Skip to main content

Tag: Bradenton Beach

A sailor’s life cut short

A sailor’s life cut short

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

BRADENTON BEACH – The liveaboard boating community in Bradenton Beach lost a friend and fellow sailor with the recent passing of 59-year-old Octavio Utrera.

Utrera previously owned and operated Anna Maria Island Sailing Adventures. His charter trips included the gourmet meals he prepared aboard his sailboat, the Zefiro.

According to Longboat Key Public Information Officer Tina Adams and Lt. Robert Bourque of the Longboat Key Police Department, Utrera’s body was discovered at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 24 floating just offshore in the Gulf of Mexico near the 100 block of Sands Point Road by New Pass at the south end of Longboat Key.

On Monday, Dec. 30, Bourque said the case remained under investigation. Bourque said no cause of death had yet been determined, but the medical examiner initially found no signs of trauma to the body. A toxicology report was pending.

Adams said Utrera’s driver license listed a Holmes Beach address, but those who knew him said he’d recently been living on a sailboat anchored near the Bridge Street Pier.

Bourque said the last known sighting of Utrera alive was when a Bradenton Beach police officer spoke with him on Sunday, Dec. 22 at approximately 10:47 p.m.

Bradenton Beach Det. Sgt. Lenard Diaz said Officer Eric Hill spoke with Utrera that night when he discovered Utrera’s sailboat tied to a piling alongside the south side of the Bridge Street Pier.

“Apparently his boat cut loose so he had tied to one of the pier pillars east of the floating dock,” Diaz said.

“They talked for a little bit. It was pretty windy, so there really wasn’t much he could do until the next day. When Eric left, he was still on the boat. That was the last time we had contact with him,” Diaz said.

A sailor’s life cut short
Octavio Utrera’s sailboat remained tied up at the pier for a few days after he passed away. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Diaz said Hill returned to the pier around 2 a.m. and discovered a second boat tied up near Utrera’s boat but had no additional interaction with Utrera.

Utrera’s body was located approximately 12 miles from the pier. When asked if it was known how or where Utrera wound up in the water, Bourque said that question could not yet be answered.

A respected sailor

Bradenton Beach resident Patti Clarke met Utrera when she worked at the Bradenton Beach Marina.

“He was a very dear friend of mine,” Clarke said.

Clarke said Utrera had been living in New Jersey for the past couple of years, but returned to the Island in September. Clarke helped Utrera acquire the use of the sailboat he was living on and they planned to use that boat to do charters together.

Clarke said she received text messages from two mutual friends who said Utrera called them on Sunday, Dec. 22 and said he was having trouble with the boat due to the strong winds and weather conditions. Both friends were out of town and could not help.

A sailor’s life cut short
In early November, Octavio Utrera took some friends for a cruise on the sailboat he was living on. – Patti Clarke | Submitted

Utrera used to dock the Zefiro at the Bradenton Beach Marina.

“We called Octavio ‘O.J.’ He was around the marina for many years buying fuel or getting repairs done. O.J. was a nice guy – quick to laugh and joke around. He escaped from Cuba on a naval boat. He was quite proficient at handling boats,” marina president Mike Bazzy said.

“He had his boat at my place a couple years ago. With the winds and the weather and the floating dock being closed, it was getting too hard to run his charter business out of the anchorage, so he rented a slip here for more than year. He took six people out at a time and when they came back to the dock everyone would be cracking up. He was a good guy to be on a boat with,” Bazzy said.

Paradise Boat Tours General Manager Sherman Baldwin operates his tour boat business from an office at the foot of the pier.

“When Octavio was doing AMI Sailing Adventures full-fledged in 2014 and 2015 there would be days when except for provisioning his boat and running to the market on a scooter he would be on the water 24 hours a day. Food was part of his charters and he used to make these amazing meals. He loved boating and he was great with people,” Baldwin said.

“He defected from the Cuban Navy. He came here because he loved America. He used to do this funny thing when he sailed in. He’d see some boaters and yell ‘Which way to America?’” Baldwin said.

Morgan Rothe met Utrera about 12 years ago when he sailed from Sarasota to Bradenton Beach.

“I threw an anchor down next to this guy and he said, ‘Welcome to America.’ He threw me a Busch beer from 30 feet away. Octavio was the first person I met out there. He told me he and some of his buddies were in the Cuban Navy and stole one of Castro’s patrol boats and escaped to America in the late 1970s. Octavia was a seasoned sailor. I sailed with him seven or eight times,” Rothe said.

Reef project helps filter local waters

Reef project helps filter local waters

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Center of Anna Maria Island, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – A windy, cloudy afternoon didn’t stop the father-son team of David and David Wolff from coming out to the dock behind the Bridge Tender Inn Dec. 20 to install four mini reefs as a part of The Center’s Go Green initiative.

The four reefs were only a part of the six reefs purchased by the Bridge Tender’s owner, Fred Bartizal, who purchased two additional reefs to be placed in the water near his home.

In a statement emailed to The Sun, Bartizal said, “The Bridge Tender Inn takes great pride in going green. Everyone should be doing it; it is essential for the earth and future generations.” He added that the restaurant participates in recycling and is switching over to biodegradable napkins, straws, cutlery and to-go containers.

David Wolff Jr. carries two of the mini reefs down the dock to be installed at the Bridge Tender Inn. – Kristin Swain | Sun

The mini reefs, the brainchild of David Wolff of Ocean Habitats LLC, are made almost exclusively of sustainable materials designed to hold around 150 pounds with a lifespan of 10-15 years. The reefs are installed underneath docks, attached by floating marine ropes, and bob just underneath the surface where they provide a home for fish and other marine life. Ocean Habitat’s mini reefs can be used in salt and brackish water. They filter over 30,000 gallons of water per day and can provide a nursery home for fish and crabs, producing around 300 fish per year and 200 crabs per year.

Wolff said the idea for the reefs came out of a college research project. Once he shrunk the initial reef down to its current 24x36x24 inch size and rethought all of the materials with longevity and sustainability in mind, he developed the current mini reef and a fish crib to be used in freshwater lakes and ponds.

Though the mini reefs are available through the Ocean Habitats website, they’re also available through The Center of Anna Maria Island at a discounted price, including installation.

David Wolff Jr. secures two of the mini reefs underneath the dock at The Bridge Tender Inn. – Kristin Swain | Sun

The reefs are being made available as a part of The Center’s Go Green campaign, encouraging community members to live a more sustainable life while also supporting the nonprofit. Each reef can be purchased for $350 with $150 going to support The Center’s annual fund. Through Jan. 15, a private donor is sponsoring a donation match up to $130,000, so any reefs purchased by the deadline produces an additional $150 donation for a total of $300 back to The Center.

Center Director of Development Jim McDaniel said that as of Dec. 20, 52 mini reefs had been purchased and were planned to be installed around Anna Maria Island by the New Year. He said an additional four were in-process. The goal, he said, is to not only see what kind of positive impact these mini reefs can have on local waters but also to see how many new donors will come forward to help out The Center.

Once all of the reefs are installed, McDaniel said The Center plans to create a map of the reef locations and hopefully will be able to use the project for research purposes in the future.

For people who want a different, but still tangible, way to support The Center, there’s the Giving Reef, located in the nonprofit’s lobby. For the Giving Reef, program directors priced and placed tags with items needed, from soccer balls to new fitness equipment, on the reef. Anyone can come in, find something that they feel passionate about supporting or that fits into their budget and provide the funds to purchase that item. McDaniel said that items range from about $130 to $3,500 and are all currently included in The Center’s budget. By community members purchasing those items, those budgeted funds can go back into the annual fund for use in other areas or for saving for the future of the nonprofit.

For more information on the mini reefs and the Giving Reef, visit The Center online.

Related coverage

Mini reefs installed at Mar Vista

Pines plague parking project

Pines plague parking project

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News, Featured.

BRADENTON BEACH – Controversy over Australian pine trees in the Coquina Beach parking lot may slow down or stop the second phase of a $6 million drainage project, county tourism officials learned on Monday.

The county removed 103 of the non-native pines and replaced them with native species in phase one at the southern end of the parking area, scheduled to be completed by February or March, Mike Sturm, project manager at the Manatee County Public Works Department, told Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) members.

Another 126 pines will need to be removed at the northern end in phase two, he said.

Spirited discussions at city and county meetings about removing the first batch of trees caused the project to fall three to four months behind, he said, adding that the city of Bradenton Beach required the county to replace the 103 pines with 103 native, salt-tolerant trees, mostly black olive, gumbo limbo and green buttonwood. The county exceeded the city’s height requirements, choosing trees 8-12 feet high, Sturm said.

TDC Chair and Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore was not appeased by the effort, citing the Australian pines’ shade and aesthetic appeal.

The nearly-completed portion of the southern parking lot “looks like Siesta Beach or one of the other sterile beaches we have south of us… I wanted to save some of the character of Anna Maria Island,” said Whitmore, who voted against the project as a county commissioner. “People come to us because we aren’t a sterile beach like you see in other places in Florida. If you go for phase two, I’m really going to fight it hard,” she said.

In phase two, which Manatee County commissioners have not yet approved, the county public works staff can try to mitigate the impact to the pines by changing the pavement design to save some of them, Sturm said.

But Australian pine opponents, like Island restaurateur and TDC member Ed Chiles, say the trees are unstable in high winds due to shallow root systems and produce acidity that discourages the growth of native plants.

Pines lining Gulf Drive could topple into the roadway, which is a hurricane evacuation route, Chiles said, complimenting the county on removing the pines and on the drainage project’s progress, saying it “provides access to our crown jewel, the beaches.”

The county worked with an expert who determined that 90% of the time, the Coquina Beach parking lot gets an inch of rain or less, he said, so the system is designed to keep the lot dry 90% percent of the time. During a heavy storm, it may take a day or so to clear, he said, but any water coming off Gulf Drive will be routed around the parking area.

The system also should help reduce harmful algal blooms, Chiles said; the project incorporates carbon filters under pervious parking surfaces to help filter out nutrients from stormwater runoff, which will drain into the Intracoastal Waterway.

Pervious concrete was used at Riverwalk and Lecom Field, TDC member and Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston said.

“It’s worked very well, we’re very pleased with that,” he said, predicting that the improved beach parking lot will attract more visitors and locals when it is finished in January.

But the Australian pines made the beach “look like the Island,” he said.

“I think Carol’s right,” he said. “You get a new puppy and everybody forgets about the old dog who has served you so well.”

“I lost this one,” Whitmore said. “As a TDC member for a long time now, I just don’t want the character to be inching away… I’m just trying to preserve a little bit of the character and that to me was a big thing. But they’re gone.”

Related coverage

County submits Coquina Beach tree replacement plan

County commission approves Coquina Beach tree removals

City to county: ‘Not so fast’ on tree removal

Castles in the Sand

The Grinch that stole your real estate deal

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

If you’re in a home negotiation, whether you’re the buyer or seller you better watch out for the home inspection grinch. To the buyer, the grinch is a kindly and informed fellow who will uncover all of the home’s secrets and to the seller, the grinch is a nosey picky guy who when he uncovers all of your home’s secrets will tell the buyer. Whichever grinch you see he is a necessary evil to the purchase transaction.
Home inspections have become standard operating procedure for both single-family homes and condos all over the country. Generally, a seller is entitled to a home inspection within a specified number of days after both parties have signed the purchase of sale agreement and/or contract of sale. The number of days is determined by the culture of the region and the availability of inspectors in that region.
Inspectors are looking for defects in major systems like electrical, plumbing and heating and air conditioning. In Florida in particular, inspectors are very sensitive to mold and mildew and may use a moisture meter looking for damp areas behind walls from a plumbing leak. They will also check for water pressure in toilets, tubs and dishwashers, as well as the condition of appliances and outdated wiring.
If an inspection comes back with legitimate problems, the buyer and seller should come to an agreement and time frame for repairs. If they fail to do so, the contract is voided, the buyer gets their earnest money back and everyone walks away.
Some buyers will waive the contingency of inspection in an effort to make their offer more appealing, however, they may still have an inspection. This means that in theory if an inspector finds a problem the buyer cannot walk away from the contract and will forfeit their earnest money. But, as we all know, anything can be litigated, tying the house up in court while the buyer tries to get his money back or renegotiates a new price. The point is, be careful with a buyer who removes the inspection contingency as a strategy.
As a seller, there are a couple of ways to keep the real estate grinch away from your door. One is to have your own home inspection prior to putting your home on the market. This will give you a heads up on any problems you may not know about or may not think are serious. An inspection is also a useful tool to provide your broker with to pass on to potential buyers along with other disclosure documents. Buyers will likely still want their own inspection, but it will give them a nice warm feeling about the home and you as a seller.
Another positive to present to buyers is a gift of a home warranty that covers certain repairs to appliances, plumbing, electrical systems and heating and air conditioning units. Warranties are typically for a year and will cost about $700 for the average single-family home. According to the National Association of Realtors, only 17% of all sellers offer a home warranty as an incentive to potential buyers. Again, buyers will get a nice warm feeling about the transaction and it will also make your home stand out among others. Home warranties included in the sale should not, however, remove the home inspection from the buyer’s list of due diligence items.
Even though the inventory of homes is way down, sellers should still attempt to provide quality disclosure about their property and remedy serious issues. It’s the ethical thing to do and it’s the best way to keep the Grinch from stealing your real estate transaction.

More Castles in the Sand:

Today’s challenge for buyers

Mythical credit scores

When did $100,000 not become enough?

Castles in the Sand

Today’s challenge for buyers

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

There’s a big predicament out there all over the country for home buyers, especially first-time buyers. There’s nothing to buy and, apparently, it’s my generation’s fault.

United States homeowners are staying in their homes much longer than ever. Nationwide, homeowners are remaining in their homes typically 13 years, which is five years longer than they did in 2010, according to Redfin. This fact is keeping the housing inventory low resulting in low sales statistics month after month. Except for the early part of this year, the inventory of homes for sale is now near the lowest level in 37 years of record-keeping, according to the housing data firm CoreLogic, Inc.

You don’t have to be an economist and expert in the housing market to understand that when owners don’t trade up to a larger home for a growing family or downsize when children leave it there are availability consequences. When this happens, which is rapidly becoming a fact, it puts a cap on the number of homes available for buyers either looking to upgrade or just coming into the market.

The baby boomer generation, who are now entering their seventies, is partly to blame for the lack of inventory since many of them are staying healthier later in life, are more active and don’t see any reason to downsize. Some states make it easier for seniors to stay in their homes with generous tax benefits. In most states, once you move you lose that benefit which only encourages senior homeowners to stay put.

In Manatee County, however, there is a program for homesteaded residents that allows homeowners to move to a new home and retain some of the tax benefits of the original home. This is called portability and it gives you the ability to transfer the “Save Our Homes” cap to a new home. The “Save Our Homes” cap is the difference between your market value and assessed value. For example, if the just value of your new homestead property is more than the just value of your old homestead, you will be able to transfer your cap up to the $500,000 limit. This went into effect on January 1, 2008, and allows you two years to make the application for portability. In addition, there is no limit on the number of times you move and apply for portability.

October sales statists from the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee is showing a similar trend in inventory. Here are the numbers.

Both Manatee and Sarasota counties continue the upward drift in sales prices with Manatee doing a little better. The number of closed single-family homes in Manatee County increased by 5% compared to last October. The median sale price for single-family is $325,000, up 9.1% from last year and the average is $396,342, up 7.4%. Sarasota’s single-family median sale prices increased by 5.6% to $285,000 and their average sales price increased by 12.5% to $385,131.

Condos in Manatee County closed 0.5% fewer sales, however, the median sale price increased 0.9% from last October to $192,999 and the average sale price increased 20.2% to $262,724. Sarasota’s condo median sale price decreased 5.7% to $220,352 and their average also decreased by 0.9% to $297,501.

Inventory of available properties continued to drop in Manatee County to a 3.4 months supply for single-family homes and 3.7% for condos, putting additional pressure on the market. Who knows what the inventory future holds and the effect it will have on the upcoming selling season? In the meantime, buyers are just waiting and waiting and blaming their parents and grandparents. Happy Thanksgiving!

More Castles in the Sand:

Mythical credit scores

When did $100,000 not become enough?

Are condos the future of housing?

WMFR celebrates promotions, awards

WMFR celebrates promotions, awards

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, West Manatee Fire Rescue.

BRADENTON – West Manatee Fire Rescue’s commissioners and staff had a lot to celebrate during the board’s Nov. 19 meeting with two new firefighters sworn in, three promotions and two Phoenix Awards handed out.

First on the agenda was the oath which was given to new hires firefighters Aaron Reese and David Stark. Reese is working to finish paramedic school in December while Stark comes to WMFR from Manatee County Emergency Management Services.

Firefighters Aaron Reese and David Stark take their oaths as West Manatee firefighters. – Kristin Swain | Sun

Firefighter Tyler MacDonald was promoted for the rank of lieutenant but was absent from the meeting. He will officially be promoted during the district’s January board meeting.

Also promoted was firefighter Clayton Lease who was promoted to the rank of firefighter third class.

More than a month after he started the job, firefighter Jay Johnson was officially promoted to the position of administrative battalion chief, serving as the right hand of new Chief Ben Rigney. Johnson’s family was on-hand to help celebrate the promotion and his father had the honor of pinning his son with his new badge.

Firefighter Clayton Lease is promoted to firefighter third class. – Kristin Swain | Sun

Two Phoenix Awards also were handed out to firefighter/paramedics Zachary Benshoff and Cameron Frazier.

WMFR gives Phoenix Awards to first responders who respond to a cardiac arrest call where the patient is brought back from the brink of death and is able to leave the hospital under their own power. Johnson and Rigney presented the awards.

Benshoff and Frazier earned this Phoenix Award after responding to a drowning call on Sept. 21 with two of their fellow firefighters, Corey Hill and Capt. Buddy Leigh.

Johnson said that when the WMFR team arrived, CPR was already being conducted by marine rescue personnel and a bystander. The WMFR paramedics took over patient care using their medic training and the district’s non-transport advanced lifesaving equipment and were able to keep the patient alive until an EMS transport unit arrive four minutes later. The patient was able to leave the hospital on Sept. 30.

Battalion Chief Jay Johnson addresses commissioners just moments after being officially promoted to administrative battalion chief. – Kristin Swain | Sun

For a patient who needs CPR, Johnson said their chances of survival drop 10% every minute without patient care. By WMFR’s paramedic trained firefighters arriving on-scene four minutes ahead of EMS, he said it increased the drowning victim’s survival rate by 40%.

“That’s huge,” Johnson said of the rescue efforts. “That’s why we’re here and we’re just so proud of you.”

Related coverage

Lawsuit filed against fire department

WMFR celebrates life with Phoenix Awards

WMFR welcomes Rigney, says goodbye to Sousa

Castles in the Sand

Mythical credit scores

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

Generally, credit scores are available through one of your credit card companies, financial institution or loan statement, and if you don’t know yours you should make a point of finding out even if you have to pay a fee. You are entitled to a free credit report from the three national credit bureaus annually, but they do not contain credit scores.

One of the most misunderstood aspects of mortgage financing is the mystical credit score. Many people applying for credit, whether it’s home financing, automobile financing or credit cards, are terrified of what their credit score is and how it will impact their ability to be granted a loan.

Credit score ranges start at 300 and go up to 850. 740 to 799 is very good and is where 25 percent of people are and 800 to 850 is exceptional and is where 20 percent of people are. Obviously, you want to acquire a credit score as high as possible as it will not only affect your ability to borrow money but also getting accepted for an apartment, deposit waivers on services as well as enticing potential employers.

There is, however, a lot of misinformation about credit scores. For instance, future homeowners worry that shopping around for a mortgage will hurt their credit score. Not true, the scoring models assume you’re going through a shopping process and will bundle these requests into a single inquiry.

Another one is understanding the difference between a hard inquiry and a soft inquiry. A hard inquiry is when you’re trying to refinance your mortgage or sign up for a store credit card, those inquiries could drop your score a few points whereas a soft inquiry could be a background check or a utility company setting up a new account.

Also, many people believe that carrying a balance on a credit card is good for the credit score, but here again it doesn’t help. Keep in mind that it is important to utilize your credit but not to max out your credit. A rule of thumb is to use less than 30 percent of your available credit each month and ideally less than 10 percent.

What is very important is to pay your bills on time and have mature credit accounts with a diverse range of loan products. This shows good handling of debt and experience with the use of credit. Also, asking for a credit limit increase can be one of the fastest and easiest no-cost ways that anyone can help their credit score.

What is at the bottom of the list of bad things to do to drop your credit score is a foreclosure and bankruptcy. Late mortgage payments, collections especially if a lender takes a loss, foreclosures and chapter 13 bankruptcies hurt your credit score for seven years. A chapter seven bankruptcy will hurt it for 10 years. If you mismanage your credit and get in one of these positions, you can pretty much kiss your new home goodbye.

Finally, take advantage of your free credit report annually. Credit card companies make mistakes and you might catch a fraudulent use of a credit card or new inquiry for credit. If you know you will be applying for a home loan, it might also be a good idea to purchase a credit monitoring service, so you know immediately if there is a mistake or some hanky-panky on your credit report.

Knowing ahead of time will save you a lot of grief down the road when your home loan or car loan or student loan is turned down for something you’re not responsible for.

Staying informed is the best defense against the mythical credit score monster.

More Castles in the Sand:

When did $100,000 not become enough?

Are condos the future of housing?

The ghosts of real estate

Sunshine lawsuit judge rules in favor of city recovering attorney fees

Sunshine lawsuit judge rules in favor of city recovering attorney fees

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

BRADENTON – Manatee County Circuit Court Judge Edward Nicholas has granted the city of Bradenton Beach’s motion to recover attorney fees incurred in the Sunshine Law lawsuit the city and co-plaintiff Jack Clarke filed in 2017.

Nicholas has not yet determined how much former Planning and Zoning Board members Reed Mapes, John Metz, Patty Shay and Bill Vincent, and former Scenic WAVES Committee members Tjet Martin and Rose Vincent, as defendants, will be ordered to pay the city.

Nicholas granted the city’s motion during a Thursday, Nov. 7 hearing at the Manatee County Judicial Center in Bradenton.

In July, Nicholas ruled all six city advisory board members violated the Florida Sunshine Law in 2017 when they discussed public business at their Concerned Neighbors of Bradenton Beach (CNOBB) meetings. The defendants are appealing that July ruling.

According to City Treasurer Shayne Thompson, the city had incurred approximately $468,000 in attorney fees and legal costs as of last week, not including costs associated with attorney Robert Watrous, City Attorney Ricinda Perry and paralegal Michael Barfield’s preparation and appearances at Thursday’s hearing.

Attorneys Thomas Shults and Jodi Ruberg represented Metz and Nicholas noted the legal arguments Shults presented also applied to the five pro se defendants who no longer have attorneys.

Attorney arguments

When presenting the city’s request for attorney fees, Watrous said, “Who caused the situation that necessitated the city of Bradenton Beach and Jack Clarke to take action? That was the actions of the defendants. Was this a situation where they accidentally stepped over the line? From the clear reading of your honor’s judgment, the answer is emphatically no. This was an intentional and calculated effort by the defendants to get around Florida law and to not abide by the public records law,” Watrous said.

Shults’ legal arguments centered on whether a city can sue its own advisory board members. Shults argued the city must first sue itself.

“For the city to request the award of attorney fees against the individual they must first obtain an award of attorneys’ fees against itself or one of its agencies,” Shults argued.

Shults claimed this was the intent of the Florida Legislature when it adopted the Sunshine Law.

He also argued Chapter 286 of Florida Statutes does not provide for the award of attorney fees in a Sunshine Law case.

Shults noted CNOBB’s public meetings were open to the general public and the press.

“They said the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of these meetings and I think that’s wonderful,” he said.

In response, Watrous said, “Mr. Shults indicated the fact that these individuals said the Pledge of Allegiance before they started their CNOBB meetings. The problem is they didn’t follow that pledge.”

When appointed, city advisory board members swear to support, protect and uphold the Florida Constitution.

“They made a pledge to the State of Florida. They made a pledge to the government and they didn’t keep that pledge. That’s why the attorney fees should be awarded to my client,” Watrous said.

Judge’s ruling

When issuing his ruling, Nicholas noted all six defendants received Sunshine Law training.

“Once you chose to become a part of the city by choosing to be a member of a government advisory board the rules change. There are laws that apply. The defendants simply did not follow those rules,” Nicholas said regarding the defendants’ rights to assemble and discuss city matters.

“I’m not certain whether the Legislature intended individuals who clearly and unequivocally violated the Sunshine Law to be individually liable for attorney fees when sued by their own municipality. I do know that the purpose of the attorney fees provision is to discourage violations or potential violations of the Sunshine Law,” Nicholas said.

Nicholas referenced warnings and opinions the advisory board members received from Perry, Mayor Bill Shearon and others in 2017.

“Recall on July 25th, the city attorney sent them an email saying stop meeting. Ms. Perry, on July 25th, said these meetings are in violation of the Sunshine Law. Recall that on July 27th, Mayor Shearon CC’d to all the defendants the fact that their continued CNOBB meetings could be a violation of the Sunshine Law. Recall that the defendants sent a letter to the Florida Ethics Commission seeking advice about whether those meetings were violations of Sunshine Law. Recall that they made an inquiry to the Attorney General’s Office inquiring as to whether or not those meetings were a violation of the Sunshine Law,” Nicholas said.

“Even after being warned in two emails and not being able to be told by the Florida Ethics Commission and the Attorney General that ‘Yes, feel free to continue to meet,’ they did so on August 3rd,” Nicholas said.

“All the meetings were violations of the Sunshine Law, but it’s that August 3rd meeting that’s so problematic. It was this meeting that the city attempted to prevent. It was that continued meeting, after being put on notice that these meetings are in violation of the Sunshine Law,” Nicholas said.

“The city should not have had to bring this action. Once the defendants continued to meet after being warned not to do so, their continued meeting was at their own peril,” Nicholas said.

“I will grant the city’s motion for attorneys’ fees and costs and reserve jurisdiction for purposes of determining that amount,” Nicholas concluded.

Related coverage

City seeks reimbursement for Sunshine lawsuit expenses

Metz deposed in Sunshine lawsuit

Commission considers, rejects three Sunshine lawsuit settlements

Reel Time: Polarized glasses

Reel Time: Polarized glasses

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

Polarized sunglasses are essential for serious anglers. They serve multiple purposes including protecting the eyes from damaging UV light, cutting the surface glare and keeping eyes from tearing in the wind while running. Enhancing the visibility below the waters’ surface is an indispensable advantage when looking for signs of fish while sight fishing.

Many anglers choose their glasses according to style, not realizing that the color of the lenses and other factors determine their real effectiveness. Color is important, but it’s just one of the choices that you will need to make to get the most from your sunglasses.
After choosing a frame that’s comfortable and fits your face, lens color is the most important component.

Anglers who fish blue water and spend long hours over the open sea generally prefer grey lenses. Grey provides natural contrast and minimizes color distortion in offshore waters. Brown/amber lenses are the common choice for flats fishermen who sight fish in shallow water. Brown/amber lenses offer a brighter field of vision, better visual acuity, and excellent color contrast. Many dedicated anglers own more than one pair of glasses. The color vermillion and light copper heighten visual acuity and enhance color in low and flat lighting conditions. When the sun is out and bright, they switch to the darker grey, brown or amber lens. Anglers also have the option of choosing sunglasses that feature interchangeable lenses.

The reduction of glare has another beneficial component. The eye functions like a camera and must adjust to varying light levels. On a bright day, the pupil constricts, muting light levels. Polarized lenses help eliminate reflected glare, so the remaining light falls in a much narrower range of intensity. The eyes can then relax, allowing greater depth perception and truer color contrast.

When choosing polarized glasses you have a number of options: cheap versus expensive, glass versus (polycarbonate) plastic, cast versus laminated polarized lenses and color. The lowest quality glasses are the so-called “rack glasses,” the kind you find in the local pharmacy. These are better than no sunglasses, but you should buy the best pair you can afford. As a rule, a quality pair of polarized sunglasses are expensive but they’re well worth the money.

One of the major decisions is choosing glass or polycarbonate (an advanced plastic) lenses. Glass lenses provide better visual acuity (clarity) than plastic and are more scratch-resistant. However, glass lenses are heavier and can fatigue the ears and nose after many hours. If you purchase glass lenses make sure you buy a quality pair with a broad, comfortable nose piece.

Whether you choose glass or plastic lenses, your primary considerations will be frame style and lens color. Choose a frame that is comfortable and one that helps block out extraneous light. Some glasses wrap around the side of the face, while others have separate side shields.

Several of the top manufacturers of sunglasses feature technologies that further increase the effectiveness of polarized lenses. Some offer photochromic lenses that lighten or darken as light levels vary during the day. Lens coatings are another consideration. High-quality sunglasses often come with some type of coating. Hydrophobic coatings repel water so that the occasional water droplet doesn’t affect your vision. Lenses may also be coated with a chemical to make it fog proof. These options can be particularly valuable for humid environments. Some brands also include flotation assuring the glass will float, a good option for your considerable investment.

If you wear prescription lenses with or without bifocals, make sure your sunglasses have them too. Trying to tie on a lure or fly after gazing at the water for a long time can be frustrating and put you at a distinct disadvantage. You can get prescription lenses with bifocals in both glass and polycarbonate.

When you choose a pair of polarized glasses, follow the guidelines above while experimenting to find the color that works best in your fishing situation. By choosing a quality product with the proper color you’ll greatly expand your fishing horizon while protecting your most valuable asset, your vision.

Some of the more popular brands you might want to consider are made by Smith Optics, Costa Del Mar and Amphibia. Choose your sunglasses carefully; they’re one of the angler’s most valuable tools!

More Reel Time:

Reel Time: Autres poisson

Reel Time: A home away from home

Reel Time: Spain – Seville and Andalusia

Castles in the Sand

When did $100,000 not become enough?

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

Once upon a time if you were earning a six-figure salary you were sitting pretty. You could easily buy a home, make sure your kids went to the right schools and take that one family trip a year. Well, those days are over and have been for a while.

There has been a lot of talk about owning versus renting in the low inventory, high priced real estate market that has taken over most of the country. Some of the newly-minted renters are happy to be renters avoiding the responsibilities, cost and repairs of owning a home. But more and more high-earning Americans who would ordinarily own a home are renting.

In 2019 about 19% of U.S. households with six-figure incomes rented their homes. This is up from about 12% in 2006 according to the Census Bureau data. This increase is equal to about 3.4 million new renters who would have likely been homeowners a generation ago, and builders and investors of rental properties have taken notice.

Two of the largest single-family landlords in the country, Invitation Homes and America Homes 4 Rent, report that their average tenant earns $100,000 a year. These companies and others who are targeting this specific market say they like the high earners who aren’t interested in moving around and are willing to absorb regular rent increases and other financial blips in their lives. These are the people who previously would own a home.

Although a $100,000 income is still comfortably higher than the median household in the country at $63,179 in 2018, it’s still short to get into many homes. Americans today have more debt because of car payments, college loans, health care premiums and credit cards than their parents and grandparents who lived more prudently. Most middle-class Americans accumulated wealth by owning a home which was the great wealth leveler with half of the housing wealth owned by the middle class. This happened right after World War II when owning a home became the expected norm.

But norms change especially in real estate and young singles and families have no qualms about paying high rent for what their grandparents would have considered a waste of money. The danger here is that once you’re in an expensive rental it becomes harder and harder to save the 20% usually required to purchase a home creating a permanent renter class.

All of this said, there are indicators recently released by the Commerce Department that the number of Americans who own a home grew through the summer months. The homeownership rate modestly ticked up to 64.8% in the third quarter from 64.4% a year earlier. This number matches the highest levels in five years and is getting close to the long-run average of 65.2% of people in the country owning homes.

In addition, according to S & P Core-Logic Case-Schiller National Home Price Index, the average national home prices grew 3.2% in the year ending in August up slightly from 3.1% the prior month. And, of course, this is all on the background of still extraordinarily low mortgage rates staying below 4% in most regions on a 30-year, fixed-rate loan.

In the instant gratification world we live in, it’s not surprising that younger generations don’t care a fig about building wealth. That’s a concept so far down the road for many of them it might as well be in a different solar system. But I’m old fashioned, and it bothers me that homeownership may become a victim of the six-figure income. Say it isn’t so.

More Castles in the Sand:

Are condos the future of housing?

The ghosts of real estate

You found the perfect house; now what?

Thanks-Living to be a gathering of community

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Featured.

ANNA MARIA – The community task force called For the Love of Anna Maria Island will host its inaugural Thanks-Living community gathering on Wednesday, Nov. 27.

The community gathering will take place under the shade sail at City Pier Park in Anna Maria from 5 to 7 p.m. City Pier Park is located at the corner of Pine Avenue and North Bay Boulevard.

Everyone who lives on Anna Maria Island is encouraged to attend this free community event. Attendees are encouraged to bring finger foods, appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, a bottle of wine, an adult beverage or soft drinks to share with others.

“It could even be a bag of chips – anything you’d bring to a party,” said task force member and Anna Maria resident Janet Kingan.

Attendees are also welcome to make cash donations for All Island Denominations and/or bring non-perishable food items for the Roser Food Pantry.

Inspired by “For the Love of Cities” author Peter Kageyama’s presentation at The Center earlier this year, the community task force also includes Anna Maria residents Carol Carter and Barbara Zdravecky and Holmes Beach resident Bruce Meyer.

“Your neighbors are further and further apart even though we’re on a seven-mile island. This is a way to bring our neighbors together, for people in Anna Maria to get to know people in Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach and vice versa,” Carter said.

“Peter’s message was about why people love their community. We feel that people love their community because of their relationships with other people and this is an opportunity for people to build new relationships,” Meyer said.

“We’re going to have live music. Will Corr and his band will be performing. We’re going to have all the Island mayors and people will talk about why we love living on Anna Maria. This is a little get together to thank each other for this wonderful Island,” Kingan said.

“We’ll have water, plates and napkins, so they don’t need to bring that. We’ll have tables, we’ll have it lighted, it’ll be festive and we’ll have decorations,” Carter said. “It’s being supported and promoted by the city of Anna Maria and the Anna Maria Island Sun. We have a banner up at City Pier Park and 15 or 20 signs out promoting the gathering,” Carter said.

“We’re hoping this becomes an annual event – the night before Thanksgiving, where people come out with whatever family members are visiting and have a gathering,” Kingan said.

Kingan said Thanks-Living might one day become a pot-luck dinner but for now, it’s simply a party and a chance for people to get to know one another.

Community chalkboard

The Thanks-Living gathering will feature a blackboard upon which people can share in chalk their thoughts about living on Anna Maria Island.

“A few years ago, there was a chalk festival on Pine Avenue and one of the most parts was a blackboard where people could draw and write their impressions about the chalk festival. So, I designed a free-standing, three-sided blackboard that says, ‘I love AMI because…’ at the top. We welcome anyone to write what they love about Anna Maria Island. Photographs will be taken and then it will be erased, put in storage and taken out for the next community event,” Kingan said. “I also have another prop – one of those things you put your head through and take a picture.”

Local woman hospitalized for necrotizing fasciitis

Local woman hospitalized for necrotizing fasciitis

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

BRADENTON – Bradenton resident Kelli Brown Whitehead was recently hospitalized and diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis.

Whitehead’s family members suspect but have not confirmed that Whitehead’s illness is related to wading in the Gulf of Mexico.

On Monday, Nov. 4 Whitehead’s family gathered around her at Blake Medical Center for what they feared might be one of the final days of her life.

One week earlier, on Oct. 28, Whitehead’s mother, Joan Smart Brown from Memphis, Tenn., started a Kelli Brown Whitehead Facebook fundraising page for her adopted daughter.

“Kelli went wading in the Gulf of Mexico and got that flesh-eating bacteria. It spread fast and she lost all of her left leg and is on a ventilator and having kidney dialysis. She is in critical condition in a hospital in Florida. She and Robin (Kelli’s husband) are living off his disability check. Anything that you could contribute would help them out. It will be used to help him with his immediate living expenses and food,” Brown wrote at the fundraiser page.

As of Monday, 22 contributors donated $1,415 toward the initial $2,000 fundraising goal.

Family speaks

Brown spoke with The Sun on Saturday afternoon by text and telephone. She said she was told by another family member that her daughter was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis. Brown planned to travel to Bradenton on Tuesday, Nov. 5, but moved her travel plans up one day due to Whitehead’s rapidly worsening condition.

On Saturday, Brown said she was told Whitehead and her husband waded in the Gulf of Mexico north of Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach approximately two weeks ago.

“They were just wading around, they weren’t even swimming. And the next day or so, her foot began to hurt so bad,” Brown said, noting that Whitehead has had Type 1 diabetes all her life.

This photograph of Kelli Brown Whitehead and her daughter Brittany Burton was taken earlier this year. – Submitted | Brittany Burton

“When they got to the hospital it was eating her leg away. She lost her leg and the fear now is it might spread to the organs. It’s horrible,” Brown said.

On Sunday, The Sun spoke with Whitehead’s daughter, Brittany Burton, who lives in Bradenton.

“My mom is diabetic. She would only walk in the water a little bit. She must have had a cut. She thought she pulled a muscle and the pain started in her thigh,” Burton said.

Burton said her mom waited about a week before she was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at Manatee Memorial Hospital where, according to Burton, she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and transferred to Blake.

“She’s in very critical condition,” Burton said, noting that her mother’s organs were failing.

Burton said she asked the nurse if her mom was dying.

“He wanted to talk around it. I said, ‘Is my mom dying yes or no?’ He said yes,” Burton said.

“The Gulf that my mother loved so much is eating her alive. This has all taken place in eight or nine days at the most. It’s just unreal. It’s horrific,” Burton said.

Kelli Brown Whitehead, left, and her sister Amanda Fletcher. – Submitted | Amanda Fletcher

After recently visiting her sister and returning to Tennessee, Amanda Fletcher spoke to The Sun on Sunday. She and Whitehead are sisters by birth but were adopted and raised by different families and reconnected later in life.

Fletcher and Burton both questioned why the public isn’t made more aware of potentially harmful bacteria that exist in Florida’s waters. Fletcher said the fundraising efforts will help Robin Whitehead pay his rent and other living expenses and assist with the anticipated funeral expenses.

On Monday, Burton said her mother’s doctor told her that afternoon that the exact bacteria was staphylococcus, but the doctor could not confirm it was contracted while wading in the Gulf.

Reporting requirements

On Thursday, Oct. 31, a receptionist at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton confirmed Kelli Whitehead was currently a patient, but she could not comment on her condition or the cause of it.

The Sun then contacted Chris Tittel, communications director for the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County.

Kelli Brown Whitehead and her son Trey. – Submitted | Brittany Burton

Speaking by phone Thursday afternoon, Tittel said the health department had not received any notification from the Blake Medical Center regarding a case of Vibrio vulnificus, which he said is a specific bacteria medical providers are required to report.

Tittel sent a follow-up email to The Sun that included a response he received from a health department epidemiologist regarding The Sun’s inquiry.

“Necrotizing fasciitis would be the technical term for the symptom of decomposing flesh,” the epidemiologist wrote. “It depends on the bacteria that caused the necrotizing fasciitis. Vibrio is known to cause it and that is reportable, however, we had a lady in Ellenton a few months back pass away from necrotizing fasciitis. The bacteria she contracted was streptococcus, which is only reportable in children under the age of six.”

On Friday, Nov. 1, The Sun emailed Blake spokesperson Lisa Kirkland and asked if the hospital was treating anyone who came in contact with the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria or another type of bacteria, such as streptococcus, that could cause necrotizing fasciitis.

“I’m not at liberty to comment,” Kirkland responded.

Tittel said as of late Monday that the department had not received word from any health care provider confirming the cause of the illness is due to a condition reportable to the state, such as Vibriosis.

Tittel said the Florida Department of Health runs the “Swim It, Shore It, Dodge It” campaign, which discourages anyone with open cuts or wounds or weakened immune systems from entering open waters where infectious bacteria naturally occur.

A video associated with that campaign can be found online.

“The department sympathizes with family and friends over this tragedy,” Tittel said.

Related coverage

Son: Mom died from flesh-eating bacteria at Coquina

Music festival assists Wildlife Inc.

Music festival assists Wildlife Inc.

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Entertainment, Events, Festivals, Music.

BRADENTON BEACH – The Drift In, its patrons, the local business community and some local musicians raised $4,665 for Wildlife Inc. during Saturday’s Drift In Rock & Blues Festival.

The money raised will assist the Bradenton Beach-based education and rehabilitation center in its ongoing animal rescue efforts.

Drift In Manager Doreen Flynn helped organize the Nov. 2 music festival and fundraiser that took place in the parking lot, at the tiki bar and inside the establishment on Bridge Street.

The fundraising efforts included raffles and a silent auction featuring items donated by local businesses, a lotto board, food sales, cash donations and more.

“This benefit was arranged to benefit Ed and Gail Straight and the work they do at Wildlife Inc. Ed and Gail do so much for the community,” Flynn said. “Right now, there’s an issue with the laughing gulls. The Rod & Reel Pier gave me a donation because they’ve had to call Ed about seagulls with fishing hooks in them.

“I’ve had many benefits over the years, and I cannot believe how many donations I’ve received for this one. They’ve come from all over the Island and Cortez, not just Bradenton Beach,” Flynn said.

Wildlife Inc. co-founder Ed Straight brought his owl friends to the music festival. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Wildlife Inc. co-founder Ed Straight attended the festival and sat under the Wildlife Inc. tent with the four rescued owls he brought with him. While there, he and Wildlife Inc. volunteer Cindy Ellis chatted with a steady stream of supporters who approached the tent.

“This is fantastic. We’re happy to be here,” Straight said.

“We do most of the rehabbing for Manatee County. We take in all types of injured, orphaned or sick wildlife. Our objective is to rehabilitate them and put them back into the wild. Some of the birds here had injuries where they just couldn’t be released, so we use them for education,” he said.

“We do around 3,000 calls a year and each year is busier than the year before. Any help like this we get is really helpful to us. We’re going to do some improvements to our place. We’ve been doing this for 32 years and the fencing in the front is almost 30 years old. It’s time to start replacing some things and this money is going to help us do that,” Straight said.

Flynn credited “Horatio Bullwinkle” (real name not given) for assembling the musical lineup that performed for free and featured Tommy Balbo & The Collective, Dos Macs with special guest Steve Arvey and Concrete Edgar.

“He spent his time, money and efforts putting the bands together and he built the stage for us. He deserves a lot of credit,” Flynn said of the humble man who did not want his real name used.

Before taking to the stage, Arvey said, “I’m donating my time because wildlife is so important. Us humans are taking over everything with our development and nobody cares about the wildlife anymore. We’ve got to keep supporting what was here before us.”

On Sunday, Flynn said, “Ed was very happy and very grateful.”

Petitioners challenge Cortez Bridge decision

Petitioners challenge Cortez Bridge decision

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

CORTEZ – Opponents of the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) plans for the replacement of the Cortez Bridge have filed a petition for a formal administrative hearing before the State of Florida’s Division of Administrative Hearings.

The petition is in response to FDOT’s written announcement on Oct. 10 that stated FDOT’s Office of Environmental Management granted location and design concept acceptance for the bridge replacement project that calls for a 65-foot-tall fixed-span bridge to someday replace the aging drawbridge on Cortez Road.

The FDOT acceptance signaled the end of the Project, Design and Environment (PD&E) study phase and allows the project to move into the design phase. Filed in accordance with Florida Statutes, the petition challenges that FDOT acceptance.

Former Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash is serving as the qualified representative for the petitioners – a group that also includes former County Commissioner Jane von Hahmann, Cortez residents Linda Molto and Joe Kane, the ManaSota-88 organization, the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) and the Cortez Village Historical Society.

Von Hahmann signed and verified the notarized petition on Oct. 23.

The petition names the State of Florida Department of Transportation as the respondent.

The first page of the 23-page document states all the petitioners would have their substantial interests affected by agency action that permits the existing drawbridge to be replaced with a 65-foot-tall fixed-span bridge instead of a new and drawbridge.

“The 65-foot high level-fixed bridge will impact the maritime culture of the fishing village of Cortez and its fishing industry,” the petition says of FISH’s statutory right to initiate the challenge.

“The 65-foot high level-fixed bridge will create immediate harm to the historic fishing village of Cortez,” the petition says regarding the historical society’s right to challenge.

“Members recreate throughout the region including the area of the Cortez Bridge and have concerns that the fixed span bridge will impact environmental, aesthetic, cultural and natural resources,” the petition says of ManaSota-88’s right to challenge.

“The proposed action of a 65-foot high level-fixed bridge immediately affects the petitioner’s substantial interest in the use of the navigation waters at the Cortez Bridge with a sailboat having a mast height of 60 feet,” the petition says of McClash’s standing as a petitioner.

Taken from a 2017 FDOT video simulation, this illustration shows how the proposed bridge would alter the landing area in Cortez. – Submitted

The petition states von Hahmann has lived in the village of Cortez for 43 years and owns commercial and residential rental property in the village. It also states Kane resides at Fewville, a tiny village located within the historic village of Cortez, and Molto is a 32-year resident of Cortez who lives in one of the oldest houses in the village.

The petition states the FDOT action impacts the various petitioners’ quality of life, environment, financial well-being, mobility and the preservation of the village they enjoy and intend to continue enjoying.

The petition states a 65-foot bridge would create a dangerous intersection of offsetting streets with no safe pedestrian crossing, create an unacceptable increase in noise levels, divide the neighborhood with a wall-like structure and change the aesthetics of the village of Cortez in contravention of the county’s land-use restrictions.

McClash insight

When contacted, McClash said the FDOT attorney has acknowledged the petition was filed and will either accept it as filed or find flaws and request corrections.

Barring a successful motion to dismiss, McClash expects an administrative law judge from the Division of Administrative Hearings to conduct a hearing and issue a recommended order. McClash said FDOT would then issue its own final orders.

“It’s a little bit of an unfair process because the final action goes to the agency that wanted to permit what you’re challenging. Even if you have facts in your favor, the department has a lot of discretion when it comes to entering these final orders.” McClash said.

“I think FDOT definitely missed informing the public of the impact of the 18-foot-high sound walls,” McClash said.

As noted in the petition, McClash and his fellow-petitioners dispute FDOT’s claim that 75% of those who attended a public hearing in 2017 supported the 65-foot bridge option.

McClash said the petitioners’ ultimate hope is that FDOT rescinds its PD&E study-based action, addresses the concerns of the community and opts for a new drawbridge instead.

FDOT response

On Oct. 31, FDOT spokesperson Brian Rick provided The Sun with the state agency’s initial response to the petition.

“We have received the Petition for Formal Administrative Hearing for the Cortez Bridge. The department is highly confident that we followed all applicable state and federal guidelines related to this PD&E study; however, since this now a legal matter, we cannot provide comment,” Rick said via email.

Related coverage

Cortez Bridge design moving forward

ITPO members pledge support for smaller bridge

Cortez Road roundabout proposed

Castles in the Sand

Are condos the future of housing?

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

In case you haven’t noticed, interest rates are low, real low. Most rates for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage are hovering around 4% based on credit scores and income to loan ratios. In spite of this, condo financing has always been somewhat of a poor stepchild to single-family home financing. New condo construction loans have been especially vulnerable to government regulations, but now The Federal Housing Administration has issued some new guidelines making available more advantageous condo financing programs.

FHA is trying to be more responsive to market conditions as well as accepting that condo units are being viewed more broadly as a way to provide affordable housing in many markets. Generally, single-family homes may not be accessible for first-time buyers and others who are trying to gain access to homeownership and condos nicely fill that need.

The new regulations are geared for new condo construction primarily but will also have an effect on the availability of condos for first-time buyers. Among other changes is one that has been a big issue for condo builders and that’s the owner-occupancy rate. The new FHA regulations have lowered the number of owner-occupancy rates as low as 35% from 50% before individuals can qualify for financing in new condo construction.

Condos are a big deal in Florida and in Manatee County. Although the number of condo sales was down in September for Manatee County, the sale prices were up, so let’s take a look at the county overall:

In September Manatee County closed 15.2% more single-family homes than last September. The median selling price for single-family was $315,000, 6.8% higher than last September. The average sale price was $381,577, 9.6% higher than last year.

Condo sales in September were down 8.6%, but the median sale price was up 6.7% to $199,000 and the average sale price was also up by 16.1% to $244,587. Both single-family and condos are low in inventory with the single-family home months supply at 3.3 months and condo months supply at 3.8 months. As a reminder, 5.5 months supply is the benchmark for a balanced market.

Sarasota County is also showing some increases in sales and pricing for single-family and condos. The median sale price for single-family in Sarasota increased by 6.4% to $298,000 and for condos, the median price decreased slightly by 1.8% to $232,000.

Statewide single-family homes reached a median of $265,000, an increase of 5.3%, and an average of $339,862, an increase of 4.9%. Condos statewide also increased with the median selling price at $193,000, a 5.8% increase, and an average of $261,532, a 1.3% increase.

All county and statewide statistics are from the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee website.

Evidence continues to mount that condo sales will play a more significant role in the mortgage origination market in the next few years, according to CoreLogic. With a flood of millennials and other first-time homebuyers expected to soon enter the market for affordable housing, CoreLogic foresees a rising demand for condos in the near future.

Millennials aside, Florida is a hot market not only for retirees but homeowners relocating to a tax-friendly state with a lot of new construction and fundamentally great weather. But if you’re starting to think of relocating to the Sunshine State, you better get moving. Inventory is low, prices are high and interest rates are still historically low. Come on down!

More Castles in the Sand:

The ghosts of real estate

You found the perfect house; now what?

Is homeownership threatened?