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Tag: Cheri Coryea

Manatee County public beaches closing Friday 

Manatee County public beaches closing Friday 

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Archives.

MANATEE COUNTY – In reaction and response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, Manatee County’s public beaches will be closed as of Friday, March 20 at 6 a.m.

Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur made this announcement with Sarasota County officials on Thursday afternoon at a 3 p.m. press conference at the Sarasota County Emergency Operations Center.

Sarasota County’s public beaches will close at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, March 21.

Manatee County issued a beach closure-related press release at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Regarding the public beaches in Manatee County, the press release said, “Parking lots will be closed and signs placed to alert drivers, and we expect that most people will heed that advice.”

Manatee County public beaches closing Friday
The Coquina Beach parking lot in Bradenton Beach will be closed as of Friday morning. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The parking lots referred to are at the three county beaches on Anna Maria Island – Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach and Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach.

What it means

On Thursday afternoon, Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer issued a press release regarding the county’s announcement.

“The Holmes Beach Police Department and Code Compliance Department are enforcing this policy by eliminating public parking. We will continue to proactively patrol the beach to be sure our residents and guests are following the guidance of social distancing. The gates at the public beach located at 4000 Gulf Drive will be locked. Many additional parking areas will be changed to no parking zones. This reduces Holmes Beach’s right of way parking by 70 to 80%. The enforcement guidelines will change based on the daily observations,” Tokajer said in his press release.

When contacted, Tokajer also said the Island’s vacation rental companies are being updated on the closures and any developments that occur.

Manatee County public beaches closing Friday
Folks enjoyed the last few hours of normal beach operations at Manatee Beach Thursday afternoon. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Lt. John Cosby from the Bradenton Beach Police Department said, “Resort guests, those who live on the Island and those who can find a legal public parking space outside of those areas that are closed will still have access to the beach at this time. We still want you to keep the six-foot distance and no groups larger than 10.”

Cosby said the city of Bradenton Beach currently has no plans to close the public beach access points, some of which are located at city street ends and provide limited or no public parking.

Manatee County public beaches closing Friday
On Thursday afternoon, beachgoers enjoyed the final hours of Coquina Beach being open. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

A one-sentence message posted at the city of Anna Maria website Thursday says, “All beaches in the city of Anna Maria will be closed effective 6 a.m. Friday 3/20/20 until further notice.”

Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy was not available for comment after the announcement was made Thursday afternoon.

County statements

In Thursday’s press release, County Administrator Cheri Coryea said, “Each day as our local situation has changed and new advisories have been sent, Manatee County residents have heeded warnings and taken official advice seriously. We’re hoping for more of the same with our beach announcement.”

The press release notes Manatee County lifeguards will remain on duty from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily to ensure the safety of those who disregard the closure. A double red flag, indicating no swimming, will fly from lifeguard stands.

“Manatee County Code Enforcement Officers will assist the Island communities enforcing the beach closure. The Anna Maria Island Trolley will continue to operate,” the press release says.

While the Coquina Beach Cafe will be closing, for now, the Anna Maria Island Beach Cafe at Manatee Beach will remain open.

Manatee County public beaches closing Friday
The concession at Manatee Beach will remain open during the beach closures. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Coryea said the decision was made to close beaches with careful input from the mayors on Anna Maria Island, and after speaking with Sarasota County officials in order to continue the close coordination of the two counties during the coronavirus outbreak.

“This is not a step we take lightly to close our beaches, but together with the advice of the public health officials we believe it is a step that’s in the public’s best interest,” Coryea said in the press release.

“Our primary concern is the health and safety of our residents and visitors and the people they return home to. The leadership of the Island cities of Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, Anna Maria and the Town of Longboat Key collectively brainstormed this decision and will have the authority to manage the impacts in their community,” Coryea said in the press release.

Coryea, Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells, Manatee County Department of Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Bencie and Saur will provide more details on the local COVID-19 response during a press conference Friday afternoon at 2 p.m.

For a full list of closures and cancellations, visit www.mymanatee.org/coronavirus.

Related coverage

 

Manatee County declares state of emergency

 

First coronavirus death in Manatee County

 

Holmes Beach mayor declares state of emergency

First coronavirus death in Manatee County reported

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

Updated Monday, March 23 | There are 1,227 reported positive cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Florida and 18 reported deaths, according to the Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard. In Manatee County, there are 15 positive cases and one reported death. The age range for the Manatee County cases is 14 to 81 years old, with an average age of 64. Eight of the positive cases are men, seven are women and seven positive cases were hospitalized. Sarasota County has 21 reported positive cases and one reported death. Pinellas County has 41 reported cases and one reported death. Hillsborough County has 75 reported cases and no deaths. The FDOH Dashboard is updated at least twice daily.

MANATEE COUNTY – A Manatee County resident has died after testing positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Manatee County death reported on Tuesday was the first reported COVID-19 related death in Manatee County.

“One person has died in Manatee County who tested positive for COVID-19,” said the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) press release issued Tuesday evening.

At that time, there were seven COVID-19 related death in Florida, according to FDOH.

This evening, the FDOH announced an eighth Florida death, which was in Clay County.

As of 7 p.m. this evening, the FDOH COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard listed eight reported COVID-19 cases in Manatee County.

According to the FDOH Dashboard, 45 tests had been administered in Manatee County, with eight positive tests, 27 negative tests and 10 test results still pending. Five of the positive reported Manatee County case were men and three were women. The age range was 61-81 years old. Only one of the eight reported cases in Manatee County was listed as travel-related.

As of 7 p.m., there were 328 reported COVID-19 positive cases in Florida. According to the FDOH Dashboard, there were 80 reported cases in Broward County, 77 reported cases in Miami-Dade County and 21 reported cases in Palm Beach County. Those three southeast Florida counties accounted for 178 of reported positive cases – 54 percent of the reported cases in Florida.

Sarasota County had four reported cases. Hillsborough County had 14 cases.

County buildings closed

On Tuesday, March 17, Manatee County issued a press release announcing several county closings.

“In accordance with the President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America, which recommend avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people, Manatee County Government will be closing all public buildings to the public for walk-in services for the next 15 days. All buildings will remain closed beginning at 8 a.m. on March 18,” Tuesday’s press release said.

“County staff will continue to serve the public and services will continue to operate. The public is encouraged to conduct transactions with the County online or over the phone whenever possible. Citizens can call 3-1-1 for more information.”
The list of public buildings now closed includes:

  • The County Administration Building;
  • All Manatee County Public Library locations, including the Island Branch Library. Online resources are still available for check out and late materials fines and fees will be forgiven;
  • Manatee County Animal Services locations;
  • T. Bray Recreation Center – all athletic league games and other organized events are canceled;
  • The Bradenton Area Convention Center;
  • All locations for Building and Development Services and Veterans Services;
  • The Utilities Administration Building;
  • The Manatee County Clerk of Court Historic Courthouse;
  • The Manatee County Property Appraiser office.

Manatee County Area Transit services will continue to operate as normal, including Handy Bus services.

In the press release, County Administrator Cheri Coryea is quoted as saying, “Transit Services remain a vital service for individuals without access to essentials such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and medical appointments.”

“Manatee County parks, outdoor amenities, preserves and beaches remain open for now and the public is encouraged to exercise social distancing when out in public places. Under the Governor’s order, beaches may remain open but restricted to 10 persons in each group and a distance of six feet between parties,” the press release said.

In the press release, Coryea said, “This is an hour-by-hour emergency event and should a new directive need to be implemented to further protect the public we will make that call.”

According to the press release, all public county meetings during the next 15 days will be canceled or rescheduled.

Here’s a full list of closures and cancellations.

Manatee County beaches remain open

Manatee County beaches remain open

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Archives.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – As of this evening, there were no plans to close Manatee County’s public beaches on Anna Maria Island.

Sarasota County beaches also remain open as of tonight.

This afternoon, the city of Tampa announced its public beaches were closing tonight at sunset. This evening, the city of Clearwater announced it was closing its public beaches on Monday, March 23.

On Anna Maria Island, Manatee County’s public beaches are the Manatee Public Beach in Holmes Beach and Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach in Bradenton Beach. The county also maintains Bayfront Park, which is owned by the city of Anna Maria.

There are also numerous public beach access points along the Gulf of Mexico coastline, many of which are located at city street ends in Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach.

Manatee County’s position on keeping the beaches open was first expressed by County Administrator Cheri Coryea on Monday, March 16, in an email she sent to city and town officials in Manatee County. Coryea also stated the beaches would remain open during the County Commission’s emergency meeting later that afternoon.

Today, the status of the county beaches was discussed by county and city officials during the weekly Emergency Policy Group meeting chaired by Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur.

After today’s meeting, Coryea distributed a written recap of the meeting. According to Coryea’s recap, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth suggested reducing the Manatee Public Beach parking lot to 50 percent capacity – an action that was not taken.

“Holmes Beach Mayor said that today was much better at the beach. All other municipalities agreed,” Coryea’s email recap said.

According to Coryea, an Amber Alert was issued to cell phone users clarifying the social distancing policies included in Governor’s Ron DeSantis’ Tuesday, March 17 Executive Order.

“I direct parties accessing public beaches in the State of Florida to follow CDC guidance by limiting their gatherings to no more than 10 persons, distance themselves by 6 feet and support beach closures at the discretion of local authorities,” the Governor’s executive order said.

Coryea’s email said existing digital message boards would mention the social distancing guidelines and signs would be placed “all over the beach” reminding people about social distancing.

Her email recap said county personnel, as possible, would use four-wheelers to travel up and down the beach using a bullhorn to repeat the social distancing message.

A banner that says, “Make a Difference/Keep a Distance” that would be towed behind a plane flying along the Anna Maria Island coastline was discussed but not implemented.

According to Coryea’s email, there are also no plans to implement a county curfew.

“Not needed yet,” her email said.

Mayor’s suggestions

When contacted this evening, Mayor Titsworth discussed her beach-related suggestions and the conversations that took place at Wednesday’s meeting.

“I was wondering if we should cut the public beach to half capacity parking just to make it so there’s not as many people in such a small area, but that would be a hard thing for the police to enforce because there’s several entrances into the beach,” Titsworth said regarding the Manatee Public Beach in Holmes Beach.

“I was getting complaints that there’s so many people on the beaches. Before the meeting today, I had the Chief (Police Chief Bill Tokajer) go up and down the beach and look for groups larger than 10 and for people staying apart from each other. He was pleasantly pleased that everyone seemed to be in smaller groups, and everyone was keeping their distance. He felt he was comfortable with it,” Titsworth said.

“The café’s already gone to half capacity, so they’re working hard on that,” she said in reference to Governor Ron DeSantis’ executive order ordering all Florida restaurants to reduce their capacity by 50%.

“During the meeting today, I said it looked like it was way better than it was on the weekend, but we have another weekend coming up and we’re going to have to keep monitoring it,” Titsworth said.

“The county wasn’t ready to do anything. John Chappie (the Bradenton Beach mayor) wasn’t ready to do anything. So, we said let’s continue monitoring because every day’s a new day. We also said if we find neighboring beaches are going to start closing – which would draw more people to ours – we’ll have to look at that as well,” Titsworth said.

Regarding the Tampa beaches being closed and the St. Petersburg beaches closing on Monday, Titsworth said, “That’s probably going to have an effect on ours, which is too bad. If people can self-disperse it at least gets them outside, which is healthy. You hate to have everybody trapped in climate-controlled environments, especially with all these kids.”

Anna Maria beaches

On Tuesday, March 17, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said he had no intentions to close the city beaches. He said the city doesn’t have the resources to enforce city-wide beach closures.

County Commission authorizes removal of six Australian pines

County Commission authorizes removal of six Australian pines

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

BRADENTON – Six Australian pines will be removed from the Coquina Beach parking lot for now and a comprehensive project report will be presented to Manatee County Commissioners on Tuesday, June 18.

County Administrator Cheri Coryea provided this update at the beginning of the commission’s Thursday, June 6, land use meeting. Her update pertained to the 102 Australian pines recently slated for removal as part of the county’s two-phase Coquina Beach parking and stormwater drainage project.

County Commission authorizes removal of six Australian pines
County Administrator Cheri Coryea requests the removal of six Australian pine trees. – Submitted

“We have an urgent matter we need to address. As you know, we’re reviewing the project of the Coquina drainage. We have received a recent update on some additional trees we may need to remove, but we don’t have all of those details. I’m here this morning to ask the board if we can move forward with removing six trees,” Coryea said.

“In the original plan, there were 30 trees in that area to be removed. We’re just asking for six at this moment. The six trees in question are in the path of the next area of the stormwater drainage that must be put in,” Coryea said.

Five of the six pines being removed are located near the open space and playground at the south end of the beach park. The sixth tree is located further to the north.

County Commission authorizes removal of six Australian pines
This map illustrates the location of the six Australian pines being removed. – Manatee County | Submitted

Coryea said the Woodruff & Sons construction company is now mobilized and working, and the construction materials are also on-site.

“By doing this, we won’t have to demobilize or move materials. That would cost us a great deal and require us to move some things out in lieu of the June 18 meeting,” Coryea said.

Commissioner Priscilla Trace made the motion to authorize the removal of six trees.

Commissioner Misty Servia asked if those trees were all located in the parking area.

“Yes, and I did confirm they are six Australian pines,” Coryea said. “We’ve made a count, there are 991 Australian pines out at that location – a total of over 1,500 trees that we’ve mapped.”

Commissioner Carol Whitmore asked how much additional delays would cost the county and how it might impact sea turtle nesting season.

“That’s going to be part of your report. If we can allow them to proceed with just those six, we’ll be able to finish that small portion and it will not create a delay until after your June 18th meeting,” Coryea said.

Whitmore also mentioned an email Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie sent Coryea and the commissioners requesting the project be redesigned.

Coryea said a complete redesign is “highly unlikely.”

Commissioner Betsy Benac said she would support Trace’s motion but noted the commission needs a full picture of what’s proposed for the entire project.

“A lot of people are very concerned. People love that beach. The six trees is okay, but I’m not committing at all to what will happen. It needs a lot more input,” Benac said.

She also said she asked County Attorney Mickey Palmer to review the Woodruff & Sons contract.

Commissioner Reggie Bellamy said he talked to local businessman Ed Chiles about potential recycling opportunities and he asked if the county plans to reuse the wood from the removed trees.

“It may be an opportunity to take lemons and make lemonade,” Bellamy said.

“That’s a good idea,” Commission Chair Steve Jonsson said.

Jonsson opened the discussion to public comment but there was none – the impromptu tree discussion was not noticed in advance.

The commission voted 7-0 in support of removing the six trees.

Coryea said the June 18 report will include maps that detail the locations of trees to potentially be removed and the costs and impacts of incurring any additional delays. She said the project engineers will be on-hand for the meeting that will also provide citizens the opportunity to express their views.

County commission meetings start at 9 a.m. It is not yet known what time the tree removal discussion will occur. Meeting agendas are posted at the county website.

Public opposition

When contacted on Thursday, Chappie said, “Before the meeting on the 18th, Cheri will be meeting with me to go over what the report says.”

He also said, “I just got off the phone with Mike Norman and he’ll have 1,000 petition signatures that he’s getting to me.”

The petition signatures represent the public opposition to the tree removals. That opposition swelled after the city resident and owner of Mike Norman Realty complained to Chappie and Vice Mayor Jake Spooner after seeing Cindy Lane’s photograph and cutline in the May 22 issue of The Sun.

The concerns expressed by Norman and others prompted an emergency city commission meeting on May 24. Chappie then conveyed his commission’s concerns to county commissioners on May 28.

On Friday, Chappie hand-delivered 1010 petition signatures to Coryea and/or Jonsson.
“We the undersigned, love the Australian pines at Coquina Beach. We beseech you to come up with an alternate plan for the Coquina drainage project that does not include cutting down these majestic trees,” the petition language says.

County Commission authorizes removal of six Australian pines
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie holds up the 1010 petition signatures discussed at the June 6 City Commission meeting. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

During the week, Chappie and Jonsson exchanged several emails regarding the Coquina Beach project.

On Monday, June 3, Jonsson sent Chappie an email that said, “Do you think Bradenton Beach, perhaps the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency), would be interested in putting some money towards any redesign work if we go that way?”

After discussing that possibility with the CRA on June 5 and the City Commission on June 6, Chappie is authorized to pursue that possibility if it’s given county consideration.

Related Coverage

Proposed Tree Removals Delayed

County’s Plan to Remove Coquina Beach Trees Meets Opposition

Proposed tree removals delayed

Proposed tree removals delayed

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

BRADENTON BEACH – More than 100 Australian pine trees designated for removal at the south end of the Coquina Beach parking lot will not be removed, at least until Manatee County commissioners review a comprehensive staff report on the project.

County Administrator Cheri Coryea announced the delay during the county commission’s Tuesday, May 28 budget work session, responding to remarks made by Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie during citizens’ comments.

On Friday, May 24, the Bradenton Beach Commission held an emergency meeting and authorized Chappie to send Coryea a letter expressing the commission’s concerns about the proposed tree removals and the lack of communication from the county about the plans.

Project permitting

Heavy equipment is already on site and some preliminary work has occurred for the first phase of the two-phase Coquina Beach drainage and parking lot improvement project.

Proposed tree removals delayed pending county staff report
These Australian pines along the south entry road are currently slated for removal. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

In May, Manatee Public Works Department Project Manager Michael Sturm sent county staffers Carmine DeMilio and Jeff Streitmatter an email containing the subject line: “Coquina Phase 1 Australian Pine Removal.”

No one representing the city of Bradenton Beach was copied on Sturm’s email, which states, “The certified Arborist has determined that the trees shown on the attached PDF are a risk for beach visitors if left in place. His conversation was that the 10-inch-deep excavation that will occur to construct the curb located on each side of the concrete drive and parking areas will threaten the stability of the shallow foundation roots known to occur with Australian pine trees. His recommendation was to remove 102 trees. I have also included the cost associated with the removal and disposal of the trees.”

Proposed tree removals delayed pending county staff report
This is one of five Manatee County illustrations that reference the removal of Australian pines. – Manatee County | Submitted

Dated May 9, the attached $144,441 change order submitted by Woodruff & Sons included $71,775 for tree removal and $2,652 for root pruning by Terry’s Tree Service. When addressing the county commission, Chappie referenced the change order, which he first saw earlier that day.

The drainage and parking project at the county-owned beach requires a city-issued building permit. On April 10, the county received from the city a land use and zoning permit. The permitting request presented to city commissioners earlier this year included no mention of tree removals.

Proposed tree removals delayed pending county staff report
Trees marked with a red X or an underlined red X are currently slated for removal. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The county’s original 100 percent design documents include language that says the contractor shall protect all existing structures, utilities, driveways, sidewalks, fences, trees and landscaping or repair or replace them to equal or better than pre-construction conditions. The design document also says, “All existing trees shall remain unless otherwise noted.”

Mayor addresses county

Chappie thanked Coryea for her quick response to the city’s letter before reading it aloud to county commissioners.

“The city of Bradenton Beach is adamantly opposed to the trees being removed. We are extremely hopeful the county will not follow through with such a disturbing act that would change the great character of Coquina Beach.

Proposed tree removals delayed pending county staff report
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie expresses the city’s concerns about the proposed tree removals. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

“Australian pines, despite their designation as an invasive nuisance tree, do provide tremendous benefits for our residents, visitors, as well as the birds and wildlife. This is the right plant in the right location. Further, there are no homes or structures in danger of being harmed by a limb or tree. These trees enhance the park and provide a tremendous tree canopy for the south end of the Island,” Chappie said.

“We strongly encourage the county commission to take some time and reconsider the destruction and removal of the Australian pine canopies. The guiding light needs to be ‘Save the trees.’ This is a large park, there are significant open area spaces. I believe there is great opportunity for us to be creative and the city would be more than happy to assist. The city is also requesting a special city commission meeting with a county representative to explain this plan. We just want to understand what’s going on,” Chappie said.

County response

Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she sent Coryea an email containing questions she has about the tree removals and project contract.

Commissioner Betsy Benac said, “Those trees provide shade. As we all know from this weekend, shade is invaluable. I’ve heard many stories about Australian pines and that they aren’t good for habitat. Well, they’re good for this habitat. I certainly would want to do everything we can to save the shade.”

Proposed tree removals delayed pending county staff report
County Administrator Cheri Coryea said no trees will be removed until county commissioners review a comprehensive staff report. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Coryea said, “We anticipated possibly giving you information, but as this unfolded over the last day or so we would rather quickly pull together a full and comprehensive report. We want to look at how many trees in totality are in that area and give you some idea of the approach of what that removal is.

“There’s no removal today. We held them off. We will plan to act quickly though,” Coryea said, noting delays incurred now could impact the project timeline in January or February.

“So, we’re not doing anything until we hear from you guys?” Whitmore asked.

“There’s no removal that’s going to happen today,” Coryea said.

“You just said ‘today,’ ” Whitmore responded.

Coryea clarified no tree removals would occur until county commissioners reviewed the staff report.

“We don’t want to put our project at risk either. We’ll make sure we’re back here shortly,” Coryea said.

Commissioner Vanessa Baugh asked if another type of tree could be planted to replace the Australian pines removed. Coryea said that would also be included in the report.

“I just don’t want a line of new palm trees, that’s no shade,” Whitmore said.

In response to comments she saw posted on Facebook, Whitmore also stated the Town of Longboat Key is not involved with the Coquina Beach project.

Follow-up communication

On Wednesday, May 29, Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Nick Azzara addressed the tree removals in an email he sent to a television journalist. He later shared that email with The Sun.

“There are no plans to remove all the Australian pines at Coquina Beach and there are no plans to remove trees that provide shade along the nearby exercise trail. There are nearly 1,100 Australian pines there today and a small percentage are recommended for removal,” Azzara wrote.

At week’s end, the staff report had not yet been presented and no additional public discussion had occurred. The county commission has a budget work session at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 4 and a land use meeting at 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 6.

Related Coverage

County’s plan to remove Coquina Beach trees meets opposition