” she said. “I noticed there were tented homes nearby and I thought, ‘They use poison.’ The eagle was treated for poisoning but she succumbed that same day.”
Carpenter described the eagle’s death as miserable and painful. It was caused by ingesting high levels of rat poison.
“Rat poison is basically a blood thinner and causes a slow, painful explosion of organs,” she said. “A rat will go out looking for water after ingesting the poison and in this case that American eagle ate the rat.”
Carpenter said she is not anti-extermination but urged people to try an alternative path with owls, something she said has been used for years in California wineries as a natural pest control technique.
According to the Wildlife Inc. Facebook page, “Bait boxes filled with what killed the American eagle are put out to control rodents. If an owl box had been put out instead, this American eagle would be alive today. A common barn owl eats three to four rats a night.”
“Of course, the person who put the bait box out didn’t expect the eagle to die,” Carpenter said. “All I’m saying is think before you take the easy path. You never know what you’re going to kill.”
Bradenton Beach-based Wildlife Inc. is a non-profit wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization that is home to a wide assortment of sick, injured or orphaned native wildlife, some of which will be eventually released, as well as to animals who are non-releasable and have found a permanent home there.
BRADENTON BEACH – It’s easy to get distracted by the beauty of the beaches and surrounding areas when visiting Anna Maria Island, but four vehicle break-ins on July 30 are a reminder that even paradise can have problems.
Two vehicles were broken into at Coquina Beach and two at Cortez Beach, according to reports filed by two Bradenton Beach police officers. The crimes all took place within an hour or two of each other.
According to a report filed by Officer Roy Joslin III, he was dispatched to a vehicle burglary on June 30 at 7:04 p.m. in the 1000 block of the Cortez Beach parking area. Two female adult victims said they had their purses stolen from their car after they parked and took a walk to the beach. They said they were only gone for about 15 minutes, but believed they had left the car unlocked with the purses in plain view in the back seat. There were no witnesses and no video footage available for the area.
At 8:18 p.m., shortly after Joslin was investigating the first break-in, Officer Devon Straight was dispatched to another vehicle burglary in the 2650 block of the Coquina Beach parking lot. When Straight arrived, he spoke to a female victim who said she left her vehicle around 5:30 p.m., returning at 8:15 p.m. to find her rear window broken out and her purse missing. The victim said the purse was in plain sight laying in the back seat. In his report, Straight said this burglary, the burglary investigated by Joslin and two others that happened during the same time frame were possibly related.
Straight found another vehicle with a broken rear window at Coquina Beach as he was completing his investigation of the first vehicle. He waited for the owners of the second vehicle to return, which they did about 15 minutes later. The owner reported a purse that had been located in the back seat was missing.
The fourth vehicle at the Cortez Beach parking lot had an iPad taken during a break-in that closely resembled the others during the same time frame.
The four burglaries were referred to a detective for further investigation. No suspects have been identified and the investigation remains open.
“It’s hard to catch these guys, they can easily gather around a vehicle and look like beachgoers,” Bradenton Beach Lt. Lenard Diaz said. “This happens every now and then on busy holiday weekends. They come from out of town and blend in. It doesn’t take long to bust out a window and grab a purse or an iPad.”
Diaz says the best deterrent is to always lock your doors and keep valuable items hidden out of sight. Leaving valuable items in plain view is an invitation to thieves. They want to get in and out fast, so if they don’t see anything valuable, they’re likely to move on to another vehicle.
BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners plan to discuss the possibility of charging for parking in some city-owned parking lots.
During the July 7 city commission meeting, Commissioner Jake Spooner requested that a city commission workshop be scheduled to discuss potential paid parking.
“I was going to ask the board if there’d be any appetite to have a workshop on the possibility of paid parking in the city lots,” he said.
“I think that would be wonderful,” Commissioner Jan Vosburgh said.
“I agree,” Mayor John Chappie added. “We briefly discussed it a little while back and I know you’ve been working with the (police) chief.”
Chappie asked Spooner to work with City Clerk Terri Sanclemente to schedule the requested commission workshop, which will also include insight from Police Chief John Cosby.
He noted the scheduling of a commission workshop does not mean the commission is already committed to the idea of paid parking.
“We’re going to hear what Commissioner Spooner has prepared, and discussion with the chief, and see where we’re at,” Chappie said.
Past discussions
Spooner has suggested paid parking in the past. During the June 1 Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meeting, he suggested paid parking in city-owned parking lots as a means of generating additional revenue to help subsidize the CRA-funded Old Town Tram program; and to also help fund additional policing within the CRA district that extends from the Cortez Bridge to Fifth Street South. In response, Chappie said he didn’t want to see paid parking lots located all over the city.
More than a year ago, when discussing the potential replacement of the aging city hall building, Spooner suggested building a new city hall/police department building near the existing police department and public works buildings and converting the existing city hall property into a paid parking lot. Spooner estimated this would generate enough revenues to pay off the new city hall complex in 10 years and continue to provide the city with additional revenues after that.
In response to that suggestion, Chappie and Vosburgh expressed opposition to converting the city hall property located across the street from the Gulf of Mexico into a paid parking lot.
A new trend?
On Thursday, July 14, the Anna Maria City Commission is expected to approve a site plan amendment that will formalize the existing paid parking in a lot owned by Ed Chiles and the Sandbar restaurant ownership group.
Located near the Sandbar, the automated paid parking kiosk provided by Joshua LaRose’s Easy Parking Group charges $5 per hour or $30 for eight hours of paid public parking that is open to anyone on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking in that lot is not restricted to Sandbar restaurant patrons only.
One of the Sandbar restaurant’s parking lots now offers paid public parking. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
LaRose’s company also provides paid parking kiosks in downtown Sarasota and in Siesta Key. He is also the service and equipment provider for the Bradenton Beach CRA’s Old Town Tram service.
The anticipated approval of the Sandbar’s paid parking program may inspire other private and public property owners to follow suit as a means of generating additional revenues while also providing more public parking on Anna Maria Island.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The Island was packed and traffic stretched for more than a mile to get onto the Island most of the weekend as everyone from international visitors to local Floridians flocked to AMI beaches to soak up the sun for the Fourth of July holiday.
Major holidays are always a big draw as visitors look to beat the summer heat.
“We came from Orlando. The traffic was insane, but it’s worth it to be on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world,” said Carlos Ramirez, who was visiting Coquina Beach with his wife and four children. “It took forever to get a parking spot, and now that we have one, we’re not leaving. We brought food to grill and we’re here until the sun sets.”
Ramirez was fortunate to get a parking spot. On Monday, July 4, cars were lined up bumper to bumper, with drivers hoping a parking space would become available at the beaches.
After the sun set on Saturday night, visitors continued to flock to the Island for the return of the Sandbar Restaurant’s annual fireworks display after a sabbatical due to COVID-19.
And the Anna Maria Island Privateers’ Fourth of July parade both delighted beachgoers and further slowed traffic on the Island’s two main roads on Monday.
“The beaches are incredibly crowded. We barely have room to drive our ATVs because there are so many people out there,” Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said.
Tokajer also addressed the use of Anna Maria Elementary’s parking lot for overflow parking. The lot was free to use July 2, 3 and 4, but not without controversy.
“The school was open for parking Saturday, Sunday and Monday, but in reality it shouldn’t have been,” Tokajer said. “County Administrator Scott Hopes told Superintendent Cynthia Saunders that he would have the flashing beacon for the crosswalk installed before the July Fourth weekend and it was not. It was a dangerous situation with people crossing the road with their families carrying beach gear in an area without a proper crosswalk.”
MANATEE COUNTY – Property owners who are confused by a six-page letter arriving from West Manatee Fire Rescue District staff are not alone.
The letter, legally required to be mailed to every property owner in the district, covers two separate topics – that the district’s staff is reallocating some taxpayer funds to cover non-transport advanced life support service and that the district’s non-ad valorem assessment will increase for the 2022-23 tax year beginning Oct. 1.
The non-transport ALS service is not new to WMFR or the people it serves in the district, and the assessment rate increase isn’t happening because of the increase in service. In fact, WMFR’s non-transport ALS service has been ongoing for the last few years. Now that it’s fully launched at all three fire stations and the majority of the district’s first responders have been fully trained as paramedics, attorney Maggie Mooney said it’s time for staff to send out a letter informing taxpayers that some of the funds the district receives are being spent to provide the service.
With the non-transport ALS service, WMFR firefighters provide the same critical care service that EMS provides except that they cannot transport patients to the hospital. And the cost of the enhanced service has been factored into the district’s budget for more than three years, meaning that the increase in the assessment rate isn’t directly related to the increase in service.
Reasons for the assessment rate increase include a jump in the personal income growth number used to determine how much a special district like WMFR can increase rates each year, rising costs due to insurance and a new contract with the firefighters’ union, and an attempt to build reserve funds for future large purchases, such as replacement fire engines.
Assessment rates are planned to increase 4% for the new fiscal year over the current rates. For a residential property owner with a home of 2,000 square feet, the rate will increase to $336.22, a $12.94 increase over the 2021-22 fiscal year.
Commercial property owners also will see a 4% increase with the rate increasing to $753.19 for a 2,000-square-foot property, an increase of $28.96.
Anyone who has questions about the non-transport ALS service and how it affects the assessment rate or who wishes to dispute the assessment rate increase
is invited to attend a public hearing on Tuesday, July 19 at 6 p.m. at the district’s administration building at 701 63rd St. W. in Bradenton.
BRADENTON BEACH – A busy night on Bridge Street came to an abrupt halt due to what was believed to be a natural gas leak.
As people wandered among bars, shops and restaurants on June 7, customers at the Bridge Tender Inn were enjoying dinner and drinks by the bay when fire trucks and police began to arrive on Bay Drive South. Bystanders were told to leave the area and Bridge Tender Inn customers were evacuated from the property due to a reported gas leak.
“They narrowed it down to a car. There was a young girl from Georgia that had driven up here from Siesta Key,” said Shannon Altier, assistant general manager at Bridge Tender Inn. “The fire department had really sensitive equipment to detect leaking gas, but they didn’t find anything. It turned out to be a belt from the young lady’s car that eventually had to be towed away.”
According to multiple bystanders, the smell was almost identical to that of natural gas. Altier and the rest of the Bridge Tender Inn staff were relieved to hear the situation posed no danger, but it did cost the establishment a great deal of money due to orders that had already been placed and prepared when patrons were evacuated, as well as about two hours of lost revenue.
“We lost a little bit, but I was honestly just worried about the little girl in the car,” Altier said. “She had no idea what to do. I told her to not drive more than a block, and the car died on Bridge Street a few feet later.”
The incident started around 8 p.m. and according to Altier, fire officials were still on the scene until after 10 p.m. Nobody was injured and no property other than the vehicle with the faulty belt was damaged.
BRADENTON BEACH – Registered voters will see five charter amendment questions on their city ballots this fall.
Two proposed charter amendments pertain to filling vacant commission seats and one pertains to eliminating term limits for elected officials.
Similar to a state or federal constitution, the city charter sets forth how the city is governed and structured. The Bradenton Beach charter also includes language that restricts building heights and requires voter approval to vacate city rights of ways. The city charter can only be amended with the majority support of the city’s registered voters.
On June 2, the city commission adopted on first reading a city ordinance containing five of the six charter amendment ballot questions previously recommended by the commission-appointed charter review committee and drafted by City Attorney Ricinda Perry.
The commission rejected Perry’s final effort to include a sixth ballot question that could have potentially weakened the existing four-fifths supra-majority vote required for certain city commission actions.
The five commission-supported charter amendment ballot questions are slated for final adoption on Thursday, June 16. The adopted ballot questions will then be submitted to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections for inclusion on the fall ballot.
Vacancies and term limits
Working somewhat in unison, proposed charter amendments 2 and 3 address filling vacant city commission seats, while proposed charter amendment 4 addresses term limits.
If approved by city voters, proposed charter amendment 2 would allow the commission to appoint someone from outside of a specific commission ward to serve on the commission if no resident of that ward is willing to run or be appointed to that seat.
Proposed charter amendment 3 would allow the commission to appoint someone to fill a commission vacancy of more than six months created by a sitting commission member’s mid-term resignation. The charter currently requires a special election to fill such a vacancy of more than six months.
In 2021, city voters narrowly voted in favor of retaining the existing term-limits set forth in the charter. Proposed charter amendment 4 seeks to eliminate the term limits that result in an elected official term-limiting out of office after serving three consecutive two-year terms.
During Thursday’s meeting, Perry explained how voter approval of proposed charter amendment 4 would allow incumbent commissioner Marilyn Maro to serve another term even though her term expires in November.
Commissioner Marilyn Maro’s term is scheduled to expire in November. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Perry said Maro can run for the Ward 2 seat, and if she wins that race, and city voters eliminate term limits, she can then serve another term. If Maro runs and wins but voters retain term limits, that seat would be filled by person receiving the second highest number of votes.
If no other candidate runs against Maro, the two-year vacancy would be filled by commission appointment. If city voters adopt charter amendment 2, the commission could appoint someone from outside of Ward 2 to serve that full two-year term if no one from that ward applies to fill the vacancy.
After Thursday’s meeting, Maro said she had not yet decided if she’s running again. Mayor John Chappie and Commissioner Jake Spooner’s terms expire in November 2023.
Supra-majority retained
The commission directed Perry to draft an ordinance containing five of the six charter amendment questions recommended by the charter review committee on May 19, rejecting a sixth proposed ballot question pertaining to supra-majority votes.
The charter currently says an affirmative supra-majority vote of at least four of the five commission members shall be required to approve any comprehensive plan amendment (including map or text amendments), rezoning, special exception, variance or the vacation of any city right of way.
During Thursday’s meeting, Perry proposed new charter language that said, “The commission shall clarify and define supra-majority in the city of Bradenton Beach Land Development Code, as well as establish the number of elected officials required for a supra-majority vote.”
Perry said she included the supra-majority question in the first reading of the ordinance because it could be removed during first reading but could not be added to the ordinance if not publicly noticed as such.
Perry suggested retaining the fourth-fifths supra-majority commission vote – and subsequent city voter approval – to vacate any city-owned right of ways, while allowing the commission to decide if a supra-majority or simple majority vote is required for other actions that currently require the supra-majority support of the commission.
Perry questioned what would happen if one commission member had to recuse themselves from such a vote. The commission agreed that the applicant would then need the approval of all four remaining commission members.
Commissioner Ralph Cole said amending the charter as the charter review committee and Perry proposed could result in three or fewer votes being needed to approve a comprehensive plan amendment that would allow a stand-alone parking garage.
Chappie said he likes the higher four-fifths standard for certain commission actions, even though it makes the approval process tougher for developers.
During public input, city resident and Planning and Zoning Board member John Burns asked why the supra-majority question was included in the ordinance after the commission rejected it on May 19. Burns said he likes the higher threshold for certain commission actions and he wants it to be harder, not easier, for the commission to govern when addressing issues of this nature.
Proposed charter amendments
The charter amendment questions will appear on the ballot seeking from the city’s registered voters a “yes” vote for approval or a “no” vote for rejection.
The ballot questions are:
FORFEITURE OF OFFICE
Currently the city charter vests authority in three arbitrators to hold forfeiture of office proceedings against an elected official with costs to be borne by the city. Should the city revise its charter to eliminate the three arbitrator-panel procedure and replace it with the former forfeiture provision utilizing the city commission to conduct the proceedings?
TEMPORARY AT-LARGE FILLING OF VACANCIES
The current city charter requires a ward commissioner to reside in the ward they represent. Should the city amend its charter to establish a procedure to temporarily fill the ward seat for one term with an at-large commissioner if no ward resident is available or willing to run for office?
FILLING OF VACANCIES BY APPOINTMENT
The current city charter requires the city to provide a special election to fill a vacancy that results in more than six months from a resignation required by Section 99.012, Florida Statues. Should the charter be amended to allow for all vacancies to be appointed by the city commission?
QUALIFICATIONS AND TERMS OF OFFICE
Should the city amend its charter to remove term limits and maintain two-year terms for all elected positions with an effective date of June 16, 2022, in order to allow currently seated elected officials the ability to run for office, if otherwise termed out?
ACTIONS REQUIRING AN ORDINANCE
Currently the city charter sets forth actions requiring an ordinance. Should the city amend the charter to remove employee personnel benefits and procedures from this section and require actions of the city regarding employee personnel benefits and procedures to be adopted in a public meeting through a resolution of the commission?
BRADENTON BEACH – An encounter between police and an intoxicated couple on May 29 turned into an hours-long struggle to diffuse a situation that put both the police and the public in danger.
Bradenton Beach officers Devon Officer Straight and Roy Officer Joslin were on routine foot patrol at 2:30 a.m. on Bridge Street when they heard a verbal disturbance coming from a male and female leaving the Drift In bar, according to the police report. The officers didn’t see the couple get in their car, but they heard the vehicle rev its engine repeatedly, then reverse at a high rate of speed, fishtailing without any lights.
Officer Straight said the vehicle almost hit a sign and posed a hazard to large groups of people gathered in the area, so he and Officer Joslin used their flashlights to signal the vehicle to stop and they checked on the welfare and condition of the driver.
Later identified as Steven Clayton Davis, of Bradenton, the driver became verbally abusive with the officers and showed signs of intoxication, including slurred speech and bloodshot eyes, according to the report. Davis put his car in park, but refused to open the door and get out of the vehicle after the officers asked him to do so. Officer Joslin opened the unlocked door from the outside and ordered Davis to exit the vehicle, which Davis refused to do. The officers began to extract Davis from the vehicle to prevent any danger to the public, officers and the suspect.
Once Davis was out of the vehicle, both officers attempted to detain him in handcuffs, which he resisted with force, according to the report. Once the officers secured him in handcuffs, he was taken to a patrol vehicle. While the officers attempted to put him in the back of the patrol car, Davis refused to sit in the back seat properly and leaned forward and dropped face first onto the pavement. While the officers attempted to get Davis off the ground, he yelled and threatened the officers, refusing to cooperate. He also managed to slip his handcuffed arms under his legs so the cuffs were on the front of his body. During the struggle with officers, who had no backup at the time, a Monkey Bus driver arrived on the scene and assisted officers in gaining control of the suspect, helping them get him into the back of the vehicle.
Once Davis was placed in the back of the patrol vehicle, officers say he used his handcuffed hands, which were still on the front side of his body, to try to break the window of the patrol car. The officers then opened the door again, warning Davis that he would be pepper sprayed if he didn’t calm down, according to the report. Not heeding the warning, Davis continued to try to leave the patrol car, resulting in officers pepper-spraying him and finally gaining some control of the tense situation.
Holmes Beach officers arrived on the scene to provide backup, since Officer Straight and Officer Joslin were the only officers on duty in Bradenton Beach. After Holmes Beach officers arrived, Officer Joslin was able to deal with the suspect’s female companion, Torrie Ann Kronk, who had been screaming threats and insults at the officers throughout the ordeal. Kronk was later arrested for obstruction for her role in the incident.
Officer Straight then took Davis to the police station for decontamination, standard procedure when anyone is pepper-sprayed by police, according to officers. Officer Straight used cool water from the hose in the police department parking lot until the suspect was satisfied he was decontaminated. Officer Joslin meanwhile completed arrest paperwork on Kronk.
Davis refused to sit on the bench in the police station quietly while he was processed. He threatened to kill the officers repeatedly while being processed, according to the report, and continued to resist arrest by trying to kick over a shelf containing valuable police equipment, resulting in the officers having to cuff his feet to the bench to prevent any damage during processing.Davis was charged with obstruction and disorderly intoxication in a public place causing a disturbance.
Due to injuries Davis sustained when he fell on his face trying to escape the police vehicle during the arrest, he was taken to the hospital before being transported to Manatee County Jail.
“The whole ordeal lasted from 2:30 a.m. to close to 7:30 a.m. because they struggled and there were injuries and were taken to the hospital,” Bradenton Beach Police Lt. Lenard Diaz said. “It should be a simple misdemeanor arrest, but because of the injuries and the fact there was a male and female and you have to keep two officers with the female, it takes our officers away from the road.”
During the process of arresting the suspects, which took about five hours, there were no Bradenton Beach officers available to take calls for other emergencies. The department continues to seek funding for more staff to prevent similar situations in the future.
Here’s how to secure your home, pool and yard before a storm.
Home preparation
Install shutters on all openings, including windows, doors, sliding glass doors, French doors and garage doors
If using plywood, purchase 5/8″ thick plywood well before a storm arrives, pre-measure, pre-drill and label each piece, or buy clips to attach plywood to window frames
Install impact resistant windows
Caulk or install weather stripping around windows
Install three door hinges on outside doors
Install deadbolts that extend one inch into the door jamb on outside doors
Repair loose or missing roof shingles
Inspect soffits for adequate fasteners
Replace loose or missing soffits
Outside, seal openings from air conditioning refrigerant lines, water heater pressure relief lines, water pipes, cable and satellite TV wires, telephone wires, Internet wires and exhaust fan vents from bathroom, kitchen, clothes dryer
Inside, seal around electrical boxes and circuit breaker panels, electrical outlets, exhaust fan vents
My April 20 column was titled “The end of an era,” the era being one of ultra-low mortgage interest rates. In that column I reported that the current average mortgage interest rate was 4.72%, a rate that was probably already a week old.
Now, only a month later, the average interest rate is 5.42%, likely hovering just above 6% after the most recent Federal Reserve rate hike of half a percent. When the rate hit 5.27%, it represented a 13-year high.
So far, the country in general has not seen a slowdown of the surge in home prices, according to the National Association of Realtors. Quite the contrary, many buyers are trying to lock in purchases before the rates climb even further, which Realtors can guarantee they will, continuing to push selling prices up and up.
So, what does the average potential home buyer do in this real estate environment? Mortgage interest rates are going up almost weekly. Inventory is being depleted with everyone rushing into the market before the rates go up even more. Sellers are taking advantage of the increase and the anxiety of buyers to do tough negotiating and/or increase their asking price.
Many buyers are just dropping out, renewing their leases, moving in with family and waiting for the insanity to end. Others who can afford it aren’t giving up. Some are opting to pay fees to secure lower rates in the form of rate lock-in agreements. It’s not unusual for the typical 60-day lock-in to expire before the buyer finds a property, putting them in the position to extend the lock-in, costing – of course – more money. Others are adding cash into the transaction so they can qualify for a lower mortgage amount making up for the higher rates.
In addition, adjustable-rate mortgages are starting to come back starting under 4% for now. This new generation of adjustable-rate mortgages are more closely regulated than the ones that helped to create the financial crisis. At that time, low teaser rates attracted buyers and then after a year or two went up so high many homeowners couldn’t afford the increase. Now lenders can’t offer short-term rates and lenders are required to have caps on how much the rates can increase. Nevertheless, borrowers still need to be careful when going into a variable rate mortgage, since not knowing what your mortgage rate will be down the road is still a risk.
Most real estate economists still think that home prices will come down by the end of the year because of the higher mortgage interest rates. However, all real estate is local, and Manatee County is such a specialized area with a high percentage of cash buyers, increasing mortgage rates will have less of an effect.
Even if you’re not in the market for a new home, increasing rates influence the entire real estate market. It’s important to pay attention to the rate increases which could at some point have an impact on the value of your home proving the economists right.
At the end of 2021, the average rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage was 3.1%; by the time this column is in print it could very well be at 6%. It appears mortgage interest rates keep creating new eras every couple of months, enough to make a homebuyer’s head spin.
