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Floating dock installation begins

Floating dock installation begins

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

BRADENTON BEACH – The long-delayed floating dock is now in the initial stages of being installed alongside the Bridge Street Pier.

A four-man crew from the Gibsonton-based Hecker Construction Company drove the first fiberglass composite dock pilings on Wednesday, July 10. The crew is using a pile-driving mechanism connected to a mobile crane that sits atop the floating work barge.

The new dock will replace the storm-damaged dock that was removed in 2016.

Co-funded by the Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and Manatee County, the new floating dock will provide short-term dockage on a first-come, first-serve basis for recreational boaters visiting the pier and the Bridge Street business district.

The floating dock will also provide limited, short-term dockage for tour boats, water taxis and other commercial vessels for loading and unloading passengers.

“They’re out there working on it,” CRA chair Ralph Cole said at the July 10 meeting. “I’m excited.”

Without providing a specific completion date, Cole said Hecker’s Operations Manager, Eric Shaffer, told him the company’s goal is to get the dock installed as soon as possible.

The Hecker bid proposal, approved by the CRA members in early May and finalized in June, includes agreement language drafted by City Attorney Ricinda Perry that gave Hecker six weeks to complete the project once the dock pilings were delivered. The agreement includes a $500 per day penalty if the project is not completed on time.

The pilings arrived at the county barge dock near the Coquina South Boat Ramp during the last week of June.

“I’m really happy to see this project coming to completion. We had some unfortunate circumstances and delays, but we overcame that through the efforts of our city staff and our city officials. I can’t wait to use it,” CRA member and Vice Mayor Jake Spooner said later in the week.

Bradenton Beach floating dock workers
These construction crew members helped guide the pilings into place. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The Anna Maria Oyster Bar leases the city-owned restaurant space and two smaller city-owned spaces at the foot of the Historic Bridge Street Pier.

“A gorgeous view for sure,” Oyster Bar president John Horne said of the work underway. “I can’t wait to see boats rafted off that dock with visitors and patrons of Bridge Street and the Anna Maria Oyster Bar.”

Sherman Baldwin is the general manager of Paradise Boat Tours. The company’s on land terminal is located in space subleased from the Oyster Bar. Baldwin also serves as the vice president of the Bridge Street Merchants Association.

“The long wait is over. Thanks to the persistence of the CRA for making this project happen after facing every challenge imaginable. This will be an economic boost for all of Bridge Street,” Baldwin said.

Project timeline

In early 2017, the CRA entered into a $119,980 contract with the North Palm Beach-based Technomarine Group to provide the materials and install a new floating dock alongside the pier.

In the CRA’s 2016-17 fiscal year budget, CRA members budgeted up to $250,000 for the dock project. And Manatee County commissioners agreed to reimburse the CRA for up to $125,000 of the project costs.

In August 2018, Spain-based Ronautica Marinas shipped the premanufactured floating dock decking sections to Port Everglades. After some additional delays, Technomarine later delivered the dock sections to Hecker’s construction yard in Gibsonton, so the floats could be attached to the decking.

In early 2019, the CRA ended its contractual relationship with Technomarine due to the ongoing delays and began dealing directly with Shaffer and Hecker Construction. According to City Treasurer Shayne Thompson, the CRA had paid Technomarine $83,682 of the $119,980 contracted amount at that time – and to date, the county has reimbursed the CRA $26,995 of the $83,682 paid to Technomarine.

In May, the CRA members approved Hecker’s $52,400 revised bid proposal to attach the floats to the decking dock sections and install the dock.

The CRA members also decided the CRA would purchase the pilings directly to receive the sale tax exemption given to governmental agencies. According to Perry’s May 15 project update, the pilings cost $45,704 when ordered.

The Hecker contract, the piling purchases and other additional expenses bring the anticipated final cost of the dock project to approximately $184,000.

During past CRA meetings, Cole has expressed his belief that despite these additional costs the final product will be superior to the dock originally envisioned.

Related coverage

Speciale steps down as dock facilitator

Increased costs anticipated for Bradenton Beach dock project

Dock floats delivered, project moving forward

Bridge Street options discussed

Bridge Street options discussed

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

BRADENTON BEACH – There isn’t much community support for closing Bridge Street to vehicular traffic, but some rare and limited public support exists for building a parking garage near the Bradenton Beach police station a few blocks away.

The notion of closing Bridge Street or reducing it to one lane was discussed at an open town meeting at city hall on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The purpose of the evening meeting was to give residents and business owners an opportunity to provide architectural designer Emily Anne Smith with their thoughts on closing or reconfiguring Bridge Street, which runs through the heart of the downtown business district.

More than 30 people attended the meeting and were provided with a seven-page document titled “Parking Study for Town Meeting.”

Bridge Street options discussed
The city commission chambers were full during last week’s town meeting. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Two pages were dedicated to the number of seats and parking spaces Smith counted at the bars, restaurants and businesses along Bridge Street – including Commissioner Jake Spooner’s soon-to-be-built retail and restaurant building.

According to Smith, there will be 1,157 seats and 214 parking spaces once Spooner’s new building opens. Eight-two of the existing parking spaces are private, and Smith’s figures don’t include shoppers who aren’t also visiting dining and drinking establishments. Smith’s document also notes there are 173 employees working in the Bridge Street businesses.

“Parking has always been the problem in this town,” she said, noting that she finds it amazing that there are so many places to eat and drink along one small-town street.

As part of her yet-to-be-developed master plan for the city’s CRA district, Smith envisions a bright red Bradenton Beach Choo-Choo – an electric tram that provides free transport to and from the public parking south of Bridge Street at Cortez Beach and Coquina Beach.

Public discussion

Joe Cuervo and his son Tommy own the Drift In at the east end of Bridge Street. Tommy questioned whether people would be willing to drive past Bridge Street to park and catch a tram. He said when he goes somewhere with his wife and young children he has no desire to drive beyond his intended destination or load strollers onto a tram. He also noted Drift In has its own parking lot and said he and his dad oppose any plans to close Bridge Street.

Joe Cuervo joined Tommy in his opposition to closing the street but said he would have no problem making it a one-way street. Anna Maria Oyster Bar President John Horne said he liked the idea of a one-way Bridge Street with angled parking because it would create more parking.

Resident Dan Morhaus noted you can often walk faster than a tram that gets stuck in traffic.

BridgeWalk resort owner Angela Rodocker likes the idea of closing Bridge Street and converting it into small parks and public spaces.

“I think it would be beautiful,” she said, noting that it would also be safer for pedestrians.

Rodocker said she and others have been talking about Bridge Street’s parking problems since a parking and congestion committee was formed in 1998.

“We’ve all had to protect our lots like crazy,” she said of those who have their own parking lots.

Rodocker said she doesn’t understand the opposition to a parking garage when it’s based primarily on the claim that a parking garage can’t be visually attractive.

Business owner Samantha Heil fears closing Bridge Street would further reduce the already limited parking and negatively impact those businesses.

Pines Trailer Park resident Fidencia Pla was among the residents who expressed concerns that reconfiguring the Bridge Street’s traffic flow would divert more traffic through the residential neighborhoods along Church Street North and Bay Drive South.

Business owner Mark Mayo said, “We need to get the parking off Bridge Street,” and he mentioned using the current city hall property for parking if a new city hall is built elsewhere.

Former City Commissioner Jan Vosburgh said she 100 percent disagreed with putting public parking right across the street from the Gulf of Mexico. She then suggested a parking garage near the police station.

City Engineer Lynn Burnett said making Bridge Street a one-way street and building a parking garage nearby would open up several options.

Last year, City Commissioners unanimously adopted two ordinances that prevent the construction of a stand-alone or multi-level parking garage anywhere in the city. Any plans to build a parking garage would require those ordinances to be amended. No decisions were made at last week’s meeting and these discussions will continue.

Related coverage

Does Bridge Street need a redesign?

Bradenton Beach Bridge Street remodel

Does Bridge Street need a redesign?

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

BRADENTON BEACH – Should Bridge Street be turned into a one-way street, be closed completely to vehicular traffic or remain as it is?

That’s a question the Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the city commission want public input on before making any decisions. A public work meeting on the issue is scheduled at city hall on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m.

At the request of CRA member and Mayor John Chappie, this preliminary discussion occurred at the Wednesday, Jan. 9 CRA meeting.

“There’s been a lot of talk over the last several years: What do you want to do on Bridge Street? Do you want one-way traffic? Do you want two-way traffic? Do you want parking? Do you not want parking? We need to have some discussion here and in the community. We need to make some decisions,” Chappie said.

CRA chair and City Commissioner Ralph Cole said he’s willing to listen to the pros and cons of all options. CRA member and City Commissioner Jake Spooner said he’s visited other cities where the main street was closed and replaced by stages, splash parks and other public features. He noted those cities also have solid transportation options and adequate parking.

“It might be a little premature closing that street down without having that type of infrastructure already in place. But I think it would be a great thing to work towards,” he said.

Cole invited BridgeWalk resort owner Angela Rodocker to last week’s meeting and offered to contact every other Bridge Street business owner about the upcoming work meeting.

Emily Anne Smith, the CRA’s contracted architectural designer, is charged with creating a CRA district vision plan. She said there are many good options for Bridge Street, but access must be maintained for the mid-block post office.

The options could include a meandering, one-way traffic lane with trees and small park areas to the side. Or the street could be left as is, even though Smith doesn’t think it’s truly functioning as a two-way street.

She also suggested two-car electric trams to transport people from the free public parking south of Bridge Street at Cortez Beach and she supports giving all Bradenton Beach property owners their say at the work meeting.

Public input

Rodocker agrees that public input is critical. She thinks Bridge Street is a great location that could be transformed into a “true destination” – one that would be more pedestrian-friendly if reduced to one lane or no lanes.

“I’ve always envisioned Bridge Street being something different than it is today and I think a lot of people have as well. What we have now, it’s just not right. We’re functioning, but it’s not what it can be and should be,” she said.

She also cautioned against rushing the process due to self-imposed timeframes.

Bradenton Beach Marina president Mike Bazzy agrees with Rodocker and suggested the other Bridge Street business owners would too.

The marina is within walking distance of Bridge Street, but Bazzy said when he drives from the marina to the post office the street is often partially blocked by delivery trucks that he must swerve around, which he feels endangers pedestrians.

“Having two lanes there is probably not the best use,” he said.

CRA member and Anna Maria Oyster Bar president John Horne asked whether Smith needs to create storyboards to illustrate the possible options. Smith said that’s not needed yet, but she’ll provide simple illustrations at the work meeting – either printed on paper or created on a chalkboard in real time.

Chappie stressed the need for discussion, decision making and moving forward with the CRA vision plan: “The money’s there. With the incremental tax dollars we collect, we have an obligation to use those dollars.”

Chappie said no decisions will be made at the work meeting.

Later in the week, Chappie said he’s heard some initial resistance to any plan that increases traffic for residents on and around Bay Drive South.

Bradenton Beach Christmas on Bridge Street Winning boat

Holiday celebrations on Bridge Street

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Entertainment, Events, Family fun, Holiday.

BRADENTON BEACH – The celebration spotlight Saturday night was on Bridge Street as merchants opened their stores, offering snacks and drinks to shoppers and a lighted boat parade took to the water off of the Bridge Street Pier. Despite the cooler weather, shoppers came out to see the decorations and participate in the annual holiday celebration.

The Anna Maria Island Privateers held a fundraiser at the Drift In and musicians Steve Arvey, Rebecca Bird and Deacon Gibson performed from a flatbed trailer that went up and down the street. There were also songs from the Manatee School for the Arts Thespian Troupe 6458 who were raising money for traveling competitions.

Bradenton Beach holiday on Bridge Street bridge st jewelers
Kassy, Quinn and Julia Lombardo offered complimentary popcorn at Bridge Street Jewelers. – Tom Vaught | Sun

The heart of the city’s commercial district was festively decorated by the public works department with holiday lights around public signs, streetlights and the Bridge Street clock. Visitors posed for photos and selfies in front of the Christmas tree in the roundabout at the east end of the street.

As 7 p.m. neared, the people headed for the pier to get a look at the Bradenton Beach Holiday Boat Parade.  Twelve boats competed for the top prize, along with the Bradenton Beach police boat.

Bradenton Beach holiday Anna Maria Princess
The Anna Maria Princess paddle boat led the lighted boat parade. – Submitted

Participating boaters gathered at the north side of the Cortez Bridge and at 6:30 p.m., they turned on their lights and paraded in a circle by the Seafood Shack, and then they lined up for the 7 p.m. opening of the drawbridge. When it opened, they sailed south close to the Cortez side of the bay and went down to Longboat Pass, where they turned around and headed south near Anna Maria Island. As they did, the crowd on the pier cheered and took pictures of the boats up close.

Bradenton Beach holiday boat team Erik Jones and crew
The lighted boat parade’s winning team celebrates their victory. – Submitted | Mike Bazzy

Eric Jones and his crew won the $200 prize for the best-decorated boat.

Organizer Mike Bazzy called the parade a success and said he would organize another one next year.

Bradenton Beach day dock settlement

CRA reaches settlement with Technomarine

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

BRADENTON BEACH – The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and Technomarine have negotiated a settlement agreement that if fulfilled should result in the installation of a new floating day dock next to the Bridge Street Pier early next year.

The mutual release and settlement agreement approved by CRA members last week gives Technomarine and CEO Erik Sanderson 45 days to deliver the floating dock decking, hardware and floats needed for installation.

In exchange, Technomarine will be released of any further contractual obligations to the CRA, including the fulfillment of the $119,980 dock project contract the two parties agreed to in early 2017.

“Without any admission of liability, fault or responsibility, the parties desire to settle all their disputes,” the agreement says.

It also includes a provision that says, “The parties agree not to directly or indirectly disparage, discredit or comment upon each other.”

During previous CRA meetings, there was discussion about requesting an Attorney General’s Office investigation into Technomarine’s business practices.

The CRA members approved the proposed settlement agreement during a special CRA meeting that occurred immediately before the Thursday, Dec. 6, City Commission meeting. The agreement was first discussed at the previous day’s CRA meeting. Perry negotiated the agreement with Julianne Frank, the attorney now representing Sanderson and Technomarine.

The agreement requires Technomarine to deliver all dock materials identified in the 2017 contract to the CRA within 45 days of the settlement agreement being executed. Perry said this gives Technomarine until approximately Jan. 20. Pier Team facilitator and Police Chief Sam Speciale is to coordinate the delivery and subsequent installation.

In early November, using GPS data contained in a photograph Technomarine provided the city, Speciale and CRA Chair Ralph Cole found the CRA’s eight, 30-foot dock sections sitting in the storage yard of Hecker Construction Company in Gibsonton. Speciale and Cole were told Hecker had a verbal agreement with Technomarine to install the floating dock, but no installment date had been scheduled. The CRA now intends to use Hecker Construction to install the floating dock, and about $36,000 remains of the funds originally budgeted for the project.

During Thursday’s meeting, Perry said the original settlement proposal called for Technomarine to deliver the docks, hardware and floats within 30 days, but Sanderson requested an extra 15 days to secure delivery of the floats during the holidays. Speciale was recently told the cleats and other hardware were being stored at Technomarine’s warehouse in North Palm Beach.

To date, the CRA has paid Technomarine $83,952. Using resort tax revenues, Manatee County is reimbursing the CRA for half of the contracted project costs.

According to the settlement agreement, no efforts will be made to recoup any money from Technomarine. This includes the $29,961 payment made to Technomarine on July 31, which was supposed to then be resubmitted to Ronautica Marinas, the Spain-based company that manufactured the aluminum-framed, composite decking sections for Technomarine.

The dock sections were shipped to Port Everglades in August, where they sat in limbo for more than two weeks. Ronautica eventually released the dock sections for pickup by Technomarine even though Technomarine still owed Ronautica more than $29,000 for the manufacturing and storage fees. The dock sections were then trucked to Hecker’s storage yard in Gibsonton.

Ronautica Managing Director Oscar Fontan later told The Sun his company intended to file a lawsuit against Technomarine.

In May, the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County ordered Sanderson and Technomarine to pay contractor Christopher Karch $1.7 million in damages for the $3.8 million lawsuit Karch filed in 2017.

Earlier this year, the city of Pahokee filed a lawsuit against Technomarine seeking the return of $125,000 for an alleged breach of contract regarding the renovation of a municipal marina and campground.

Related Coverage

Digital trail leads to undelivered day dock

CRA declaring Technomarine in default of dock contract

Proof of pending dock shipment received

Celebrate Christmas on Bridge Street

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Entertainment, Events, Family fun, Holiday.

BRADENTON BEACH – The Bridge Street Merchants will host their annual Christmas on Bridge Street holiday celebration on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 4-6:30 p.m.

The holiday festivities will take place up and down Bridge Street in the heart of the city’s business district.

Christmas on Bridge Street clock tower
On Saturday, Christmas Designers began installing new holiday decorations on the historic pier clocktower and along Bridge Street. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Santa Claus will visit the businesses up and down street aboard his electric sled and participating retailers and food and beverage establishments will offer specials and special holiday activities.

This year’s musical roster includes Brigid’s Cross, Steve Arvey, Rebecca Bird and Deacon Gibson, with Arvey again serving as musical coordinator. As a new twist, the musicians will perform on a flatbed trailer that will provide music on the move at various locations along Bridge Street and beyond.

Students from the Manatee School of the Arts will also wander Bridge Street singing Christmas carols.

A cornhole tournament and children’s craft activities will take place in the parking lot at the historic Bridge Street Pier.

Bridge Street will look even more festive this year thanks to the new holiday decorations recently purchased by the Community Redevelopment Agency. The new decorations were manufactured and installed by Christmas Designers, the firm that does the elaborate holiday decorations along University Boulevard and at the University Town Center mall in Sarasota.

The new decorations supplement the decorations purchased in previous years by the Bridge Street Merchants and the merchants’ beautifully decorated Christmas tree that stands in the traffic circle at the east end of Bridge Street.

“The street looks very nice,” said Bridge Street Merchants vice president Sherman Baldwin.

Christmas on Bridge Street is co-sponsored by the Anna Maria Island Sun.

Christmas on Bridge Street will be followed by the Bradenton Beach Holiday Boat Parade that starts at 7 p.m.

Bradenton Beach day dock located

Digital trail leads to undelivered day dock

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

BRADENTON BEACH – City officials have found the undelivered floating day dock and are now cautiously optimistic the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) dock project will be completed.

Police Chief Sam Speciale and CRA chair Ralph Cole found the aluminum-framed dock decking in Gibsonton on Thursday, Nov. 8. This happened one day after the CRA members directed Speciale to use his investigative resources to try to find the undelivered dock sections.

Eight 30-foot aluminum-framed sections of composite dock decking were manufactured in Spain and delivered to Port Everglades in mid-August. On Sept. 25, Technomarine CEO Erik Sanderson sent Speciale an email that said the docks were delivered to a storage yard in Tampa. Sanderson’s email included two photographs of the decking at its undisclosed location and no information on a subcontractor to install the floating dock next to the Bridge Street Pier.

During the Wednesday, Nov. 7, CRA meeting, City Attorney Ricinda Perry noted 10 days had passed since she sent Sanderson and his attorney, Roger Stanton, a letter notifying them the CRA was declaring Technomarine in default of the $119,980 contract agreed to in early 2017.

Perry’s letter gave Technomarine an additional 20 days to cure the contractual concerns before the CRA pursued legal action and/or asked the Florida Attorney General’s Office to investigate Technomarine’s business practices. Sanderson and Technomarine are already named as defendants in multiple lawsuits, including a 2017 suit that resulted in a jury awarding a yet-to-be-paid $1.7 million judgment against Technomarine.

Following a digital trail

During last week’s meeting, some CRA members seemed resigned to the idea that the dock project might be dead in the water and need to be started again from scratch. But member Jake Spooner said he could not accept losing the money, $83,682, the CRA already paid Technomarine.

During public comment, it was suggested that before giving up and pursuing the alternatives, Speciale be asked to call all the marine storage yards in the Tampa area in hopes of finding the undelivered dock components.

Local contractor and marine contractor Billy Cahoon then told The Sun he might know where the dock sections were, based on a photograph he saw in the paper. While the meeting continued, Cahoon was shown the photo Sanderson sent Speciale. Because of the building in the background, Cahoon thought it might have been taken near the Gandy Bridge in Tampa, by Orion Marine Construction and the Hula Bay Club.

City Treasurer Shayne Thompson suggested checking the photograph’s metadata and digital properties for information on where it was taken. The metadata included the longitude and latitude where the photo was taken, which is not always the case with digital photographs.

Using Google Earth, City Planner Alan Garrett retreated to his office and looked up the general longitude and latitude coordinates. Speciale then returned to his own office to research the exact GPS coordinates.

Using Google Earth, Speciale determined the longitude and latitude coordinates were slightly to the east and on the other side of Tampa Bay. When he zoomed in on the exact longitude and latitude, Speciale saw a white cabin cruiser sitting in an outdoor storage yard. When he rotated the view, he saw a building across the street that resembled the building in the photo Sanderson sent him.

That building is home to StorSafeStorage and using that address Speciale and CRA chair Ralph Cole drove to Gibsonton Thursday morning. They found the dock sections across the street sitting next to the cabin cruiser on the grounds of the Hecker Construction Company.

An employee told Speciale the dock sections were delivered two months ago and Hecker Construction has a verbal agreement with Technomarine to install the dock in Bradenton Beach.

While standing next to the dock sections, Speciale called The Sun and said, “We found our dock. We’re standing in front of it and touching it.”

In response to an email Speciale sent Sanderson later that day, Technomarine project manager Vinnie Frega confirmed the storage location – not knowing Speciale had already found it. In another email, Sanderson told Speciale the cleats and other hardware were still at Technomarine’s warehouse in North Palm Beach. Speciale is still awaiting word on where the dock’s pontoon floats are located.

“It was good to see the dock. It’s in good shape. Now we have to go the next step and get it, and I think we will,” Cole said.

Speciale said he’s feeling “cautiously optimistic.”

Perry will prepare for CRA approval a release agreement that if accepted would relieve Technomarine of its remaining contractual obligations. The agreement would assure Sanderson and Technomarine that no additional legal or investigative remedies would be pursued if the dock materials and additional hardware are released to the CRA. Hecker Construction could then install the floating dock as planned, working directly with the CRA.

Related Coverage

CRA declaring Technomarine in default of dock contract

Proof of pending dock shipment received

Day dock project pushed back again

Buddy Lee

Bridge Street loses its Buddy and beloved mascot

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

BRADENTON BEACH – Bradenton Beach and Bridge Street lost a good buddy last week when Buddy Lee, the 14-year-old purebred tick beagle, passed away.

Buddy had to be put to sleep on Monday, Nov. 5. A memorial marker erected in his honor now graces the front yard of Claudia Lee and Rip VanFossen’s home on Third Street South.

“I bought the dog for Claudia so she’d have a companion. We got him as a pup and he spent his whole life here. This is the only place he ever lived,” VanFossen said on Wednesday.

“We got in accident Labor Day weekend. The airbag went off in my truck and blinded him and he lost his hearing from the explosion of it. He couldn’t hear and he couldn’t see and his blood work was bad so we had to put him to sleep Monday. We took him to get his eye taken out because we knew he was in pain, but the vet called back and said he’s just in too bad of shape to go through the surgery,” VanFossen explained.

“Buddy was a good dog. He was around here for 14 years. He never was tied and he went everyplace he wanted to go. He just went his own way at any given time. He’d sit in the middle of the street. He’d let people honk their horns and he wouldn’t move – he’d make them drive around him. It was amazing how many people really know who he was. I can honestly say he probably had more friends than I had out here. He made his rounds around here for a long time,” said VanFossen, who’s well-known as a local plumber.

Buddy Motorcycle
Buddy loved to ride with Rip on his motorcycle. Submitted | Rip VanFossen

“All the people at the Bridge Tender Inn knew him because he lived around the corner. He was quite the dog. He went through four hurricanes, he loved to ride on the motorcycle and he once made friends with a goat. I don’t think we’ll ever see another one like him. Because of all the growth, nobody can have a dog untied like that again.”

After finishing her shift at Hurricane Hank’s in Holmes Beach Wednesday afternoon, Lee shared her thoughts on Buddy.

“Everybody knew Buddy. One day, at five in the morning, I get this phone call from somebody who was down on vacation. They found Buddy at the Circle K and thought he was lost so they took him ‘home’ and I had to go get him. He was playing with their dog,” she said.

“He’d always go to the Bridge Tender, Sports Lounge and the Drift In. He used to play with Johnny the bartender at the Sports Lounge. A few years ago, all these people were running for mayor and I said Buddy’s going to run for mayor. We were going to get T-shirts made and everything. He was a great dog. Ever since he got hit by the airbag he wasn’t right. I didn’t want him suffering or being in pain,” Lee said.

Buddy Lee’s gravesite pays tribute to a well-lived dog’s life. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Maggie Field, the publisher of The Sun, placed flowers on Buddy’s grave after hearing of his passing.

“That was so nice,” Lee said of that act.

“He walked everywhere, he got fed everywhere and he’d lie in the middle of the street. I called him ‘meatloaf’ because he was overweight,” Field said.

Tona Rankin knew Buddy his entire life, and before he was given the name Buddy.

Buddy Pup
Buddy Lee, shown here as a pup in Claudia’s arms. – Submitted

“When they first got him, when he was a little puppy, Rip called me and said come over here, I got Claudia something. I went over there and there was Buddy and he was so cute. I said what are you all going to name him? They had some stupid name like Bocephus and I said that ain’t no name for this dog. A couple days later I took him to the Circle K with me and I was sitting there and everybody that saw him said, ‘Come here, buddy, come here, little buddy.’ So, I went back and told Claudia and Rip that was going to be his name – and he’s been called Buddy for 14 years,” Rankin said.

“One time, me and Claudia were going around saying Buddy needs a job. We started thinking and I said he can deliver the newspaper. I was working at the Drift In and I didn’t know she was coming by. They had this old mail slot in the door and I heard something dropped through the slot. It looked like a rolled-up newspaper and Claudia had bought a dog toy that looked like a newspaper and said “The Doggy Daily” on it. I said, ‘Oh my God, Buddy got a job.’ It was so funny, I showed everybody. He was such a great dog,” Rankin said.

BB Buddy cuddled up
Young Buddy cuddled up with one of his toys. – Submitted | Tona Rankin

Bridge Tender Inn & Dockside Bar owner Fred Bartizal said, “I remember Buddy when he was a puppy. He was a fixture on Bridge Street. He was always walking down the street. He would nap anyplace he wanted and people would walk around him. He was definitely an Island dog and everybody who knew him is going to miss him.”

Bradenton Beach Police Chief Sam Speciale said, “When I was working the road, I’d drive down Bay Drive South every morning by the Bridge Tender and Buddy would be walking up the road checking everybody out. He slept everywhere – people would put him in a wheelbarrow and bring him home. He was a mainstay of the Bridge Street area and better known than a lot of the locals around here.”

Drift In manager Doreen Flynn said, “He was the real mayor of Bridge Street. He had his friends all over who fed him each day. A lot of our customers loved him. I actually brought him a T-bone on Wednesday. That’s when I found out what happened. His grave in the front yard looks beautiful.”

Former Drift In bartender Jill Capparelli knew Buddy since 2005.

“He used to come over to the Drift for food all the time. He’d go over to Brien (Quinn), the manager at the trailer park for food. He’d go up to Circle K and beg people for hotdogs. He was a character,” Capparelli said.

Bradenton Beach Christmas decorations

CRA purchasing holiday decorations

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

BRADENTON BEACH – The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) authorized member Jake Spooner’s proposal to spend $12,000 to $32,000 to decorate Bridge Street for the Christmas holidays using decorative elements purchased from Christmas Designers – the firm that decorates University Boulevard and the University Town Center mall in Sarasota.

Christmas Designers has been used in the past by Bridge Street Merchants Association which, in recent years, spent $20,000 to purchase holiday decorations.

When purchased, the decorations will be installed, removed, stored, maintained, insured and reused in future years for approximately $2,400 to $4,400 a year, depending on what is purchased. The most expensive components are the elevated skylines that would hang over Bridge Street.

“We’re in a tight time frame, and they’re super busy right now, so we’re not sure if we’ll get the skylines this year,” Spooner said last week.

The CRA members recently directed Spooner to get three price quotes or, as an alternative, obtain a written partnership agreement from the merchants’ association that serves as a continuation of the merchants’ pre-existing relationship with Christmas Designers.

As of Friday, Spooner was still waiting on an itemized invoice to present to city staff. He and Christmas Designers Joe Campbell were still researching the cost and requirements for the poles needed to mount the elevated skylines. Spooner said if the entire decorative concept can’t be finalized this year, the skylines can be purchased and added next year.

Property taxes become campaign talking points

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

BRADENTON BEACH – City Commission candidates have distributed campaign materials that prompted The Sun to fact check claims being made regarding property taxes.

Candidate Tjet Martin mailed out a campaign letter that said, “Our taxes were raised unnecessarily. A 12 percent increase.”

When adopting the 2018-19 fiscal year budget in September, the City Commission unanimously voted to maintain the 2.3329 millage rate that’s been in place since 2012. Incumbent Commissioners Marilyn Maro and Ralph Cole are now seeking reelection.

The Anna Maria and Holmes Beach commissions also maintained their previous year millage rates.

The Florida Constitution caps property tax increases on homesteaded properties to 3 percent per year. Now up for voter renewal, there is also a 10 percent cap on non-homesteaded properties that includes vacation rentals and commercial properties.

Martin lives with former mayor Bill Shearon at his Linger Longer beachfront resort. According to Manatee County Property Appraiser records, Shearon claims $50,500 in homestead and disability exemptions.

According to Shearon’s 2017 tax bill, he paid $2,473 in Bradenton Beach property taxes last year. According to his 2018 trim notice, Shearon will now pay $2,636. The additional $162 equates to a 6.5 percent increase – not the 12 percent cited in Martin’s letter.

Martin’s next-door neighbor and fellow candidate John Metz’s recent campaign mailer said, “Why are your taxes being raised?”

Metz claims a $25,000 homestead on the beachfront cottage that he lives in and uses half as a vacation rental. He paid $2,019 in city property taxes in 2017. According to his 2018 trim notice, he will now pay $2,160. The additional $141 is 6.5 percent more than last year.

When giving his State of the City address last week, Mayor John Chappie said 251 of Bradenton Beach’s 1,915 taxable properties are homesteaded and account for only $144,000 (10 percent) of the city’s $1.44 million in projected property tax revenues.

CRA claims

Metz’s campaign mailer also took issue with “non-resident merchants” serving on city boards. The seven-member Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) includes two non-resident business owners: Ed Chiles and John Horne.

“Merchants hold four out of seven seats on the CRA Board which answers why our tax money is primarily being spent in the business district,” Metz’s flyer says.

The two other merchants that serve on the CRA are business owners, city residents and city commissioners Ralph Cole and Jake Spooner.

State law requires CRA-generated property tax revenues to be spent only on projects that enhance and improve the CRA district that extends from the Cortez Bridge to the southernmost side of Fifth Street South.

CRA funds are now used for additional marine patrols of the unmanaged anchorage near the Bridge Street Pier and for additional police patrols on Bridge Street. CRA funds paid for recent improvements to Lou Barolo Park and are being used to fund the delayed replacement of the public day dock. CRA funds will be used to put Bridge Street utility lines underground and have been proposed for a park and ride shuttle service from Cortez Beach to Bridge Street.

Legal fees

Metz is treasurer of the Keep Our Residential Neighborhoods (KORN) political action committee chaired by former Bradenton Beach resident Reed Mapes, who now lives in Parrish. When KORN failed to get four charter amendment questions placed on this year’s ballot, Mapes and KORN filed a lawsuit against the city. A judge’s ruling is expected soon.

According to City Treasurer Shayne Thompson, KORN’s lawsuit cost the city $10,812 as of Oct. 19. The Charter Review Committee appointed in response to KORN’s charter initiatives cost an additional $22,155.

The 2017 Concerned Neighbors of Bradenton Beach charter amendment initiatives Metz and Martin helped initiate cost city taxpayers $9,435.

In 2017, the City Commission jointly initiated a civil lawsuit alleging Metz, Martin and four other city advisory board members violated the Sunshine Law by discussing city business outside of a properly noticed city meeting. To date, that lawsuit has cost city taxpayers $101,491 and a trial date is sought for early 2019.

The 2016 lawsuit Metz filed against the city and Building Official Steve Gilbert has cost city taxpayers $31,309.

In 2015, Metz unsuccessfully challenged the candidacy of recall election candidate Jack Clarke. That legal action taken against Clarke later subjected city taxpayers to more than $11,000 in unbudgeted legal fees.

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Bradenton Beach CRA underground

CRA approves undergrounding project

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

BRADENTON BEACH – The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has agreed to spend approximately $568,000 to place underground the utility lines on Bridge Street and some of the lines that cross over Gulf Drive.

Having discussed the project for several months, the CRA members received cost estimates on Sept. 5 from the CDM Smith engineering and consulting firm that’s guiding the Longboat Key undergrounding project.

The CRA members agreed in principle to spend $440,000 to bury the utility lines on Bridge Street, including the connection fees for Bridge Street property owners and business owners to be connected to the above-ground transformers.

CDM Smith Senior Utility Coordinator Mark Porter said the fee connections typically cost $2,000 to $7,000, and he thinks the Bridge Street connections will be on the low end of that. Earlier this year, CRA member and City Commissioner Jake Spooner discussed the connection fees with several Bridge Street property owners and some opposed the connection fees.

The $440,000 estimate includes $18,000 for street lighting replacement and $40,000 in contingency funds to cover unanticipated costs.

The CRA members also agreed to spend $77,000 to bury eight lateral utility lines that cross over Gulf Drive between Cortez Road and Fourth Street South. That estimated fee includes $4,000 in contingency funds.

The CRA members agreed to hire CDM Smith to oversee the undergrounding project. CDM Smith associate Amelia Davies estimated that cost to be about 10 percent of the overall project costs. This amounts to about $51,700 and brings the total estimated project cost to $568,000. A previous preliminary cost estimate provided by CDM Smith was roughly $750,000.

The CRA approval included the stipulation that CDM Smith coordinates with Emily Anne Smith, the independent architectural designer contracted to develop a CRA district master plan. During public comment, Smith said she supports the project, will incorporate it into her designs and wishes it would have happened 20 years ago.

The contract with CDM Smith is expected to be presented at the next CRA meeting.

CRA discussion

CRA chair and City Commissioner Ralph Cole has pushed for the undergrounding project since at least early 2017, and he’s often noted it was included in the original CRA plan adopted in 1992.

“It’s always been put off because the funds weren’t available,” he said last week.

Cole said burying the utility lines would beautify and enhance Bridge Street while also eliminating the possibility of those power lines coming down in a storm.

“We’re using the CRA money for what it was meant to be used for,” he said.

Spooner, who’s also a Bridge Street business owner, asked Porter how disruptive the project would be to the businesses.

Porter estimated the entire project would take no more than six months, and the Bridge Street properties would never be without power. He said the disruption to the businesses would be minimal because directional boring would be used to bury the utility lines and conduits.

“You don’t have to go in there and tear up roads and sidewalks. We just have to have somewhere to set the rig and have the bore come up,” Porter said, noting the most disruptive work could be scheduled earlier in the week when the businesses are slower.

“I think this is a bold move. I think it says a lot about Bradenton Beach and its CRA and is something tangible that people can see,” said member Ed Chiles, who was participating by phone.

“I do think this is one of the most important projects the CRA has taken on. It shows the leadership in Bradenton Beach because by this move the CRA is leading the way to underground the utilities for Anna Maria Island. Bradenton Beach’s downtown area is taking the very first, most important step in this regard. I think it can grow from here and go Island-wide, and I hope it will,” Chiles said.

Funding mechanism

Using tax increment revenues generated in the CRA district that extends from Cortez Road to the southernmost property lines along Fifth Street South, the CRA will cover the entire cost of the project, and the city’s general fund will not be impacted.

As of early August, the CRA fund balance was about $1.7 million, according to City Treasurer Shayne Thompson. The CRA’s 2018-19 fiscal year budget anticipates an additional $474,463 in tax revenues for the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The undergrounding project was not included in the CRA’s 2018-19 budget, and that will require a future budget amendment.