BRADENTON BEACH – So far, 33 hurricane-damaged homes have been demolished citywide since the 2024 hurricanes, two are permitted for demolition and building officials are now focusing on the removal of three more that do not yet have demolition permits.
The three properties are on the south end of the city at 104 10th St. S., built in 1930, and 801 Gulf Drive S. and 100 Ninth St. S., both built in 1949.
“After Hurricane Milton in October, we had numerous homes that needed to be torn down that were over 50% damaged,” City Code Enforcement Official Evan Harbus said at a July 17 city commission meeting. “We did give them plenty of time, but we are getting letters out and we are on it.”
At recent city commission meetings, Bradenton Beach Police Chief John Cosby noted that homes that were built up to current codes sustained very little damage, while the older ground-level bungalows did not fare as well against the storm surge from Hurricane Helene and the winds from Hurricane Milton.
The hurricane-damaged home at 103 12th St. S., around the corner from the house at left, also has a demolition permit. – Leslie Lake | Sun
Two other hurricane-damaged properties, 103 12th St. S. and 1201 Gulf Drive S., have been issued demolition permits with removal of those homes imminent, Harbus said.
“The yellow house, the one that’s leaning, I’ve been working with the gentleman that owns it, and he has been trying to salvage whatever he can out of there,” Harbus said. “He’s devastated and we’ve given him some leniency to get windows and certain things out of that property but hopefully within a week, or two or three we will see that house removed.”
The former home at 1201-A Gulf Drive S., a 1930 739-square-foot bungalow, sustained extensive damage when floodwaters lifted it off its foundation and it floated down 12th Street during Hurricane Helene. That property was demolished in October.
ANNA MARIA – The city is entering into a $239,500 contract with Quality Marine Construction to demolish and remove what remains of the hurricane-damaged City Pier walkway.
The buildings at the T-end of the pier will not be demolished.
On May 27, city commissioners authorized Mayor Mark Short to execute a contract with Quality Marine. Short told commissioners three qualifying bids were received and reviewed.
The meeting agenda mentions two proposals, the Quality Marine proposal and the $2.19 million proposal received from Ballard Marine Construction. Commissioner Chris Arendt mentioned a third proposal that was even higher but the Quality Marine proposal was the only one included in the meeting packet.
“This particular bid was well within the range of what the engineers told us to expect,” Short said regarding Quality Marine’s proposal.
Short said he didn’t know why the other bids were so much higher and he guessed it may be because Quality Marine is a local company with lower staging and deployment costs.
Quality Marine will demolish the remaining walkway and support structure above the water, demolish the damaged concrete pilings below the waterline and remove any underwater debris as well.
According to the proposal, Quality Marine Construction is a small, Bradenton-based business that’s served the Manatee County area for more than 18 years.
The proposal states Quality Marine previously worked on the City Pier: “We are uniquely qualified for this project, having played a key role in the 2018 demolition of the City Pier as a subcontractor for Speeler and Associates. That experience, combined with our deep familiarity with local waters and permitting requirements, gives us valuable insight into the scope and sensitivities of this work. As the owners of Blenker Boat Works and Marina, we also have the distinct advantage of being able to launch and operate all necessary equipment directly from the water, eliminating the need for road closures or land-based staging.”
Blenker Boat Works and Marina is located at 2504 88th St. Court N.W., at the mouth of the Manatee River, between the De Soto National Memorial and Robinson Preserve. The pier debris will be delivered to the marina by boat or barge.
Quality Marine recently completed for Manatee County the demolition of the Seafood Shack and Annie’s Bait & Tackle buildings, marine structures, docks, boatlifts and over-the-water buildings at that Cortez location.
“Quality Marine Construction will not be utilizing any subcontractors for this job; we will be 100% self-performing,” the proposal says.
BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners voted to use the city’s Code Enforcement department process rather than go through FEMA to remove buildings condemned after Hurricanes Helene and Milton if property owners fail to remove them.
“We have approximately 16 properties, these are the ones that are down and compromised,” Police Chief and Public Works Director John Cosby told commissioners on Feb. 20. “We already sent out letters and asked people to respond back within 45 days with whatever their intent is. As of today we have received seven responses back, that they’re going to request to move forward to remove those properties.”
Cosby said if property owners don’t remove the buildings, the city will have to remove them using one of two options.
“The first is we could do it through Code Enforcement where we go after the property owner and cite them through code once they hit the number of days the limit is for the code,” Cosby said. “It’s brought before a special master, the special master makes a ruling and then we take them to court, obviously tracking the time, then we put a lien on the property to get reimbursed. Then we would go in and have the court order them to take the property down.”
The second option involves FEMA.
“We can go through FEMA and get the necessary paperwork in to them and then we have a right to enter, we could go in and just take it,” Cosby said. “The issue with doing it through FEMA is then the city is going to be responsible for 12.5% of that cost.”
He said the average cost for removal is between $25,000 and $30,000.
“So when we get to this point if we have to, which route do you want to go?” Cosby asked commissioners. “Do you want to continue to try to force the property owner to take care of their own property or do you want to expend city tax dollars to force them to do it?
“I think we should go with the code route, just the normal legal process we would follow. I think people would respond to that, eventually they would take care of it,” Commissioner Deborah Scaccianoce said.
Commissioner Ralph Cole asked if FEMA would help homeowners with the cost of removing their house.
“No. FEMA will give them a grant of $30,000 to bring it up to code,” Cosby said. “I don’t know what it costs to put a house up on stilts, but I would say $30,000 isn’t going to be a lot of money.”
Commissioner Scott Bear noted that by going through Code Enforcement, the city retains the ability to recover costs.
BRADENTON BEACH – Bev Liddle watched her Gulf Drive family vacation home containing decades of memories being demolished on Oct. 23.
Due to the storm surge from Hurricane Helene, the 739 square foot bungalow at 1201 Gulf Drive S. was lifted off the concrete foundation blocks it had stood on since 1930 and floated to the end of 12th Street South before coming to a stop, sustaining substantial damage along the way.
“We came down after Helene to see it, but we couldn’t do anything. We retrieved the flag and I washed it,” she said.
Bev Liddle’s 1930 bungalow floated down 12th Street during storm surge from Hurricane Helene. – Leslie Lake | Sun
Liddle and her son, Bob, made the trip down from their homes in North Carolina to retrieve some personal items before the demolition of the home.
“I just had to come say goodbye,” Bev said. “I started coming here in about fourth grade and I’m 87.”
Bob Liddle remembered visiting as a child and walking to the beach and fishing off the back pier.
“This was my great-great grandparents’ house,” he said.
After the front wall of the home was taken down, demolition crews were able to enter and carry out some of the Liddle’s personal items.
Demolition begins on a 1930 bungalow damaged by storm surge from Hurricane Helene – Leslie Lake | Sun
Bob noted that the house had stood since 1930, and homes such as theirs represented the charm of the Island.
“I think it’s important that we preserve the history and the beauty of Anna Maria Island and do whatever we can to keep it the way it was,” Bob Liddle said.
BRADENTON BEACH – The third of four buildings has come down to clear the way for a 106-room resort hotel/restaurant/retail complex at the corner of Bridge Street and Gulf Drive South.
On Jan. 26, demolition began on the building at 105 Bridge St., formerly the site of the Magnolia Inn. The preservation of the building, which dates back to 1935, was championed by residents Sue Longacre and Chris Johnson, but city officials responded that the building was not protected.
On Dec. 7, developer Shawn Kaleta and hotel co-applicant, former Bradenton Beach Commissioner Jacob Spooner, received city commission approval for the hotel, which will include a 60-seat restaurant, 5,396 square feet of retail space and 154 on-site parking spaces. The project is situated on 1.61 acres and is located at 101, 105 and 117 Bridge St. and 106, 108, 110 and 112 Third St. S.
The demolition permit for 105 Bridge St., which was issued by the city on Jan. 22, lists the owner of the property as Bridge Street Resort LLC.
On Dec. 11, a permitted demolition began on 129 Gulf Drive S., the location of the former Joe’s Eats N Sweets. On Jan. 13, 101 Bridge St., built in 1925 and formerly the Freckled Fin, was demolished. Bradenton Beach permit technician Annabre Veal said on Dec. 27 that a demolition permit application for the Fudge Factory, 117 Bridge St., built in 1955, has been submitted.
BRADENTON BEACH – The triplex at 2514 Ave. C where a suspected murder-suicide recently occurred is permitted for demolition.
According to a neighbor, a work crew was on the premises Monday morning and one of the crew members said they expected the demolition to begin in a week or so.
On Saturday, Oct. 17, Sabrina Dumdei, 37, and Zachary Winton, 34, were discovered dead in the upstairs unit. While on scene that day, lead investigator Det. Sgt. Lenard Diaz and Bradenton Beach Police Chief Sam Speciale both said they believed they were investigating a suspected murder-suicide.
The scene of an apparent murder-suicide is slated for demolition. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Dumdei’s funeral was held in Bradenton on Monday, Nov. 2 and attended by many friends and former hair salon clients Dumdei had on and around Anna Maria Island.
When contacted last week, Diaz said he might possibly be able to release his final conclusions and findings at some point this week. Those determinations will depend in part on the receipt of the autopsy and toxicology reports.
When viewed from the street Thursday afternoon, it did not appear that any efforts had been made to clean up the suspected crime scene that includes a blood-stained and broken patio chair on the upstairs deck and a blood-splattered sliding glass door behind the chair.
According to the city permit issued Oct. 29, the property owners, AMI Partners II LCC, are permitted to demolish and remove the structure and cap and stub the sewer line. Bradenton-based Forristall Enterprises is also listed on the demolition permit.
According to the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office, the sale of the property occurred around Oct. 15. According to the warranty deed dated Oct. 15, AMI Partners II LCC purchased the property and the structure from Adil Can and Marianne Detullio-Can.
Official records posted at the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court website, AMI Partners II LLC purchased the property and structure for $819,000.
The Florida Division of Corporations lists AMI Partners II LLC as being formed on Oct. 7, with Sarasota attorney John Moran listed as the new LLC’s registered agent.
According to a neighbor, Dumdei and Winton said they knew the triplex had been sold and also were aware the new owners planned to demolish it.
As of late last week, the make-shift memorial for Sabrina Dumdei remained in place near the 2514 Avenue C mailboxes. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
ANNA MARIA – The demolition of the hurricane-damaged Anna Maria City Pier began Monday and the restaurant and bait shop at the pier’s T-end were demolished and removed on Thursday.
St. Petersburg–based Speeler & Associates is doing the majority of the demolition work, and within the next week or two a local crew from Agnelli Pools & Construction will return to remove the remaining engraved wooden pier planks to be stored and used later to build memorial walls. When the engraved planks are removed, Speeler & Associates will demolish the main pier structure and remove the existing wooden pier pilings.
On Wednesday, July 11, Speeler & Associates Vice President Mike Tibbett and company associate Harry Blenker took City Commissioner Brian Seymour, Public Works Manager Dean Jones and some media members on a boat tour of the demolition area that included two barge-mounted excavators docked alongside the vacant pier building.
While Blenker piloted the boat, Tibbett discussed the demolition process that began on Monday, July 9 with the removal of what remained of the metal roof and the remaining contents inside the vacant restaurant and bait shop.
The restaurant and bait shop building was still standing Wednesday afternoon. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“We go in and take all that stuff out by hand. There were still some things left in there after the hurricane that had to be taken out, including old broken chairs and other stuff. Tomorrow morning, we’ll actually start reaching up with the machine and start pulling the building down,” Tibbett said.
“We want to keep what goes in the water to a minimum,” Tibbett said, noting this helps protect the marine life near the pier. “We’ll take the buildings off the top and all of that will be gone. And then we’ll start taking the T-end deck off in sections.”
The removed materials are loaded into 1,000-pound bags that can be transported by barge to the shoreline dumpsters or to Blenker’s Boatworks & Marina on the Manatee River.
“Most people don’t realize that when you do demolition the material stinks. Everything we can take to Blenker Marina and unload there, that’s an odor that doesn’t come to the city itself. We all live on the beach too, so we have a respect for the beach environment. Everything we can take away without ever taking it to the beach is better for the community,” Tibbett said.
Tibbett also commented on the existing pier’s condition.
“It got beat up pretty bad during the storm and it’s old. There’s some stainless steel bolts in there holding sawdust. Having now gone through it and seeing the guts and inner workings of it, this is absolutely the right decision,” he said of the City Commission’s decision to replace the existing pier.
“If they tried to come in and do repairs to it and leave it here they’d wind up spending an exorbitant amount of money because the replacement and repair would never end. They’d wind up with a new pier anyway at the end of the day. It continues to deteriorate as it’s sitting there and I think the city made the right choice,” Tibbett said.
Seymour’s observations
“Based on the recommendations of all the experts brought in, the pier was beyond the point of salvaging. As much as we’d like to preserve history, in this case it wasn’t a viable option,” Seymour said during the boat tour.
Anna Maria Commissioner Brian Seymour toured the demolition site by boat Wednesday afternoon. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“There’s always going to be those naysayers, but this is showing that there is a plan in place. We’ll get the old pier out and get started on the new pier. I think once people see the progress and the finished product everyone will come around and be happy,” he added.
“I hope that it goes as planned and by the end of next year we have a fully operational pier. It is the number one attraction in Manatee County and it is sorely missed by the community, the business community, the residents and the visitors,” Seymour said.
Plank retrieval
According to Deputy City Clerk Debbie Haynes, 106 pre-claimed engraved planks were returned between July 1 and July 12 to those who wanted their planks back.
“We’re doing pretty well and we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from individuals who are very happy and very pleased to be able to get these planks,” Haynes told city commissioners on July 12.
Pre-claimed planks can be retrieved at city hall Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until noon. The retrieval period ends on Tuesday, July 31. For more information, contact the clerk’s office at 941-708-6130.
Since July 1, more than 100 pre-claimed engraved pier planks have been returned to those who requested them. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Construction bids
Speeler & Associates was one of two firms that responded to the city’s request for proposals (RFP) for the construction phase of the new pier. The two proposals received were opened by City Clerk LeAnne Addy Friday afternoon. Mayor Dan Murphy then sent city commissioners an email update on the bids received.
According to Murphy, Speeler & Associates bid $3.72 million to build a new city pier and Tampa-based ICON bid $4.13 million.
“We will evaluate the bids in accordance with the RFP requirements and grading criteria. We will render a recommendation on these two bids no later than July 25th and review with the full City Commission on July 26th,” Murphy’s email said.
Using concrete pilings and Kebony hardwood decking and siding, the new pier is being designed to look like the old pier it will replace.
ANNA MARIA – The city now has a firm under contract to demolish the Anna Maria City Pier.
On Wednesday, June 6, the Anna Maria Commission voted 4-1 in favor of Mayor Dan Murphy being authorized to execute a $732,000 contract with Largo-based Speeler & Associates.
Speeler & Associates was the city’s second-highest ranked demolition bidder. Murphy entered into fact-finding conversations with the firm earlier this week after he and Sully’s Quality Projects owner Sean Sullivan were unable to agree on payment terms for a proposed $673,530 demolition contract.
Sullivan wanted a $53,822 payment before mobilizing to the pier worksite. Murphy and the commission deemed those terms unacceptable and on Monday, June 4, Murphy was authorized to begin discussions with Speeler & Associates.
“This contract has been reviewed by our city attorney. We both feel very comfortable that this is a good and fair and equitable contract,” Murphy said. “You’ll see progress here shortly.”
The contract was signed Wednesday. It calls for an initial payment of $100,000 after the company has completely mobilized at the pier worksite by the end of June. The pier will be fenced off and barge-based cranes will be stationed at the end of the pier.
The contract calls for a total of four payment phases including a final payment of $109,000 when the work is finished.
Speeler & Associates has until June 11 to secure a performance bond that guarantees the firm fulfills its contract.
The contract calls for the pier demolition to completed on or before Sept. 30. The contract includes a $500 per day penalty for each day the work exceeds the agreed-upon completion date.
“They do anticipate that they can do it sooner than that and because of these payments they’d like to do it sooner than that. That’s the carrot on a stick,” Murphy said of the demolition timeline.
Murphy said one clause was added to the contract regarding any additional work requested by the city beyond what Speeler & Associates included in its bid document response to the city’s request for proposals.
“If we come up with something extra we want them to do outside the bid document, we’re going to pay extra for it. That seems only logical,” Murphy said.
When it was time to vote, Commissioner Dale Woodland opposed with additional comment Commissioner Carol Carter’s motion to authorize Murphy to execute the contract with Speeler & Associates.
During the commission’s May 18 pier meeting, Woodland said he could not support the selection of a demolition firm because he does not support the demolition of the pier. He believes the existing pier and pier structures should be repaired and/or rehabilitated.
Pier planks
Later in the week, Murphy said local contractor Frank Agnelli and his crew from Agnelli Pools Construction and Mason Martin Builders are scheduled to begin pulling the engraved pier planks in late June.
Some of the engraved pier planks that were purchased from a non-city entity will be returned to those who formally requested their return. The unclaimed planks will be stored by Agnelli and used later by the city to build memorial walls at City Pier Park and in the historical park near the Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum.
Murphy recently said he anticipates the requested planks to be available for pick up in early July.
The pier has been closed since September due to Hurricane Irma damage sustained to the T-end decking, restaurant space and bait shop. The new $4.5 million pier, restaurant space and bait shop are slated for completion and reopening in late 2019.
The new pier will feature a new bait shop and a new restaurant space. – Schimberg Group | Submitted
ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy is now authorized to begin negotiations with the Venice-based Sully’s Quality Projects construction firm for the demolition of the Anna Maria City Pier.
According to the combined rankings prepared by Murphy, City Clerk LeAnne Addy and Ayres Associates vice president Jay Saxena, Sully was the top-ranked firm of the five that responded to the city’s second request for proposals (RFP).
Ayres Associates is designing and engineering the new pier.
On Tuesday, Anna Maria commissioners voted 4-0 in favor of authorizing Murphy to begin contract negotiations with Sully’s.
Sully’s received a total score of 79.3, Speeler & Associates received a score of 78.3, Shoreline Foundation’s score was 70, Under Construction Contractors’ score was 68 and Kelly Brothers’ score was 66.
Sully’s bid the demolition job for $685,530, Speeler bid $732,000, Shoreline bid $642,908, Under Construction bid $495,000 and Kelly bid $406,417.
The six-category scoring criteria included skill and experience, references for current projects, bid amount, adherence to specifications and requirements, provision of a detailed work plan and the location of the prime contractor and subcontractors.
Murphy said those who followed city protocol and requested to have their planks returned should be able to pick them up in early July.
During Tuesday’s special meeting, Commissioner Brian Seymour noted that Sully’s was only ranked highest in one of the six categories, that being location. Speeler ranked highest or was tied for the highest score in four categories.
Seymour asked if the city was bound to go by the rankings sheet. Murphy was of the opinion the ranking sheet needed to be the commission’s primary decision-making tool because the point system is “clear and objective.”
Murphy said he planned to meet with Sully’s on Wednesday. He told the commission that if he can’t come to agreeable terms with that firm, then Speeler, with the commission’s authorization, would be the next demolition firm to negotiate with.
Murphy noted that Sully’s proposal estimated the demolition would be done by Aug. 16. Prior to demolition, local contractor Frank Agnelli will remove and store the engraved wooden pier planks at no cost to the city.
After the meeting, Murphy said those who followed city protocol and requested to have their planks returned should be able to pick them up in early July.
Commissioner Dale Woodland did not attend Tuesday’s special meeting. During the commission’s May 18 meeting, Woodland voiced his objection to the existing pier being demolished and replaced. He said he could not support any of the original three demolition bids received.
During the May 18 meeting, the commission rejected all three bids because the bids from Speeler ($853,00) and Sully’s ($780,730) were too high, and because Murphy didn’t feel Under Construction had the necessary experience. Two other firms responded to the original RFP but missed the submission deadline and their bids were returned unopened.
The city has not yet determined who will build the new pier, restaurant and bait shop. The entire pier project has an estimated cost of $4.5 million and an anticipated completion date of December 2019.
ANNA MARIA – After rejecting the first three bids for the demolition of the Anna Maria City Pier due mainly to higher-than-anticipated cost estimates, the mayor and City Commission now have new bids to consider.
A second request for proposals (RFP) was issued with a due date of Friday, May 25, and the latest bid proposals are scheduled for commission discussion on Tuesday, May 29 at 2 p.m.
According to the May 25 bid opening sheet, Speeler & Associates bid $732,000, Sully’s Quality Projects bid $685,530, Shoreline Foundation Inc. bid $642,908, Under Construction Contractors bid $495,000 and Kelly Brothers bid $406,417.
Based on preliminary insight from industry professionals, Mayor Dan Murphy originally estimated it would cost $300,000 to $500,000 to demolish the existing pier so a new pier, restaurant and bait shop can be built and reopened by 2019.
“It was a stake in the ground,” Murphy said of his demolition estimate. “I had to have something to put together the $4.5 million (total estimated pier replacement cost) and I went to as many resources as I could. If it’s the wrong number, I’ve got work to do.”
Previous bids
The three previous proposals discussed on May 18 were Speeler’s bid for $853,000, Sully’s bid for $780,730 and Under Construction’s bid for $289,000. Two other firms responded to the previous RFP but missed the submission deadline. Their bids were returned unopened.
Assisted by city staff, Murphy ranked the first three proposals according to five equally-weighted categories. Speeler ranked highest, followed by Sully’s. Murphy said he didn’t think Under Construction had the necessary experience for this job.
“The problem is $853,000 is too rich for this project. Sully’s is good, but again $780,700 is too rich,” Murphy told the commission on May 18.
That meeting ended with the commission voting 4-1 in support of the mayor’s request to reissue the pier demolition RFP with modified selection criteria. Commissioner Dale Woodland opposed reissuing the RFP because he opposes demolishing the existing pier.
On May 18, Commissioner Brian Seymour noted the initial demolition work would be done by a local contractor, Frank Agnelli, who’s offered to remove and store the engraved pier planks at no cost to the city.
Regarding the issuance of a second RFP, Commission Chair Doug Copeland said, “If they’re all in that same range then you’re pretty well assured that’s what it’s going to cost.”
The revised RFP placed greater weight (30 percent each) on cost and adherence to specifications, maintained the 20 percent weight for skill and experience, gave less weight to references and firm location and added 10 percent for the ability to provide a detailed work plan.
Murphy said the demolition firm’s location is not that important, but it’s crucial that the yet-to-be-named firm that builds the new pier use local labor – “People that are going to live with what they build,” Murphy said.
Woodland opposition
During the May 18 meeting, Woodland said, “I’m opposed to the entire demolition process for a couple of reasons. We, the mayor and this commission, have not justified the need for the demolition. The only thing it was based on is what I call a false narrative: We all agreed we wanted something that was gonna last a hundred years and that became the entire basis for tearing down the pier and not rebuilding it, which I think was a huge mistake.”
Woodland was referencing the commission’s first meeting with the Ayres Associates design firm in October.
“I think it’s a terrible waste of time and money not rebuilding. So, it doesn’t matter who you select, I’m not going to support them or this process. I really think we’ve been disingenuous to our own residents and the citizens by not justifying the path we’re taking,” Woodland said.
Ayres Associates Vice President Jay Saxena has repeatedly recommended to the commission the construction of a new pier rather than the rehabilitation of the existing pier that was beginning to fail structurally before sustaining additional damage during Hurricane Irma in September.
The plans call for the new pier and pier buildings to look very much like the old pier structures that will soon be demolished. – Schimberg Group | Submitted
