BRADENTON – The majority of West Manatee Fire Rescue’s commissioners agreed to continue moving forward with the construction of their own administration building rather than purchase suites in a shell building near Blake Medical Center.
Commissioner Al Robinson brought the idea back to the table during a May 19 meeting, asking realtor J. Daniel Douglass to provide information on a shell building on 21st Avenue West in Bradenton.
Out of the four units in the building, Douglass said there are three units available with a total of 6,140 square feet. The building, designed to serve as medical offices, currently holds one medical office and is a shell building with sprinklers, a ceiling and air conditioning already installed. Located across the street from the Bishop Animal Shelter, the property features a total of 29 parking spaces and does not meet the hardened hurricane-force wind load that commissioners previously said is wanted for the district’s new administration building.
Robinson urged his fellow commissioners to carefully consider purchasing all three units and selling one if the district finds it doesn’t need that much space for administrative staff.
Douglass said that the three units could be purchased for $549,000 and would cost about $614,000 to build out as office space, ending with a total purchase price of $1.2 million, not including condominium fees associated with the property. He added that the building is an as-is purchase.
Commissioner Randy Cooper said he was concerned with the lack of ability to store or stage equipment at the site as it has much less space for parking than the currently planned administration building.
Commissioners Larry Jennis and George Harris both said they have concerns about the building. Some of those concerns voiced by Jennis include that the building isn’t hardened and doesn’t have adequate parking space. Harris added that the location also is problematic, being well outside of WMFR’s district.
Chief Ben Rigney said he’s been working with representatives from Hall Darling Design Studio and expects to have a not-to-exceed price for construction of the district’s new administration building for commissioner consideration in August.
In April, Rigney presented a potential design for the new administration building that features office space, storage and a hardened conference room that could be used as a westside emergency operations center in the event of a hurricane. The building is currently planned for construction on a lot purchased by the district in 2019 and located off Manatee Avenue behind the Fountain Court Shopping Center.
“I think we’re making good progress,” Jennis said of the potential construction project.
MANATEE COUNTY – The Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) took the first step on Monday to reopen vacation rentals countywide, including on Anna Maria Island.
TDC Chair and Manatee County Commissioner Misty Servia persuaded fellow TDC members to recommend that Manatee County commissioners remove the COVID-19 prohibition on short-term vacation rentals.
Under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan effective Monday, county commissioners can submit a plan to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for approval to allow short-term vacation rental properties to reopen to guests. The plan would likely require working with owners and managers of vacation rentals to come up with strategies to meet the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) requirements for disinfecting and cleaning of units between guests.
Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), said that he’s been working with other west coast Florida county leaders to help develop a plan for vacation rentals that would provide some consistency for owners and visitors.
Servia added that coordination with the leaders of the three Anna Maria Island cities, where many of the county’s short-term rentals are located, would be a key component to success. Falcione said that no matter what plan is enacted, it will be up to the city leaders to oversee the operation of the vacation rental properties.
Local vacation rental owners who spoke during public comment said they are ready to reopen their units to visitors and are willing to abide by any necessary regulations to keep their properties safe for renters.
The recommendation passed in a unanimous vote. Members Ed Chiles, an Island restaurateur, and Wayne Poston, mayor of Bradenton, were absent from the meeting.
Marketing during COVID-19
The new short-term marketing recovery plan, debuted by Falcione and Dave DiMaggio, has two implementation phases. Phase one involves bringing visitors in from drivable markets, including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward counties and Atlanta with plans to expand the advertising area up as far north as Memphis and Nashville and as far west as New Orleans.
Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward counties are the worst three counties in the state for COVID-19, with nearly 27,000 cases, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Manatee County has 867 cases as of Monday.
DiMaggio said that when deciding which markets to spend advertising dollars in, the overall health of the area and whether it’s a COVID-19 hotspot will be considered first along with how economically stable the target markets are.
The second phase involves bringing airline passengers back to the area. DiMaggio said that the success of phase two involves coordinating and sharing data with local airports, including Tampa International Airport and Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. For some of this data, he said he would be looking closely at the information provided by Anne Wittine of Research Data Services, the county’s tourism consultant, to see how comfortable people feel about travel and flying to their vacation destinations.
Wittine presented the results of a travel sentiment pulse poll which showed numbers trending upward over the past two weeks toward people being more comfortable with travel and ready to take a vacation. While 52% of the people polled are concerned about reopening the state too quickly, Wittine said that 15.9% of people say that travel is essential to them and they’re ready to get back out there. Of the people who participated in the poll, Wittine said she’s seeing a trend toward people’s intent to travel increasing in the late summer months, specifically July. She added that of the people willing to travel, 78.2% of them feel most comfortable traveling by car, which lines up with the first phase of the TDC’s new marketing plan.
DiMaggio said the second phase includes continuing to target drivers and targeting fliers from the Midwest and northeast of the United States.
He said he expects that some segments of the market will be slower to recover, including people who travel for sporting events, work conferences and travelers from the United Kingdom and Central Europe.
Falcione said that he would be utilizing a month-to-month budget approach, periodically re-evaluating how and where the CVB’s limited advertising budget is spent to determine where those funds will have the most impact to help get the local tourism economy back up and running.
The TDC next meets June 15 at the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto.
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.
BRADENTON – It was a day of sadness and celebration Oct. 17 as West Manatee Fire Rescue’s staff said goodbye to retiring Chief Tom Sousa and welcomed new Chief Ben Rigney in a combined retirement and change of command ceremony held at Station 1.
As Sousa passed the ceremonial pike to Rigney, officially passing command of the fire district to his successor, several well-wishers stepped up to the podium to honor both men, including former WMFR Chief Andy Price, WMFR board Chair David Bishop and East Manatee Fire Rescue Chief Lee Whitehurst.
West Manatee Fire Rescue Chief Ben Rigney celebrates his first few moments as the district’s leader with his father, retired North River Fire District Chief Johnny Rigney and his brother, Johnny Rigney Jr. with the Sarasota County Fire Department. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Two of the most poignant moments of the evening were when Rigney’s grandfather, Hugh Holmes, pinned the chief’s badge on his grandson and when, after Sousa gave his final comments as chief, a ceremonial radio call went out announcing his official retirement from the district.
Hugh Holmes pins the chief’s badge on his grandson, new WMFR Chief Ben Rigney. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Price, as the guest speaker for the event, said that he was honored to be included in the ceremony, having known both Sousa and Rigney as well as worked with them for many years. Price retired from WMFR in May 2015.
Once the change of command was completed, Bishop kicked off Sousa’s retirement celebration by thanking Sousa for his 13 years of service to WMFR and recognizing the accomplishments of his 43-year career in the fire service. He ended his comments with a top five list of options for Sousa to explore in his retirement: travel, become an Uber driver, paragliding, become a school crossing guard and, number one, become a professional bicycle helmet model. Sousa’s likeness can be seen modeling a helmet on the side of WMFR’s bicycle rodeo trailer.
Retiring Chief Tom Sousa accepts the golden axe from WMFR board Chair David Bishop in honor of his 43 years of service to not only the district but also to the fire service. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Bishop presented Sousa with a plaque and a golden fire axe on behalf of the district and board recognizing his service to WMFR. Whitehurst, speaking on behalf of the local fire chief’s association, presented Sousa with a certificate and token of appreciation for his work.
Whitehurst said that there are two colors used to recognize those retiring from the fire service based on their years in the service. Because of Sousa’s many years of service, Whitehurst said a white ribbon was added to the colors as a third tier for 30 years or more of service.
Sousa also was presented with a folded American flag.
The dual ceremony ended with Sousa’s final comments, thanking his family for their years of support, and a radio announcement, officially marking his retirement from the fire service. A reception was held afterward with food provided by Mission BBQ.
Recovery, what recovery? That’s a word we left in our rearview mirror a long time ago. It’s true in Florida generally, and Anna Maria Island specifically has recovered nicely since the financial downturn. There are areas of the country that are still struggling, but August may have been the turn-around month.
According to the National Association of Realtors, August was the strongest month for sales of United States homes in nearly a year and a half. Sales of previously owned homes rose 1.3% in August with a median sale price of $278,200, up 4.7% from the previous August. Conversely, the availability of homes for sale fell in August further increasing prices. Add to this the average fixed-rate mortgage for a 30-year loan was 3.73% at the end of September.
Is this the beginning of the national real estate market starting to turn the corner? Real estate sales have been underperforming relative to jobs and the economy as a whole and economists are viewing the statistics for the past two months as a very good sign.
If you’re interested in how the national market compares to our local Manatee County market, keep reading.
Closed single-family homes were up 10.3% from last August and the median sale price continues to be strong at $317,000, 7.1% higher than last year. The average sale price for single-family homes was $408,738, up 4% from last year. The median time to contract is down by 4.5% to only 42 days and the month’s supply of available properties is 3.3 months.
Condos closed fewer properties down at 25.9%, however, the median sale price was higher at $205,000, up 7.9%. The average sale price was also up 13.1% to $251,339. The median time to contract was up 6.4% to 50 days and the month’s supply of condos is at 3.6 months.
Sales statistics are from the Realtor Association of Sarasota Manatee.
Our sales in both the numbers of properties sold and sale prices continue to perform well compared to the national statistics. Nationally, the median single-family sale price for August was $278,200 up 4.7% from last August, compared to Manatee County’s median of $317,000 up 7.1%.
Based on the above, it’s not a surprise that the southern region of the country ended August with an increase of 3.6% in sales, making it the largest annual growth in sales volume in the country. And this may be just the beginning, as more and more high-income residents of high taxed states are just beginning to feel the effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and are taking refuge in the South.
There are 41 states that collect taxes on wages and salary, with California taking the highest percentage at 13.3%. The remaining nine states that are income tax-free are Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. If you’re a part-time resident of one of these states and are considering full-time residency, check out the individual state’s qualifications to establish permanent residency. Both the state you’re leaving and the one you’re coming to have strict and varied residency rules.
It looks like there will be big changes for Florida and other low tax states right around the corner. Nevertheless, don’t get too comfortable with what you see in the rearview mirror when it comes to real estate markets. You never know when that truck will start gaining on you.
Writing has been compared to bringing order out of chaos, something I try to do weekly on this page, and one of the most chaotic aspects of real estate is the mortgage process, which may be getting even more confusing to the average home buyer.
As confusing as the typical mortgage process is, the relationship of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA and Ginnie Mae – entities that are also known as government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) – to the mortgage market continually contribute to the chaos.
Before we go on, a quick review: Over 50 years ago Congress chartered the government-sponsored enterprises to provide liquidity to housing finance. The GSEs securitized and guaranteed mortgages, freeing up private lenders to provide more loans, making mortgages more readily available to the average home buyer. This created the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, which has been the gold standard of housing finance for all these years.
It was a great system until it went off the rails with sub-prime mortgage products partly encouraged by Congress leading to the bursting of the housing bubble and financial collapse in 2008. The American taxpayer was on the hook for $190 billion dollars to keep Fannie and Freddie floating and they have been in government conservatorship since then.
Now the federal government wants to gradually shrink the GSEs and start returning them to private hands. One of the suggested ways is to require them to have additional capital and underwriting standards comparable to private lenders. Will this happen? Maybe, but even if the wheels start to spin in that direction, it will be a long painful process which could turn on a dime subject to the outcome of a national election.
In the meantime, there is a new type of unconventional mortgage that has turned up. It’s called asset-depletion loans or asset-dissipation loans. Basically, they are designed for people who don’t have conventional paychecks, particularly retirees. As long as the borrower’s ability to draw on their assets is not overestimated, the loans can be fine.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do make these loans but only based on a borrower’s 401k assets. However, Fannie and Freddie have eased up on standards for this type of loan, asking for smaller down payments and allowing more debt for borrowers. Again, this creates more risk for the American taxpayers.
So, what else do the gatekeepers of the American housing market have up their sleeve? Well, there is something that many Florida residents will be very interested in. Within the past year, they rolled out a program that would treat manufactured homes the same as it does site-built properties.
This means that a previous market that was difficult to obtain mortgaging for will now operate as a conventional mortgage market. They have also designed mortgages for manufactured homes at lower interest rates than buyers of these properties were previously able to obtain, as well as allowing appraisers to compare manufactured homes to those built on-site when determining value.
This may be a great program for many buyers of manufacturers homes, but in Florida, as we all know, manufactured homes are the most vulnerable in storms. Again, call me crazy, but do we as taxpayers need to assume more mortgage risk?
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as all other GSE programs, will go on for a long time before any real change is made. It’s almost impossible to take away something that’s been in effect for so long. All I can do is try to bring order out of the mortgage processing chaos.
MANATEE COUNTY – Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium’s leadership is hoping for some funds from the Manatee County Tourist Development Council but TDC members are unsure that they can meet the $5 million request.
Dan Bebak, vice president of Aquarium, Education and Outreach at Mote, appeared before TDC members during a Sept. 16 meeting to ask for $5 million in funding spread over three years. The request includes $2 million in fiscal year 2020, $1.75 million in fiscal year 2021 and $1.25 million in fiscal year 2022.
If TDC members vote to approve the funding, followed by a vote of approval from Manatee County Commissioners and the potential approval of a budget amendment for the TDC, Bebak said the funds would go toward proposed expenditures at the Mote City Island campus. The City Island campus is expected to become a science and learning center when the new Mote aquarium is built adjacent to Nathan Benderson Park near the University Town Center Mall in Sarasota.
Proposed expenditures include estuary excursions, environmental kayaking experiences, behind-the-scenes science education opportunities, classroom technology, digital learning access, the development of an augmented reality aquarium tour, animal and exhibit care, guest experience enhancement and other upgrades at Mote.
Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she doesn’t believe that Manatee County has ever had much of a brand or advertising presence with Mote and it’s something that she’d like to see happen in the future. Before it does though, she said she’d like to see more detail from Mote concerning where the funds would be going. She also said that she’d like to see Manatee County represented in both the City Island science center on Longboat Key and in the new aquarium when it’s built.
TDC funds must be spent on specific endeavors to encourage tourism to Manatee County. One way in which funds can be spent is to buy advertising and another is to create an exhibit or event that drives people to the area. Either way, the TDC needs to see a return on the funds in the form of economic impact to Manatee County.
TDC member and Anna Maria Commissioner Doug Copeland said he questions spending $5 million on advertising to a group of people who are already in the area.
Bebak said that of Mote’s annual memberships, 58% come from Manatee and Sarasota counties with the remainder from other areas. Of the total attendance numbers, 13% come from Manatee County, 18% come from Sarasota County and 69% come from other areas. Of that 69%, 12% come from a drivable range of eight surrounding counties and 88% come from outside of that drivable area.
“In my heart, I support the cause,” Whitmore said, adding that she needs to see how the funds will benefit Manatee County to help her and other county commissioners to justify the expense to residents.
Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston said he was also not prepared to vote on the funding request at the Sept. 16 meeting.
“I love the concept. We have a lot of asks right now,” he said. “The devil’s in the details and we need the details. Convince me.”
TDC members voted to have representatives from Mote come back at a future meeting to present a budget of how funds would be used and ideas on how those funds would benefit Manatee County tourism.
BRADENTON – Aug. 20 was a celebration of life at West Manatee Fire Rescue’s board meeting as district leaders handed out three sets of Phoenix Awards to first responders.
The district gives out Phoenix Awards to first responders with the district who respond to a medical call where the patient doesn’t have a heartbeat either on arrival or at any point during the call, the patient is revived and is eventually discharged from the hospital. In August, Battalion Chief Ryan Moore presented responders from three separate calls with Phoenix Awards.
“These are my favorite awards to give because they’re truly life-changing for the people we respond to,” Moore said.
The first call involved an April call to a Mangrove Point residence where a female patient was found unresponsive. The crew, Lt. Chad Brunner, firefighter John Balzer and firefighter Tyler McDonald, gave the patient CPR until an EMS crew arrived to take over patient care. The patient was able to be discharged from Blake Medical Center in Bradenton.
Firefighter Andrew Powers receives a Phoenix Award Aug. 20 from Battalion Chief Ryan Moore for his work to revive a drowning victim who survived and was discharged from the hospital. – Kristin Swain | Sun
The second call was in response to a drowning on June 3 on Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach. The responding crew included Lt. Darren Vollmer, firefighter Mike Petrosino, firefighter Jared Apple, firefighter/paramedic Adam Bagget and firefighter/paramedic Andrew Powers. Upon arrival, crew members saw bystanders giving CPR to an unresponsive male patient on the beach. Crew members took over CPR and advanced life support care. The patient recovered and was discharged from Blake.
The third call involved a male patient who went into cardiac arrest at O’Shucks Raw Bar and Grill in Cortez on June 4. Lt. Jay Johnson, Lt. Chad Brunner and firefighter Tyler McDonald responded to the call. Upon arrival, the first responders said it appeared the patient was having a seizure and wasn’t breathing well on his own. During the call, his heart stopped beating.
The patient, a resident of Anna Maria Island, Robert Philippi, was present at the Aug. 20 board meeting when the awards were given out. He said he was having dinner with his family when he had a heart attack.
“Obviously the night was a rollercoaster ride for everyone involved,” he said. “I’d never had a moment of ill health in my life, nor was I expecting a heart attack that night, but I was very fortunate in where I was that I had some expert bystanders around who helped with CPR until the team arrived. And from there I have very little recall, so everything I have is what people have told me that went on, but there’s no question that without the expert support and care that I received from the fire service, from the EMS crew that arrived there and actually from all the staff at Blake hospital because it required 10 resuscitations to get me stabilized over the course of about a five hour period. Unbelievably, I was discharged from the hospital two days later.”
“I’m just extraordinarily grateful to everyone involved,” Philippi said.
Firefighter Tyler McDonald receives the first of two Phoenix Awards Aug. 20. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Moore also read an excerpt from a letter written by McDonald praising the actions of Lt. Johnson.
“When Chief Sousa announced his goals to enhance the service of West Manatee Fire Rescue by providing advanced life support, we all knew this was going to be a challenge. Among other hurdles, one of the largest would be staffing our engines with paramedics rather than EMTs. Lt. Johnson was one of the first to offer his time and energy, go to school and be one of the missing pieces of the puzzle. As you know, Lt. Johnson completed paramedic school and has been a charge medic with us for nearly a year,” Moore read.
“On this particular cardiac arrest, I saw everything in a different way. Once the EKG monitor was attached to the patient, I watched a colleague who I’ve worked beside since the beginning of my career, read the squiggly lines on the monitor and immediately identify the abnormal rhythm that the patient’s heart was in and announce without hesitation that we needed to shock this patient. At this moment, this call seared an everlasting memory in my brain.
“As you know, with most cardiac arrests, even the ones that turn out to be saves, it’s only a hopeful ride to the hospital while the patient is still unconscious. This is the first time I have ever seen a cardiac arrest play out like a Hollywood movie where the patient jolts back to life and begins talking to us.”
“How unbelievably rewarding to see the dead come back to life,” Moore continued, reading from McDonald’s letter. “I’m extremely pleased to write this letter on the successful efforts that day and want to ensure that Lt. Johnson is recognized for the time and energy he has spent in order to use his skills as a paramedic and to have played a very large part in saving this man’s life.
“The advanced life support program that was started at West Manatee is an obvious success. I am proud to work with people like Lt. Johnson who always take initiative and have a passion and commitment to be the best they can be in this profession.”
For several years, I wrote about how the millennials were moving into the cities. They didn’t want anything to do with the suburbs and their parents’ lifestyle. Well, in the space of two weeks I discovered that everything old is new again.
In the 1950’s families, including mine, were moving from the city to the suburbs, buying up new homes in what were once potato fields and family farms. This migration from the cities to the suburbs happened because of the demand for housing after World War II when the veterans could finally settle down and start their families.
When the grandchildren of those families grew up, they said, “No way,” and vowed not to return to the mundane lifestyle of backyard barbeques and Little League. But don’t ever say never since the millennials, many of whom are in their late 30s, are coming back with families in tow, only this time instead of moving to the suburbs outside of major Northern cities, they’re coming south. This reversal has a lot to do with the mobility of jobs and the growth of the South, which is benefitting from the real estate slow down and taxes of the Northeast.
Recently, a very extensive piece in the Wall Street Journal studied the reversal from city to suburban life. It reported that the growth rates of the suburbs are far outpacing metropolitan areas and the South is winning the race. This supports what I wrote about last week regarding investors buying up first-time buyer properties, hurting millennials who suddenly want to buy houses and raise families.
Some of the hot Sun Belt areas with good job opportunities that are benefitting from this influx of young families are Frisco, Texas, Nolensville, Tennessee, Scottsdale, Georgia and our very own Lakewood Ranch.
As fate will have it, the same day I read the story about the city to suburban reversal there was a report in the Bradenton Herald about 3,000 new homes that will be built in Lakewood Ranch. After a little research, I discovered a couple of interesting things about Lakewood Ranch that we who live surrounded by water probably haven’t paid attention to.
First of all, 74 percent of Lakewood Ranch residents are either between the ages of 25 – 44 or over 65. I also read that Massachusetts General Hospital is opening a Brain Health Initiative that will be based in Lakewood Ranch, kind of an achievement for the Bradenton area. Also, the median age in Lakewood Ranch is 49.4 compared to Anna Maria Island’s 64.3. There are not too many millennials with families moving here. Finally, Lakewood Ranch is 31,000 acres and 29 square miles with a population of over 11,000.
The reason I’m telling you this is two-fold. First of all, to keep everyone aware of changes in real estate trends both locally and nationally and second to help us sun and sand worshippers appreciate what’s going on east of our shoreline. We’re all part of the same region, so what happens in Lakewood Ranch can have a serious impact on us – traffic, parking, success of restaurants and shops just to name a few. The millennials may prefer to live in Lakewood Ranch, but for them visiting Anna Maria Island is one of the reasons they came here.
Well, once again, millennials are picking up where baby boomers left off. Now it’s their turn to influence all aspects of life in the country. Everything old is new again.
Updated July 23, 2019 – TAMPA – Robert “Bo” Benac is now scheduled to stand trial on Monday, Sept. 16 for his alleged role in a much-publicized shark dragging incident captured on video in 2017.
The trial will be held at the Hillsborough County Courthouse in Tampa.
Benac faces two third-degree felony charges of aggravated cruelty to animals for allegedly using a spear gun to shoot a black-tipped shark and a second-degree misdemeanor charge of violating rules relating to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Benac was previously scheduled to stand trial in June, but his trial date was delayed. Benac was among a group of local men captured on self-shot video footage that showed the shark being dragged behind a powerboat at a high rate of speed on June 26, 2017.
The criminal affidavit report filed in December 2017 referenced additional video footage that alleged Michael Wentzel shot a shark with a .38 caliber handgun. The Florida Administrative Code prohibits harvesting a shark using any other means than a hook and a line.
Video footage of Benac’s alleged shark shooting incident recently appeared on several news organization websites and Facebook feeds.
In February, co-defendant Wenzel reached a plea deal with the State Attorney’s Office after he elected not to stand trial for his role in the alleged events.
BRADENTON – West Manatee Fire Rescue’s soon-to-be Chief Ben Rigney’s employment contract is approved and ready to go into effect when current Chief Tom Sousa retires from the fire service in October.
WMFR’s board of commissioners voted unanimously June 18 to accept the terms of the contract negotiated by board Chair David Bishop. Once the vote was taken, Sousa and the five fire commissioners each took a turn congratulating Rigney on his promotion and the acceptance of the contract.
The contract is for five years and requires Rigney to reside in the district for the entirety of the term. The fire chief position is the only one with WMFR that carries a residency requirement. Until October, Rigney will continue in his current position as battalion chief.
Bishop said that during negotiations he also argued for the chief’s salary to be raised somewhat to come up to current standards and bring it more in line with other Florida fire districts. He said he tried to negotiate a raise for Sousa during his three years as chief, but that Sousa refused.
“When you have talent, you pay for talent, and you have high expectations for results,” Bishop said.
Rigney, a career WMFR firefighter, was selected by commissioners in March to succeed Sousa. He was the only candidate to emerge from a three-month internal selection process and received recommendations not only from commissioners but also from his fellow firefighters.
The candidate selection committee was headed by Commissioner Larry Jennis, who gave Rigney a positive recommendation during the March meeting.
In addition to taking on the mantle of fire chief, Rigney also will be undertaking a two-year training program to achieve the top certification for a fire service officer with the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer program. Rigney said the program, previously a four-year endeavor, is undergoing some restructuring and that he hopes to start sometime in the next year. He was accepted in the program in mid-2018.
If your smartphone has become an extension of one hand and the TV remote an extension of the other, then iBuying may be the next logical step in selling your home.
There have always been people who need to sell their homes quickly because of a lost job, a sudden move or personal tragedy. Usually, selling fast comes at a price, but Zillow and other online tech companies think they can efficiently predict the value of a home, make you an offer and get you moving.
Last year, Zillow moved into home flipping, and it now has nine regions in play and expects to be in 20 markets by early next year. Interested homeowners complete a questionnaire on Zillow’s website and they receive an initial offer within 48 hours and a final one after an inspection. There is a service fee of about seven percent of the purchase price based on needed repairs. If accepted, Zillow closes the transaction within 90 days and then attempts to resell the house.
Sounds easy, right? Well, it is in the sense that you don’t have to pick up the kids’ socks and put away the breakfast dishes to get ready for a showing. You also may not have to make maintenance repairs or updating if you’re willing to accept Zillow’s offer reflecting these changes.
This can cut both ways. Yes, you don’t have to come up with the money to do the repairs and you avoid the inconvenience, but you may give up money in the long run. Most buyers like properties that are move-in ready and don’t want a renovation project. It’s easier for them to pay more and build the work that’s already done into the mortgage than close at a lower price and come up with the money to renovate. Zillow says let that be our problem, here’s your money, goodbye.
Zillow and other online companies are primarily working in areas that are homogeneous, consistent neighborhoods where many of the homes are the same and value is quick and easy to determine. Arizona and Florida are prime areas for iBuyer programs where many of the homes are in subdivisions with identical or similar homes.
However, their goal is to move into more diverse and more expensive areas in the Northeast. They’re throwing the dice and hoping that homeowners are willing to pay higher fees for a convenient and speedy transaction. Higher priced properties tend to take a longer time to sell, costing homeowners more in carrying charges and potential repairs, especially if another property has already been purchased or is about to close.
Zillow admits its margins are “razor thin,” but is moving forward quickly. In 2018 Zillow bought less than 700 homes, but it expects to expand that to 5,000 homes per month in three to five years. The business model is to turn the property around in 90 days and remove the emotional aspect of the sale, which frequently slows down the process.
Naturally, not being part of the smartphone generation, I’m a little worried. Worried about these companies being overextended and left with a bunch of houses not selling and flooding the market. Sound familiar? On the other hand, the generation that embraced Uber may be ready for the click and swipe of selling their home.
Frankly, I kind of like the emotional aspect of selling a home you’ve lived in for many years, raised a family in and lovingly took care of. Recently my nephew and his wife purchased their first home, over full ask and with other buyers breathing down their necks. What got them the house was a personal letter to the owner with their recent wedding picture enclosed. That was the couple he wanted his beloved house to go to. I’ll take emotion any day.
BRADENTON – West Manatee Fire Rescue commissioners held a public hearing May 21 to discuss the 2019-20 residential and commercial assessment rates. No members of the public offered comment, and commissioners approved a modest increase in rates with a four to one vote.
After being presented with five options ranging from a zero percent increase to a 2.5 percent increase, commissioners voted to adopt a 1.65 percent increase for residential properties and a 5 percent increase for commercial properties.
For residential property owners, the 1.65 increase equals a $3.09 increase in the base rate, increasing from $187.48 to $190.57. The rate per square foot, assessed on home square footage over 1,000 square feet, is being raised from $0.1106 to $0.1124. For a 2,000 square foot home, the total assessment is being raised from $298.08 to $303, a difference of $1.92.
Residential homes make up the majority of the properties in WMFR’s district, which stretches from the Gulf of Mexico on the west, Tampa Bay to the north, Longboat Key to the south and city of Bradenton to the east. The district includes unincorporated Manatee County, Palma Sola, Cortez, Bradenton Beach, Anna Maria and Holmes Beach.
For commercial properties, the increase is slightly higher to bring WMFR’s commercial rates closer to those assessed by other Manatee County fire districts. The base rate is increasing from $451.07 to $473.62 for commercial properties, an increase of $22.55. The per square foot rate for buildings over 1,000 square feet is $0.2051, a $0.0098 increase for square footage over 1,000 square feet. The increase equals a $32.32 total increase for 2,000 square foot commercial properties.
With the increase in assessment rates, WMFR’s projected assessment revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal year is $7,285,989, a $144,203 increase over the current fiscal year.
Commissioner Al Robinson, who voted against the rate increase, said, “I think it’s insignificant in a $7.3 million dollar budget. We don’t need a raise.”
Commissioner George Harris said he was comfortable raising the commercial rates to get the district more in line with the surrounding districts but was happy to only give residents a minimal increase. “It’s nice to give the residents a little break,” he said.
With the rate increases, WMFR’s projected total revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal year is $7,618,556. The new fiscal year begins on October 1.
BRADENTON – Next year, Anna Maria Island’s registered voters will help determine the new location for the Confederate memorial erected in front of the Manatee County courthouse in 1924 and removed and placed in storage in 2017.
Rye family legacy lives on at Rye Preserve
PARRISH – The Rye Preserve in Parrish has been mentioned as a possible location for the Confederate memorial.
When discussing the relocation of the Confederate memorial last week, Manatee County Commissioner Priscilla Trace and Deputy County Administrator John Osborne both mentioned that former Confederate soldier and Civil War veteran Erasmus Rye is buried at Rye Preserve, in what is now known as the Rye Cemetery.
Erasmus Rye fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. – Submitted
The small family cemetery is open to the public and located along the Settlement Trail at the east end of the preserve. A white picket fence surrounds the burial grounds and a gate provides access to the gravestones and markers.
Erasmus Rye’s grave is marked by a tombstone at his head and a footstone at his feet. He is buried next to his wife, Mary Lucebia Rye. The Rye’s children are also buried there.
Erasmus Rye was born on April 23, 1834. According to a historical timeline provided by Manatee County Historical Resources Director Cathy Slusser, Rye moved to the newly-formed Manatee County in 1855 and fought in the Billy Bowlegs War.
Rye met his future wife, Mary Lucebia Williams, when she accidentally threw dishwater on him while he stood at the back door.
In 1861, Rye acquired 39.8 acres on Gilley Creek (Oak Knoll) from the Florida Internal Improvement Fund. On Nov. 24 of that year, Rye and Williams got married. He was 27 and she was 17.
On March 10, 1862, Rye and his father-in-law, James Green Williams, joined the Confederate Army as members of the 7th Regiment of the Florida Infantry.
Mary stayed behind alone on the Gilley Creek homestead until she became frightened one day when a stranger came to the door asking for food. She then moved in with her mother and abandoned the Gilly Creek homestead.
On June 27, 1862, James Green Williams returned home from the war after being severely wounded in the chest. Four months later, Erasmus and Mary’s first child, Molly, was born.
On Nov. 25, 1863, Rye was captured by Union Forces and taken prisoner at Missionary Ridge near Chattanooga. He was sent to a Union military prison in Louisville and his name also appears on the roll of prisoners of war at the Rock Island Barracks in Illinois.
The Civil War ended when General Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865. On May 3, Rye was released for transfer from New Orleans. Having no money for transportation, he walked back to Manatee County.
The Rye Preserve features a picnic shelter, a playground and a nature center. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
In 1865, James Green Williams’ 18-year-old daughter, Martha, died and was the first to be buried in what later became Rye Cemetery. Later that year, Williams became ill, transferred his land grant to Rye and moved to Frog Creek.
The Rye’s second daughter, Josephine, lived for only 10 days in December of 1868. Born in 1869, their son Joseph died in 1875.
In 1879, Rye hired Levi Thomas to build a new home because the family had outgrown Williams’ log cabin. That same year, Rye, Henry Craig and W.J. Gidding marked out the road from Oak Hill (Parrish) to Palmetto and the first Rye Bridge was constructed.
In 1884, the Rye Post Office was established.
Erasmus Rye was laid to rest in what is now known as the Rye Cemetery. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Erasmus Rye died on July 31, 1889.
The Rye Post Office closed in 1929 and Mary Lucebia Rye died on Sept. 15, 1930.
The Rye Homestead caught fire and burned on Nov. 11, 1988.
Acting on a motion that County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh made at the Tuesday, May 7 meeting, the commission unanimously agreed to appoint a nine-member committee to recommend at least three proposed locations for the Confederate memorial, to be placed on the 2020 ballot.
At the suggestion of Commissioner Reggie Bellamy – the commission’s only African American – the committee will include at least four black members.
Deputy County Administrator John Osborne will serve as the committee moderator and commission liaison.
Commissioner Priscilla Trace initiated last week’s discussion.
“I promised a lot of folks I would make sure this memorial was not forgotten,” she said.
Trace said the county learned in February that the state would not allow the memorial to be placed at the previously discussed, state-owned Gamble Plantation Historic State Park in Ellenton. Her goal is to now find a location owned and controlled by the county.
At Trace’s request, Osborne presented several potential locations that included Bunker Hill Community Park, a county-owned utility property next to the Gamble Mansion, Emerson Point Preserve, Fort Hamer Park, Myakka Community Park, Riverview Pointe, Robinson Preserve and Rye Preserve.
Osborne said many of those properties pose challenges due to ownership, location, grant funding, deed restrictions and other concerns.
Trace said she prefers the Rye Preserve in Parrish.
“We could put it right on Rye Wilderness road. We could have proper signage which tells why they went to battle and what the conditions in Manatee County were. It’s probably 300 yards down to the cemetery. Mr. (Erasmus) Rye, a Confederate veteran, is buried there,” Trace said.
Monument history
The Confederate memorial was removed as a result of the 4-3 commission vote taken in August 2017.
Citing public safety concerns, commissioners Trace, Betsy Benac, Charles Smith and Carol Whitmore voted to remove and relocate the memorial. Commissioners Vanessa Baugh, Robin DiSabatino and Steve Jonsson opposed the removal.
The Confederate memorial was the scene of a large but peaceful protest in 2017. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
That decision was reached after a large but peaceful protest occurred near the memorial in downtown Bradenton. The contractor hired to remove the granite monument dropped it and fractured it into three pieces. Officials say it will be repaired at its new location.
The memorial was erected in 1924 by the Judah P. Benjamin Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The monument inscriptions reference Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Stonewall Jackson.
One side says, “In memory of our Confederate soldiers.” Another says, “1861-1865, Lest We Forget.”
Engraved in capital letters with the word ‘chivalrous’ misspelled, one side of the monument says, “Calm and noble in peace. Courageous and chilvalrous in war. True to the best traditions of the south. The Confederate soldier lives enshrined in the hearts of his grateful countrymen.”
Public input
During the public comment period, Carol Driscoll said the memorial’s location should be decided by county voters and not the seven commissioners.
Joe Kennedy recommended placing it in the privately-owned Fogartyville Cemetery in Bradenton. He said there are more than 100 Confederate veterans buried in Manatee County and the memorial should be in or near one of those cemeteries.
Regarding the Rye Preserve’s remote location, Kennedy said, “That would be like taking the Iwo Jima Memorial and sticking it in the middle of the Rocky Mountains.”
David Dean lives near the preserve. He said he could support that location if it includes factual signs providing historical context.
“Being a veteran myself, I have no problem with the one side of the monument that is dedicated to the soldiers who fought. The other three are objectionable to me. Jefferson Davis and Judah Benjamin were not brave soldiers. They both ran away when it looked like their cause was lost. And to call it a noble cause in the first place I also object to. That statue was put up during the heyday of Jim Crow and the KKK,” Dean said.
Deborah Clark attended the 2017 protest.
“I want it put back where it was. Slavery was the worst evil that ever happened in this country. The racism that’s been borne of that is wrong, but it is part of history. The liberal left wants to erase history,” she said.
Commission discussion
Commissioners Betsy Benac and Carol Whitmore liked the Fogartyville Cemetery location but noted it would require approval by the cemetery’s board.
Jonsson said the previous location outside the Manatee County Historic Courthouse should be one of those included on the ballot.
The Confederate memorial used to stand in the courtyard square near the Manatee County Historic Courthouse. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Baugh proposed the committee, saying the memorial debate is probably the most difficult issue the commission has faced during her time as a commissioner.
“I didn’t vote to move the monument. I think it should go back where it was. But I also think the people deserve the right to make this decision, not this board,” Baugh said. “It is a war memorial. It is our history and we can’t change it.”
Commissioner Misty Servia was not in office when the memorial was removed. She said the most important thing to her is that it includes an educational component that tells both sides of the story.
“We need to have a plaque that explains why this memorial is so important to Confederate history and we need a plaque that explains why this memorial is viewed by many people as a symbol of hate,” Servia said.
Bellamy was not in office when the memorial was removed.
“The challenge for us is to take both sides in consideration,” he said. “I do want to make sure you all understand the interpretation on what has taken place and the impact that has had on the African American community. It’s been devasting. This particular issue does not lie amongst the seven of us.”
It doesn’t take long for a get together with friends and neighbors to morph into a conversation about real estate. One of the preferred topics among the dozens of available real estate topics is second homes, so here’s something that you can float during your next real estate conversation.
Government-backed mortgages obtained through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac frequently set higher standards for second home buyers. Second home mortgages are different from investment mortgages, which allow renting and always come with higher mortgage rates. But what if you want to rent out your second home but not classify it as an investment property?
Second Home Riders, which have been in force since 2001, are generally attached to the financing of a second home. The rider has always been interpreted by lenders as prohibiting second home owners with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac backed mortgages from renting the property. This has recently been clarified making the rental of a second home more broadly accepted by lenders. The new wording for the rider allows homeowners to rent a second home after one year of ownership and it allows short-term renting in the first year.
The language was amended at the request of lenders looking for a clarification related to Airbnb rentals and other short-term rental services. Of course, short-term rentals still must meet state and local vacation rental laws. As we know, currently in the Florida legislature there are two vacation rental bills, which as of this writing are going nowhere. If the state Senate and House can agree prior to the end of the legislative session and the bill passes, it would preempt the regulation of short-term vacation rentals to the state and take the rental authority away from local municipalities.
For now, let’s take a look at all sold properties for the month of March reported by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee:
Single-family homes closed 8.4 percent more this March compared to last year. The median sale price (half above and half below) was $312,000, 9.5 percent higher than last March. You may recall that February’s median sale price took a dip below the $300,000 mark and was $298,500. The average sale price was $392,616, a 6.9 percent increase. The median days to sell were 58 days, an increase of 23.4 percent, and the month’s supply of available properties was 4.2 months, down 8.7 percent.
Condos closed 2.8 percent less this March compared to last March. The median sale price was $203,450, up 1 percent. February’s median sale price was $189,000. The average sale price was $240,995, down 1.9 percent, median days to sell were 74 days minus 14.9 percent, and the month’s supply of properties was 4.8 months, down 5.9 percent.
Overall, we had a great month. Not only are sale prices up, but properties are selling faster. The flip side is the number of available properties, which is down for both single family and condos. It’s never good to have low inventory. I can’t wait to see the April numbers.
It’s quite a different story on a national level. According to the National Association of Realtors, March existing home sales declined by 4.9 percent from February and 5.4 percent from last March. Nationally, the month’s supply of properties is down to 3.9 months.
Next week we’ll have a little more about Anna Maria’s favorite cocktail party conversation. In the meantime, enjoy your first home and your second home if you’re lucky enough to have one and be happy you live in Manatee County, Florida.
