Trails and bridges to connect the east and west sides of the FISH (Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage) Preserve are nearing completion. Landscape architect Allen Garner, who completed much of the work at the preserve, showed off the work on Oct. 4 highlighting the features of the 98-acre space.
Some bridges at the FISH Preserve span waterways that connect to Sarasota Bay. - Leslie Lake | Sun
Some bridges at the FISH Preserve span waterways designed to be kayaked. - Leslie Lake | Sun
A picnic pavilion under construction features hand-carved finials. - Leslie Lake | Sun
Allen Garner, who designed many of the upgrades at the FISH Preserve, gives an Oct. 4 tour. - Leslie Lake | Sun
Sarasota Bay is visible at the south end of the preserve. - Leslie Lake | Sun
A future trail will be lined with shell at the FISH Preserve. - Leslie Lake | Sun
An old bottle found at the FISH Preserve. The 98-acre site was formerly a dumping ground. - Leslie Lake | Sun
CORTEZ – For the first time in the five months since a hurricane swamped the area, people were once again smiling and enjoying the camaraderie of their friends and neighbors at the 43rd Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival.
“I’m so proud of Cortez right now,” Cortez Village Historical Society (CVHS) vice-president Paul Dryfoos said on Saturday afternoon. “After all that everybody has been through and to pull off a festival like this and make it successful is so great.”
Fried grouper sandwiches were on the menu at one of the food tents. – Leslie Lake | Sun
This year’s theme, “Swamped but Never Sunk,” was an appropriate nod to the resilience of Cortez.
On the same streets where, in September, Hurricane Helene’s storm surge flooded many homes throughout the village, thousands of visitors gathered on the first day of the weekend festival on Feb. 15 to enjoy live music, local seafood, crafts, educational displays and kids’ activities. The festival continued on Sunday.
Sycamore Shade performed on Saturday at the 43rd Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival. – Leslie Lake | Sun
“There’s been a steady stream of people today,” Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) Treasurer Jane von Hahmann said.
Unsure that there would be a 2025 festival due to the hurricane damage, in November the FISH board held a meeting asking for Cortez residents’ opinions about holding the annual festival. Many residents agreed that a festival would be uplifting.
100% of the proceeds from the volunteer-run festival will benefit FISH and its mission to preserve the village of Cortez and continue the conservation of the 98-acre FISH Preserve.
Stone crabs and oysters were on the menu at one food stand. – Leslie Lake | Sun
On Saturday, von Hahmann introduced Manatee County District 3 Commissioner Tal Siddique and Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown.
She thanked Brown for arranging to have the 2025 Bradenton Area River Regatta rescheduled to Feb. 22 to avoid its conflicting with the festival.
Dr. Angela Collins, extension scientist for the Florida Sea Grant program at the University of Florida, presented educational Dock Talks on Saturday. - Leslie Lake | Sun
CORTEZ – When the new 65-foot-high Cortez Bridge is constructed, it won’t be a drawbridge, so a bridgetender will no longer be needed, and a Cortez group wants to save the bridgetender’s booth at the top of the bridge.
The Cortez Village Historical Society (CVHS) has opened discussions with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) about obtaining and preserving parts of the structure.
“I don’t have a specific idea in mind of what this is going to be,” CVHS President Cindy Rodgers said. “I’m hoping that we can brainstorm some ideas.”
On Aug. 16, representatives from FDOT, including Cortez Bridge Project Manager Ryan Weeks, visited the Cortez Cultural Center.
“This is my first time here and I really would like for us to look at some of the alternative items and walk the bridge, talk about some different things, things that would be easy to remove and display here,” Weeks said.
Rather than transport the entire building, which is a costly endeavor, discussions centered around preserving parts of the building.
“We’re interested in the stuff that’s in there,” Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) member Alan Garner said.
Some of the potential items for preservation discussed by CVHS and FISH members are the controls, lights and swing arms.
“Our discussions at FISH were what does that have to do with the actual village?” FISH Treasurer Jane von Hahmann said. “The more we thought about it, we thought Florida Maritime Museum might be a better fit, but we continue to discuss it.”
“As the link between Cortez and the Gulf Islands, the Cortez Bridge is part of our history. How many times have we traversed that bridge, getting that first glimpse of the sparkling Gulf on the other side, watching the pelicans dive for their dinner and people fishing for theirs,” Rodgers said. “It’s a part of Cortez history and we’d like to preserve what we can of that story for future generations. On the new bridge, there will be no bridgetender building or bridgetender. Eventually, drawbridges will probably become a thing of the past.”
Following tours of the center and the FISH Preserve, representatives from FDOT, CVHS, FISH and the Florida Maritime Museum headed to the bridge for a tour of the bridgetender house.
“I think we had a very good (and full) day – meeting at the Center, Alan and Jane gave a narrated tour of the preserve, lunch at Star Fish, then a trek to the bridge,” Rodgers wrote in an Aug. 16 email to The Sun. “We were able to go inside and to the downstairs area as well, and talk to the bridgetender. Which made me realize we really need to do oral histories with these guys; one of them has done this job for about 30 years – what stories he must have!”
Rodgers said CVHS will compile a wish list of what they would like to have and FDOT will let them know what is possible.
The drawbridge was constructed in 1956 with an estimated 50-year service life and multiple bridge repair and maintenance projects have occurred within the past 20 years.
The design phase of the new bridge began in October 2019 and is anticipated to be completed in spring 2025. The construction project will be awarded to the chosen contractor in summer 2025 with construction slated to begin in late 2025 or early 2026, according to the Cortez Bridge Project website, www.cortezbridge.com.
CORTEZ – There was something “fishy” going on in Cortez on Saturday as thousands of people streamed to the 42nd Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival. Although heavy rain forced the cancellation of Sunday festivities, Saturday was cool and rain-free, and the party was in full swing.
The Fisherman’s Fashion Show was a big hit with the festival crowd on Saturday. – Jason Schaffer | Sun
“It was really warm last year, but this is fantastic,” Janelle Applegate said. “We love this little fishing town, and come down for this every year from Clearwater. Cortez is as real as it gets. I can’t imagine there are too many places like this left in Florida; these people are real. They work hard, there can’t be anything easy about this way of life, but it seems like they wouldn’t have it any other way.”
For only $5, visitors had acres of the historic Cortez fishing village to roam and find plenty to excite all five senses. There was just about any kind of seafood and beverage to satisfy taste, arts and crafts for the eyes, smells of everything from crab traps to funnel cakes, the chance to touch live sea creatures in the “Dock Talks” area and the sounds of live music on the main stage that had the large crowd on their feet.
there was no shortage of seafood at this year’s Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival. – Jason Schaffer | Sun
Awards were given at this year’s festival to people who have made an impact on the Cortez fishing community. The Pioneer of the Year Award was presented to Kaye Bell, and the First Annual John Stevely Memorial Award was given to Linda Molto as the person who best represents the values of FISH. The Volunteer of the Year Award went to Bob Hooper, and a special FISH Community Service Award was given to the Cortez Trailer Park in honor of their support for all of FISH’s endeavors and the large number of residents who volunteer for this event each year. Finally, Cortez fisherman Tommy Killoran was crowned the winner of the popular Fisherman’s Fashion Show which was judged by crowd applause on the main stage.
The huge festival is put together by a small group of people made up of members of the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) and some local residents who volunteer their time throughout the year to plan and execute the event. To handle the task of doing all the work, they rely heavily on volunteers who donate their time to do everything from selling tickets to working parking lots and picking up trash.
The Eric Von Band had the crowd on their feet on Saturday. – Jason Schaffer | Sun
Proceeds from the Festival will be used to maintain and make improvements to the FISH Preserve, 98 acres of environmentally sensitive land immediately east of Cortez. The festival has been dubbed “a party with a purpose,” since the money will assure future generations will be able to not only fish but also educate others about the importance of commercial fishing and its importance to the coastal Florida way of life for so many that rely on these natural resources to both survive and thrive.
CORTEZ – The Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 19-20, and the Florida Institute For Saltwater Heritage (FISH) board is hard at work.
For this 40th year of the popular festival, the theme is “Gearing Up,” a term fishermen use for getting their gear ready before they hit the water.
Musical acts
Saturday, Feb. 19
10-11 a.m. Shanty Singers
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Karen & Jimmy Band
1-1:30 p.m. Awards and Introductions
2-4 p.m. Eric Von Band
4:30-6 p.m. Soul-R-Coaster
Sunday, Feb. 20
10:30 a.m.-noon Soupy Davis & The Band
12:30-2 p.m. Manatee River Blue Grass
1-5 p.m. Eric Von on the Porch (Bratton Store porch)
2:30-4 p.m. KoKo Ray Show
4:30-6 p.m. Doug Deming & The Jewel Tones
If you love fishing boats, gear, seafood and the fishing lifestyle, this event is for you. If you know nothing about commercial fishing, can’t bait a hook or wouldn’t know a crab trap if you were stuck in one, this event is also for you. FISH hopes everyone who attends will not only enjoy the great live music, delicious food, cold drinks and activities for all ages, but also leave having learned about life in Cortez, commercial fishing and its impact on Florida.
During the board’s Jan. 3 meeting, the main topic of discussion was an increase in cost for just about everything associated with the event, which is a strain on the festival’s budget. The festival is FISH’s main revenue source, and it was canceled last year due to the pandemic, which makes this year’s budget tighter to begin with. The board also expressed a need for volunteers.
Admission is $5 for adults and free to children 12 and under. The festival entrance is in the historic Cortez village at 4415 119th St. W. Find more information at the FISH website.
CORTEZ – A dream fueled by the true grit of Cortez commercial fishing families has grown to 100 acres of prime Sarasota bayfront land that can never be developed.
The Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) has spent 20 years piecing together the FISH Preserve, and the quilt is now complete, funded largely by the $4 admission fee to the annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival.
Second Place
Artist Illustration
2019
Three decades of Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival logos recount the fishing-related themes. – Cindy Lane | Sun
The preserve is the answer to two questions that weigh heavily on FISH members.
How can Cortez fishermen keep “The Kitchen” – the part of Sarasota Bay that laps at Cortez shores – a productive nursery area for the Cortez staple, mullet?
And how can the fishing village, a federal historic district, shield itself from neighbors peering down from high-rise condos and complaining that their backyards are filled with stone crab traps and old boats?
The preserve is a buffer against development encroaching on the historic village, and its mangrove-lined shore ensures that juvenile fish, including mullet, will have a protected place to grow, safeguarding the fishery for the future, said John Stevely, FISH board member and one of the fishing festival’s original organizers.
“Your FISH Preserve is very impressive. Its economic value cannot be judged in terms of dollars alone. I have seen from many places around the world, communities like the fishing village of Cortez, suffering from the demise of the natural resources base on which they depend. Your project is an important reminder of the vital connections between nature and humanity.” – Ocean explorer Jean-Michelle Cousteau, founder of the Oceans Future Society
The first project in the preserve was removing decades of dumped trash, followed by escorting homeless residents out, securing the perimeter, building foot bridges across wet areas, beginning to clear future hiking and kayak trails, recreating wetland habitat and taking out invasive species and planting native trees and plants.
Next month, heavy equipment will come in and continue the removal of Australian pines and Brazilian peppers in the newest – and most costly – section of the preserve.
The half-acre is in the center of the preserve, where the previous owners advertised the residentially-zoned property for $1.2 million with the tag, “surrounded by your own private preserve.”
FISH purchased the land for $180,000 after prospective buyers learned they would have to run electrical and water lines and a curbed road into the preserve before building a dream home, Stevely said, but even that discounted amount was far more than the not-for-profit organization had ever spent on a parcel in the preserve.
Grants have helped keep the restoration work progressing, with the help of partners including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.
But the biggest contributors to the preserve are the tens of thousands of people who have attended the past 36 years of the fishing festival – and don’t let a Cortezian catch you calling it a “seafood festival!”
FISH Preserve wetlands draw white ibis and other shorebirds. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Mangroves have been planted at the FISH Preserve, part of many efforts to restore the bayfront land to a natural state. - Cindy Lane | Sun
The eastern boundary of the FISH Preserve. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Juvenile fish are protected in the FISH Preserve wetlands. - Cindy Lane | Sun
A turkey vulture at the FISH Preserve. - Cindy Lane | Sun
The FISH Preserve in Cortez is about 100 acres on Sarasota Bay.
Wetlands at the FISH Preserve - Cindy Lane | Sun
Wetlands at the FISH Preserve - Cindy Lane | Sun
New mangrove - Cindy Lane | Sun
Native plants are replacing invasive species. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Festival celebrates “Changing Tides”
The 37th Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival is the weekend of Feb. 16-17 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days, celebrating the village’s enduring heritage in the face of “Changing Tides.”
From the gill net ban 25 years ago, which drastically reduced mullet fishing in Florida, to runaway development, overpopulation, pollution, mangrove destruction, foreign seafood imports and this year’s ongoing red tide, the Cortez commercial fishing tradition has survived, said festival organizer and artist Rose Lipke, who designed this year’s festival logo, an octopus juggling all the issues.
The festival will kick off on Saturday at 10 a.m. with live music, nautical arts and crafts, Dock Talks about different types of fishing vessels, a marine touch tank, and, of course, fresh seafood.
The main admission gate is at the Florida Maritime Museum, 4415 119th St. W. with another gate at the FISH Preserve parking lot east of 119th Street West. The cost is $4, with kids under 12 free.
MCAT shuttles are available from G. T. Bray Park, 5502 33rd Ave. Drive W., Bradenton. The shuttle will pick up passengers from G.T. Bray Park’s west entrance off 59th Street West, and from the Coquina Beach bus turn-around in Bradenton Beach. Shuttles will pick up and drop off festival passengers from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
The cash fare is $1.50 each way. Discounts are available to anyone at least 60 years old and military veterans. As always, everyone 80 years and older rides MCAT for free.
Paid parking for various prices is available on private property in the fishing village.
Cortez docks - Cindy Lane | Sun
The Pillsbury boat works at the Florida Maritime Museum was relocated from Snead Island in Palmetto. - Cindy Lane | Sun
The FISH Boat Shop at the FISH Preserve is staffed by volunteers who build and restore wooden boats. - Cindy Lane | Sun
The Burton/Bratton store at the Florida Maritime Museum in Cortez was moved from the west end of the fishing village and restored. - Cindy Lane | Sun
The Florida Maritime Museum is in the former Cortez Rural Graded School building on 119th Street West and Cortez Road West. - Cindy Lane | Sun
The Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) built this restored net camp off the Cortez fishing village. - Cindy Lane | Sun
Cortez Cultural Center - Cindy Lane | Sun
Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival music lineup
Soupy Davis – Cindy Lane | Sun
Saturday, Feb. 16
10-11 a.m. Shanty Singers
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Doug Deming
1-1:30 p.m. Blessing of the fleet; awards
2-4 p.m. Eric Von Band
4:30-6 p.m. Koko Ray Show
Sunday, Feb. 17
10:30 a.m.-noon Soupy Davis and his Band
12:30-2 p.m. Ted Stevens & the Doo Shots
1-5 p.m. Eric Von (on the Bratton Store Porch)
2:30-4 p.m. Jason Haram
4:30-6 p.m. Karen and Jimmy Band
Boat raffle
The Atavistic (meaning “relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral), is a restored Leeboard sloop with a spritsail designed after the 1850s Florida bay work boats. Capt. Jimmy Hendon of St. Petersburg donated the boat to FISH last August, and FISH Boat Shop volunteers (from left) Dave Curto, Tom Buckland, Bob Buckland and Joe Egolf restored it to be raffled at the Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival the weekend of Feb. 16-17. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20.
CORTEZ – Now that the word is out, many people east of the Cortez Bridge feel hurt that the new 65-foot-tall span will be a “mega-bridge” and many are taking a wait-and-see attitude, saying they will likely not live to see it.
At a meeting of the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (F.I.S.H.) on Monday, May 7, the president took that stand, saying, “I feel like batting my head against a wall, but then I think they might not build it in my lifetime.”
Replacing an “obsolete” drawbridge like the current bridge takes a lot of time.
Nothing at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) gets done without budget money and that takes time. There is money for the design phase, and more money in the 2020 and 2021 budgets for obtaining rights of way.
Karen Bell, who owns a fish house in Cortez, said she is tired of the fight saying, “We’ve been through this over and over.”
Artist Linda Molto, an ardent anti-tall-bridge activist, said the cards are stacked against them. She said she heard that the city of Bradenton Beach was against the tall bridge and they are on the other side of the bridge.
“We need to talk with Mayor (John) Chappie,” she said. “We could join forces.”
In Holmes Beach, Commissioner Judy Titsworth wants to send a letter from the city to the state to oppose the building of the large bridge. Commissioner Carol Soustek agreed saying that she attended the FDOT bridge meetings and didn’t hear many people who were in favor of the large bridge. She said most people were in favor of the 35-foot clearance drawbridge because it seemed to be the best compromise between residents, business owners and FDOT.
“No one endorsed the 65-foot bridge,” Soustek said. “The DOT did that on their own.”
Commissioners agreed unanimously to sign and send a letter.
In Cortez, Tide Tables restaurant is closest to the water on the south side of the bridge. Owner Bobby Woodson said he has mixed feelings.
Woodson
“It might make it easier to get in and out of our parking lot,” he said. “They are going to make a roadway that goes north and south under the bridge, so people won’t have to fight the traffic to get here or leave.”
But, he said he’s disappointed because the new bridge will be out of proportion for the historic fishing village.
He said he feels the high bridge is not the solution to gridlock.
“We need another bridge from Longboat Key to the mainland to keep those people off Anna Maria Island when they go to the mainland,” he said.
East of Tide Tables, the Cortez Trailer Park would be affected by the new bridge because they have two entrances that might have to be connected to a side road that would connect with Cortez Road because the road would be elevated from descending the tall bridge.
Bruce Shearer, owner of Annie’s Bait and Tackle said he might not be alive to see the new bridge. He said the new bridge might make it easier to get into or out of Annie’s, but the tall structure would not fit in with Cortez.
Shearer
“I went to hearings 30 years ago and we told them we didn’t want the tall bridge, but the Manatee Avenue Bridge would be better because it’s longer and there aren’t any buildings nearby,” he said. “They agreed to build the Manatee Avenue Bridge high and that’s what’s happening, but now they’re back and will do the same with this bridge.”
He said the tall bridge isn’t the solution.
“They can build it as high as they want, but there will still be cars backed up to the fire station every day,” he said. “They need to build a bridge from Longboat Key to the mainland where all that new development will be.”
