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Tag: Cortez village

FISH board outlines successes, plans

FISH board outlines successes, plans

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Community News, Cortez.

CORTEZ – It’s been a year filled with successes and a few challenges for the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) as the board laid out plans for enhancements to the FISH Preserve at its annual membership meeting on May 13.

“We’ve been truly blessed from a financial standpoint,” FISH Treasurer Jane von Hahmann reported at the meeting.

Despite being rained out on the second day of the Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival in February, the non-profit netted $43,000, which supports the FISH Preserve. Von Hahmann also reported a $50,000 anonymous donation designated to help pay down the mortgage on Fisherman’s Hall and a portion of the preserve.

“We have some big projects coming up,” she said.

With a $165,000 grant from the Barancik Foundation, the preserve will have trails, two bridges and a picnic area installed. The funds must be used within 18 months. FISH is contributing an additional $15,000 to that initiative.

A donation from Kiwanis of $16,000 will possibly be used toward the cost of a third bridge.

“Phase IV of the preserve is finished; that’s the last and final phase of digging dirt. Now we have the job of connecting everything up with walkable trails,” she said. “Father and son Alan and Alex Garner have been doing work on planning improvements for the preserve for about a year, which includes signage at the preserve, an additional entrance sign and a kiosk where visitors can sign in and obtain educational materials. We are discussing the grand plan with a tower and possibly a canopy walk. We have some big ideas.”

Von Hahmann also noted the November 2023 donation of $50,000 for trails and bridges at the preserve from Dr. Terry Bert, the wife of the late John Stevely. Stevely was one of the original FISH board members.

FISH’s goal for the recent Giving Challenge of $15,000 was exceeded; the organization received nearly $20,000.

Board member Karen Bell gave a festival report.

“It was a good festival, as good as it could be considering the rains,” Bell said.

Bell said FISH donated $4,000 to the Organized Fisherman of Florida for their help in setting up the festival.

Bell also gave an update on the progress of the refurbishment of the old volunteer fire station.

“The fire station used to be Cortez’s only fire station,” she said. “I remember they used to have in the fall, maybe two or three or maybe four mullet fries. It was so cool, the ladies used to bring pies or cakes and big pots of coffee.”

The volunteer fire department had been owned by Anna Maria Fire District and in their deed the building had to go to another non-profit, according to Bell.

“It was deeded to the Florida Institute of Saltwater Heritage,” Bell said. “By fall we should be ready to use it. It’s nice to see it come back to life.”

Cortez Cultural Center to host Veteran's Day salute

Cortez Cultural Center to host music, arts events

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Entertainment, Events, Family fun, Museums, Music.

CORTEZ – The Cortez Cultural Center, 11655 Cortez Road W., invites everyone to enjoy its fall events, including Music on the Porch, an Arts and Crafts sale and a Veteran’s Day Weekend Salute.

Open to the public every Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the center hosts Music on the Porch with local musicians who welcome others to jam with them at the tiki hut located between the center and the Florida Maritime Museum next to the Bonefish Bridge on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month.

An Arts and Crafts Sale is set for Saturday, Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring local artists and their paintings, prints, colorful crafts, hand-crafted jewelry, baked goods, books and more.

A Veteran’s Day Weekend Salute in November will feature a tribute to Cortez veteran Albert Few Jr., who passed away this summer at the age of 100. The commercial fishing village of Cortez is home to veterans who have served in all branches of the U.S. military, and the organization showcases the impacts of those who went to war as well as those who went to sea to fish; many did both.

The center has an extensive collection of historical records related to the rich history of Cortez and its residents, including artifacts, books, documents, records and other items related to the families and individuals who have shaped Cortez, past and present. 

Visitors are welcome to stroll through the FISH Preserve next to the center, formerly a 1940s Bradenton Beach cottage that has been relocated and repurposed into an exhibit space. Admission is free.

Castles in the Sand

A bridge too far?

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

What now? After more than two decades of discussions about the pros and cons of a tall, fixed-span bridge connecting the mainland with Anna Maria Island, we’re now getting not just one bridge, but two.

The Florida Department of Transportation has finally made its decision after multiple meetings, surveys and pushback from Cortez residents regarding the correct bridge design and height to build. As we now know, the decision is a 65-foot, fixed-span bridge to replace the existing Cortez drawbridge, matching the planned and previously approved Anna Maria Island Bridge.

As of now we don’t have any time frame on when these bridges may be built. The Anna Maria Island Bridge has been in the design stage since 2015 and, of course, the Cortez Bridge design stage hasn’t even started. The funding for both bridges is still in the unfunded status on FDOT’s websites.

My guess is that although we all may be concerned with how tall bridges will change the face and style of Anna Maria Island, Cortez and the western edge of the mainland, probably what most homeowners are really concerned about is how such a massive change to our lifestyle will affect their property values.

As much as it pains me to say this, the face of Anna Maria Island and surrounding areas has already been transformed substantially in the 20 years I’ve been living here and frankly, I don’t see any way to stop further change. When I look out my window and see tour boats, paddleboards and jet skies buzzing by every few minutes it breaks my heart, but has it changed my property value? The answer is no; nor do I believe a tall bridge will degrade property values either.

Before you start writing your letter to the editor, hear me out. Granted there will be an impact to the historic Cortez village and also to residents on the north side of Cortez Road, but after attending FDOT’s August meeting I was reasonably satisfied that access for residents and visitors on both sides of Cortez Road has been accommodated. Details are available here on the Cortez Bridge project.

Nothing is perfect, not the least of which is the traffic on Cortez Road going westbound and sometimes backing up beyond 86th Street. On more than one occasion, I’ve thought, what do potential buyers think if they’re considering a purchase on either side of Cortez Road or Anna Maria Island? Most of this season and frequently off-season traffic jams are caused by bridge openings every 30 minutes, especially when it takes at least 15 minutes to get moving again after the bridge is closed.

As far as property values in the three cities on Anna Maria Island, let me refer you to my May 2 analysis of $1 million and over properties, both recently sold and currently listed. Will a pair of tall bridges that have the potential to move traffic faster on and off the Island eliminate our million and multi-million-dollar properties? Not likely.

This may be a good time to take a step back and breath deeply before assuming that property values are going to be negatively affected by either one of these bridges. And as far as changing the character and charm of the area, that’s already been altered and continues to be in flux for a variety of reasons.

I don’t like what has happened to Anna Maria Island either, I miss the small town beachy feel driving along Gulf Drive that I discovered 25 years ago. However, it is indeed a paradise and always will be. Tall bridge or no tall bridge we’re still fortunate to call it home.

New Cortez bridge

FDOT chooses tall bridge for Cortez

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Transportation.

BRADENTON BEACH – The other shoe has dropped.

After more than 25 years of local resistance to replacing the two drawbridges from the mainland to Anna Maria Island with tall, fixed spans, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced it would build a tall replacement for the Cortez Bridge.

FDOT officials made the announcement at Monday’s Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, a government group that regulates road and bridge construction projects in the two-county area.

The decision caps a long struggle for many residents of Anna Maria Island, who said tall bridges would be out of style on an Island that restricts building heights and limits fast food chain restaurants and retailers.

FDOT officials had narrowed the choices for a new bridge to two: A 35-foot-tall drawbridge with an estimated cost of $95.76 million, or a 65-foot, fixed-span bridge with a price tag of $72.1 million. A third option of repairing the existing drawbridge and extending the life of the structure another 10 to 15 years was deemed not feasible by FDOT.

Opinions have varied over the years on which option was the best. In surveys conducted by FDOT, a surprising number of respondents favored the tall bridge. Improved traffic flow and fewer delays from drawbridge openings were reasons cited.

Opponents, however, maintained that not only would the tall bridge be out of place, but it also would pose a danger during hurricane evacuations because it would have to be closed in high winds. Some in Cortez also feared that access to their homes and businesses would be restricted by the mega-bridge.

Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie said Monday he was disappointed in FDOT’s decision, but he understands the state wants to have as few traffic interruptions as possible. He said they have a duty to make sure the new bridge doesn’t impact the entryway to the city, the bike path that goes under the current bridge and Bridgeport condominiums north of the current bridge landing.

“The new bridge would land just north of the current bridge and that would definitely impact Bridgeport condominiums,” he said. “We need to make sure it would not impact Bradenton Beach negatively.”

Chappie said the tall bridge would be out of style with the city.

“We used to say we were unique because the trees were taller than the buildings but that might not be true anymore with that bridge,” he said.

Chappie said the plans call for an aesthetics committee, like the Anna Maria Island Bridge replacement project.

“We’re going to have to make sure we’re well represented and make sure the decisions they make are for the betterment of Bradenton Beach and the Island,” he said.

Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she also did not like the decision. She pointed out there was a deal made 25 years ago between FDOT and Island elected officials to replace the Anna Maria Island Bridge with a tall, fixed span if they would leave the Cortez bridge as a medium-height drawbridge that would open to boating less than the current bridge because more boats would fit under it.

Longtime Cortez resident Dr. Mary Fulford Green said the new bridge would be a fiasco.

“It will close five roads and during storm season, it would have to be closed to traffic sooner in high winds,” she said. “I want to know how much federal funding would go into the project because in 1995, they put a rule in the Federal Register that says you cannot use federal funds to negatively impact historic areas, and Cortez is a historic area.”

Former Manatee County Commissioner Jane von Hahmann, a Cortez resident, said she was disappointed in the FDOT decision, but not surprised.

“I hoped and prayed they would decide in favor of Cortez, but it didn’t happen,” she said. “It seems more and more decisions are being made in favor of people who don’t live here.”

Florida Department of Transportation information specialist Zachery Burch said if all the relevant government agencies support it, they would start working on the details to come up with a final plan. He said the tall bridge would require extra roads to make some businesses accessible and there would be some benefits.

“It would create more parking and there would be roads on both ends running beneath the bridge connecting the north to the south,” he said. “We might have golf cart lanes or canoe/kayak launching areas and fish cleaning stations.”

He confirmed there would be an aesthetics committee formed in the future with local representatives to decide the decorative details and landscaping.

The tall bridge recommendation now will go to FDOT in Tallahassee for final approval. If it gets the green light, design of the bridge could begin later this year. The project currently is not funded.