Tag: George Kruse

City, county officials discuss pier replacement, ferry landing

Written by Joe Hendricks on June 23, 2025. Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – City officials’ desire to rebuild the hurricane-damaged City Pier walkway and Manatee County officials’ desire to install a ferry landing at the pier are financially and philosophically intertwined.

The city needs county funds to help replace the pier walkway weakened by Hurricane Helene and mostly destroyed by Hurricane Milton. The pier wasn’t insured and the city doesn’t have enough money to self-fund the project.

The county needs the City Pier to serve as the Anna Maria stop for the larger ferry boat that will join the Gulf Islands Ferry fleet later this year. The county’s long-term goal is to use the larger ferry boat to transport passengers between the City Pier and downtown Bradenton and use the two pontoon boats as “Island hoppers’ that travel between Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and the South Coquina boat ramp – and potentially Holmes Beach. The county also plans to include a ferry stop at the Cortez Marina in Cortez when the county-owned marina is built.

The Gulf Islands Ferry service currently runs between the Riverwalk Day Dock in downtown Bradenton and the Bradenton Beach Pier in Bradenton Beach.

On June 16, Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short appeared before the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC), which recommends county commission approval for the city to use up to $2 million of tourist development tax revenues for the City Pier project.

City/county meeting

On June 18, Short, city commissioners Charlie Salem, Chris Arendt and Kathy Morgan-Johnson and City Clerk Amber LaRowe met with County Commission Chair George Kruse, County Administrator Charlie Bishop and other county staff members. County commissioners Tal Siddique and Carol Ann Felts participated by phone. The city and county officials discussed several topics but first and foremost were the related pier and ferry landing projects.

For cost saving purposes, the current pier walkway that opened in 2020 was built atop hollow concrete pilings and a wooden support structure. The new pier walkway will be built atop solid concrete pilings and a concrete support structure similar to the T-end of the pier that survived the 2024 hurricanes.

Short estimates the pier walkway replacement will cost between $7 million and $9 million and hopefully be completed by October 2026. He said the city’s pier walkway replacement project and the county’s ferry landing installation must remain separate projects because the emergency permit received from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requires the new walkway to be built in exactly the same footprint.

The city will know by July 1 whether Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes the city’s pier-related $1.25 million state appropriation request. Those state funds would be available on Oct. 1 if not vetoed. The city anticipates receiving around $4 million in pier-related FEMA reimbursements but those federal funds aren’t guaranteed and Short doesn’t know if or when the city will receive them.

Short said the city already spent $223,000 on the pier project. He estimates the city will spend another $1.1 million between now and September, including $239,500 for the demolition of the remaining pier walkway and $800,000 to repair and remediate the T-end pier buildings that sustained flood damage but remain structurally sound. Short estimates the city will need $3.1 million in 2025 and another $4.1 million in 2026 for the pier project.

Kruse asked Short who is responsible for restoring the T-end pier buildings occupied by Mote Marine and the City Pier Grill. Short said the city will repair and remediate the city-owned pier buildings and the pier tenants are responsible for replacing their damaged equipment and contents.

Kruse asked Short if he expects Mote Marine to return to the pier.

“If that goes away, it’s not the same,” Kruse said.

Short said Mote personnel recently visited the pier by boat and are assessing Mote’s future plans.

Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione said the Mote space could be used as a ferry passenger waiting area if Mote doesn’t return. Kruse said he’d like to see that space used for something more than a waiting area.

Falcione said Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker estimates the City Pier ferry landing will cost the county an additional $1 million to $1.5 million. Falcione also said Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT) will assume oversight of the county-contracted ferry service on Oct. 1 and the visitors bureau will continue marketing and promoting the ferry service it currently oversees.

Kruse insights

Kruse expects county commissioners to vote on the $2 million TDC recommendation on July 29.

He noted the $4 million in potential FEMA funds equates to about half the estimated pier replacement costs.

“It could be 18 months before you know if you’re even going to get it and another three years before you actually get it,” Kruse said of the FEMA funds.

Speaking for himself, and not the county commission, Kruse said the county may need to front the city the additional money needed to complete the project, with the city later reimbursing the county using FEMA funds or other funding sources.

“This has to be rebuilt,” Kruse said. “I don’t think there’s any alternative. It’s critical to our tourism, it’s critical to our residents and we’ve got great amenities out there. We need the landing space. We want people to go to Mote. We want people to go to the grill. We want people to use that pier.”

He also mentioned the economic impact of ferry passengers visiting the restaurants and businesses within walking distance of the pier, and beyond.

Kruse suggested Mote Marine and City Pier Grill representatives meet with city and county officials for an all-inclusive discussion. He also said city and county staff need to create a funding proposal.

Kruse mentioned the hurricane-related line of credit the county secured, the county’s reserve funds and the county’s tourist development tax revenues as potential funding sources.

“I don’t think this is a question of should we do it,” Kruse said. “I think it’s a question of where’s the money coming from in the short term and where’s the money coming from in the long term? It’s still taxpayer money.”

“We understand and we appreciate that,” Short said.

Bradenton Beach permitting issues prompt home rule discussion

Written by Leslie Lake on March 3, 2025. Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

HOLMES BEACH – The appeals of two Bradenton Beach businessmen frustrated by city permitting issues launched a discussion about home rule, consolidation and steps citizens can take when dissatisfied with local officials at Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse’s Feb. 19 town hall meeting.

Walter Loos, owner of Island Scoops, a Gulf Drive business that was hit hard by 2024 hurricanes, said permitting issues have slowed down the rebuilding of his shop.

“We’re at the point of not being able to rebuild effectively,” Loos said. “We still aren’t able to get to the point of rebuilding before the next storm season.”

Loos brought up the issue of home rule and county intervention in what he said was the absence of effective local leadership.

“I get home rule, but you can’t stand behind that. We need effective leadership, whatever that means. If we can’t do effective leadership for our general community, then maybe something does have to change,” he said.

“Here’s what I’ll say, when everybody didn’t want to be consolidated, everyone talked about wanting home rule, we want our individual cities to be able to control things and don’t let the county come and dictate our development codes, etc., but then when it’s not convenient, it’s, ‘When is my county coming and fixing this?’ ” Kruse said. “I’m a big proponent of home rule, that’s why I pushed back on the parking garage and the consolidation.”

“Right now, home rule is not working for us. I hate to say that, but it’s not. I’m not saying toss it, but there has to be other solutions,” Loos said. “I can’t put dinner on a plate, because I can’t find a way to open my businesses.”

Kruse said the county cannot supersede a city and has to respect the individual municipalities.

“I couldn’t go to Mayor Chappie and say “Open up this bridge.’ I don’t have the authority to do that,” he said.

Drift-In owner Derek Williams spoke about his permitting issues in Bradenton Beach. The Drift-in tiki hut permit was approved by the former city building official, but the city has pulled back that approval and is requiring a major development hearing for the structure.

“In my situation, I just want to share with you, I got a permit, I worked with the city, I worked with the city planner, I worked with code enforcement on a daily basis,” Williams said. “I’m trying to figure out the different rules and regulations and trying to trust government.”

Former Bradenton Beach Building Official Darin Cushing was suspended on Jan. 22 and was recently replaced by former county employee Bill Palmer.

“I’m not picking sides with the building official or anyone,” Williams said. “I’m saying there’s a government and those people have roles, and those roles are building official or floodplain administrator and they’re paid to make decisions. We were following those folks.”

Williams said he has reached out to Rep. Will Robinson, Sen. Jim Boyd, Sen. Vern Buchanan and Gov. Ron DeSantis for help.

“Who do we reach out to? The government is here to serve the people,” Williams said. “We can’t reach out to you? We have real people, real employees hurting and I just want to continue to pound the pavement on that.”

Williams said the Bradenton Beach city attorney threatened him about coercing commissioners.

“I’ve been fearful to talk to any commissioners,” he said. “That’s on record.”

“That’s a different story if she wants to say that,” Kruse said. “We’re in an interesting situation here. I have to respect each of your municipalities, but you’re also a resident of Manatee County. At no point in time are you also not my constituent. At no point in time can anyone ever admonish you for speaking to a county commissioner.”

Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth pointed out that city charters do not allow county overreach, but also said there are steps citizens can take if they’ve lost confidence in their city leaders.

“There’s charters in the cities that the county can’t really overstep certain things, but when you look at the charter of the city, it tells you the steps that the people can make if you lose confidence in your city leadership,” Titsworth said. “What you want to do is elect good people in office that have your back.”

She weighed in on Bradenton Beach’s permitting process.

“I feel horrible for what you all are going through, it’s terrible that they allowed that backlog in permitting,” she said. “It’s terrible who they had in those positions, they didn’t have enough people in the positions. You have to be prepared for those situations. Your staff has to have the support to be there when things go bad and Bradenton Beach didn’t have that, and I feel really bad for the citizens about how long they’re still waiting for permits.”

“It’s situations like this, and I don’t know every single fact, so I’m just going to make a blanket (statement), it’s situations like this that gets the state to come in here and threaten the consolidation,” Kruse said. It’s situations like this that get them to pass pre-emption laws against people of the state of Florida. If they perceive there’s a theoretical bad actor someplace, then it puts a black cloud over everybody. And if they say ‘Hey, wait a minute, businesses are being driven out, residents are being driven out, for reasons that are not on the up and up,’ then you risk them coming back in and saying let’s look at the OPAGGA study again, if there’s one rogue here we might as well just clean house. And they start passing pre-emption laws everywhere. They’ll pull permitting rights from the cities that are doing it right.”

County to review Annie’s rebuild

Written by Leslie Lake on January 29, 2025. Posted in Community News, Cortez, Featured.

BRADENTON – Following a strong showing of public support for the continued existence of Annie’s Bait and Tackle at a Jan. 28 Manatee County Commission meeting, coupled with the insistence of County Commissioner Jason Bearden, the commission voted unanimously to direct county staff to explore ways to bring the hurricane-damaged Annie’s up to code.

“I feel like we keep beating around the bush on this,” Bearden said. “We’ve had people come here in public comment today that have made the decision they want to keep Annie’s. Therefore, let me show you how to get it done. County Administrator (Charlie) Bishop, I need you to figure out how to get that building up to code so that Annie’s can continue, period. No ifs, ands or buts.”

Annie’s Bait and Tackle is part of the Seafood Shack parcel that was recently purchased by the county with the intent of creating a public boating facility.

“Do I have a consensus on the board to get that done right now or do I have to make a motion?” Bearden asked.

Commissioner George Kruse then asked Bishop to work with his staff to bring back a discussion about the feasibility of bringing Annie’s up to code.

“They have to speak with FEMA. They have to talk to general contractors, and they have to figure it out.” Kruse said. “It’ll be as soon as feasibly possible they will bring it back.”

“Let’s make a motion then to confirm it,” Bearden said. “I want to make a motion to have something back with regards to what we need to do to get Annie’s back up to code within 30 days.”

That motion passed unanimously at a vote of 7-0 and brought applause from meeting attendees who spoke in support of Annie’s.

Annie’s co-owner, Bruce Shearer, spoke to The Sun after the meeting.

“They’re giving us 30 days, so I’ll be getting a bid from my contractor and bringing it back to them,” Shearer said. “I’m hoping to put it back together and get back to business.”

Shearer said there were approximately 75 people who attended the meeting in support of Annie’s.

“That did wonders,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Prior to the public comment portion of the meeting, Deputy County Administrator Brian Parnell gave commissioners an update on what is now being called the Cortez Marina property.

“Before the acquisition was finalized, the hurricanes, as anyone can see, caused extensive damage destroying the boat slips, the restaurants and the bait and tackle,” Parnell said.

Parnell said that structural inspections revealed that all the repairs would be beyond 50% of the structures’ value, which triggered FEMA regulations ensuring that any build back would be to current code.

“The current status is they are red-tagged, they are condemned,” Parnell said.

“We went under contract to acquire this pre-storm with the intention of resigning the leases,” Kruse said. “Annie’s bait shack structure is condemned and doesn’t exist. I must adhere to higher powers telling us people cannot be in there and we cannot pull permits. We can’t in good conscience issue permits and ignore FEMA and hold other people that cross the 50% threshold to a different standard on their residences.”

Kruse said the property is going to be fenced off to demolish the Seafood Shack, eliminating parking.

“There’s no boat docking there so there’s no use for a bait shack at the moment,” he said. “We had this discussion, we wanted to work in good faith with Bruce and Annie’s Bait Shack to try to put them there to keep some historical heritage associated with Cortez village in place but we cannot sign leases on condemned buildings. That’s not wise to do, and it’s not legal to do.”

“We did have those discussions prior to the hurricanes when the previous board directed us to purchase the property, we discussed how we could keep operations going on the marina for the two and a half years before we can build something new and get something in place,” Parnell said. “Post-hurricanes, it’s not an option for us anymore.”

“I know that’s not what people want to hear,” Kruse said. “The reality is we do not have a physical structure to sign a lease for. Once this is up and running, this is a good conversation to have with us, how do we refill the location which is inclusive hopefully of Annie’s Bait Shack, which I will keep beating that drum for in two and two and a half years, because I want to keep that historical component associated with this property.”

PUBLIC COMMENT

“My dad is Bruce Shearer, he owns Annie’s. I understand what you’re saying about the building,” said Anna Gaffey. “My parents Bruce and Kim bought Annie’s Bait and Tackle Jan. 1, 1996. They worked hard over the years to turn it into a place where families could come and eat, buy bait and tackle and learn about fishing.”

Gaffey said Annie’s means a lot to the community.

“Over the years, they have watched kids coming in to buy bait and have watched them grow up and now we get to see those kids all grown up bringing their kids to eat and get bait,” she said. “It’s one of the pleasures of being in a business like this, generations of love and passion for fishing.”

“Annie’s has always been an older historic building and that’s what’s important out there. We’d like to see if it’s at all possible to protect it,” Karen Bell said.

“Annies is very important to Cortez,” tour boat Capt. Kathe Fannon said. “It’s historical and a lot of people depend on it. I think taking two and a half years is not acceptable. I think we need to give him the opportunity to put the place back together.”

Shearer said he could fix the hurricane damage for about $5,000.

“If we hadn’t been hit by the hurricanes, you’d have let me stay,” Shearer said. “Five grand, that’s all the damage I’ve got.”

Following the meeting Shearer said, “It’s an iconic place, I hope to get longer than two and a half to three years.”

Kruse, Siddique, Felts, McCann win Manatee County commission races

Written by Joe Hendricks on November 5, 2024. Posted in Community News, Featured, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – Republican candidate Tal Siddique won the District 3 Manatee County Commission seat, defeating Democratic candidate Diana Shoemaker.

Incumbent Republican candidate George Kruse won the countywide at-large District 7 county commission seat, defeating Democratic candidate Sari Lindroos-Valimak.

Anna Maria Island voters helped determine the winner of the District 3 race, with District 3 encompassing the entire Island as well as the northern portion of Longboat Key, the village of Cortez and portions of unincorporated Manatee County and Bradenton.

In the District 3 race, Siddique received 23,609 votes (60.72%) and Shoemaker received 15,197 votes (39.09%), according to the unofficial results posted at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website. Siddique will fill the commission seat currently held by Kevin Van Ostenbridge.

Island voters helped determine the winner of the countywide At-Large District 7 race in which Kruse received 142,920 votes (66.82%) and Lindroos-Valimak received 70,968 votes (33.18%).

Island voters also helped determine the winner of the non-party-affiliated District 3 school board race won by Charlie Kennedy. Kennedy received 21,094 votes (57.51%) and his opponent, Jonathan Lynch, received 15,583 votes (42.49%).

Supervisor of elections

In August, Island voters helped determine the winner of the Supervisor of Elections Republican primary race in which former elections office chief of staff Scott Farrington defeated Gov. Ron DeSantis appointee James Satcher.

Running unopposed in the general election, Farrington received 173,936 votes (96.85%) votes and he will serve as Manatee County’s next duly-elected Supervisor of Elections, taking over from Satcher on Jan. 7.

Other county races

In the District 1 county commission race, Republican Carol Ann Felts defeated Democratic candidate Glenn Pearson and non-party-affiliated candidate Jennifer Hamey. Felts received 35,651 votes (64.27 %), Pearson received 14,631 votes (26.37%) and Hamey received 5,192 votes (9.36%). Felts will fill the county commission seat vacated by Satcher in April, when he was appointed to serve as the interim supervisor of elections.

In the District 5 county commission race, Republican candidate Bob McCann defeated non-party-affiliated candidate Joseph Di Bartolomeo. McCann received 41,229 votes (72.4 %) and Di Bartolomeo received 15,717 votes (27.6 %). McCann will assume the county commission seat currently held by Commissioner Ray Turner.

In the non-party-affiliated District 1 school board race won by Heather Fulton, Fulton received 28,573 votes (57.57%) and Mark Stanoch received 21,060 votes (42.43%).

Manatee County voters approved a county referendum to increase from 5% to 6% the county tourist development tax collected on hotel, motel, resort and short-term vacation rental stays. On that referendum question, 141,803 county voters (68.04%) supported the tourist tax increase and 66,603 county voters (31.96%) opposed it.

Manatee County voters overwhelmingly supported renewing the school district’s 1-mill property tax assessment that generates additional property tax revenues for the county school system, with 171,321 county voters (82.55%) supporting the tax increase and 36,224 county voters (17.45%) opposing it.

State and federal races

In Manatee County, 121,234 voters (54.55%) supported Amendment 3 (legalizing recreational marijuana) and 100,999 voters (45.45 %) opposed the amendment to the Florida Constitution. The state amendment failed because it garnered 55.8% of the vote statewide, failing to meet the state’s 60% threshold.

In Manatee County, 121,814 voters (54.9%) supported Amendment 4 (an amendment pertaining to preserving abortion rights) and 100,066 county voters (45.1%) opposed the amendment. The state amendment failed because it garnered 57% of the vote statewide.

In Manatee County, incumbent Republican District 71 State Rep. Will Robinson Jr. candidate received 43,881 votes (59.9%) and his Democratic challenger, Adriaan DeVilliers, received 29,375 votes (40.1%).

In Manatee County, incumbent Republican District 16 U.S. Congressman Vern Buchanan received 141,756 votes (64.18%) and Democratic candidate Jan Schneider received 79,100 votes (35.82%).

In Manatee County, Republican incumbent U.S. Senate candidate Rick Scott received 136,300 votes (61.1%) and Democratic candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell received 83,392 votes (37.39%).

In the presidential race, 138,876 votes (61.45 %) were cast in support of Donald Trump and 84,555 votes (37.41%) were cast in support of Kamala Harris.

On Election Day, there were 281,798 registered voters in Manatee County, with 227,224 of those voters (80.63%) casting votes in the general election.

Primary voters produce change in leadership

Written by Joe Hendricks on August 26, 2024. Posted in Community News, Featured, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – Anna Maria Island voters helped determine the winners of three key Republican primary races that saw Tal Siddique, George Kruse and Scott Farrington emerge with victories on Aug. 20.

Island voters joined voters countywide in rejecting several candidates associated with political consultant Anthony Pedicini and the divisive, developer-beholden political ideology that has defined county politics since the 2020 elections. Pedicini clients April Culbreath, Kevin Van Ostenbridge, James Satcher, Ray Turner and Steve Metallo lost their primary races.

District 3

Siddique defeated Culbreath in the District 3 county commission race. Siddique received 6,070 votes (61.07%) and Culbreath received 3,870 votes (38.93%). Siddique now faces Democratic candidate Diana Shoemaker in the general election in November.

The District 3 commissioner directly represents a district that includes Anna Maria Island, Cortez, a portion of Longboat Key and portions of Bradenton. Of the 9,940 votes cast in the District 3 race, approximately 14% were cast by Anna Maria Island voters.

District 7

In the countywide at-large District 7 Republican primary, Kruse, the incumbent, received 24,225 votes (58.43%) and Van Ostenbridge received 17,232 (41.57%). Kruse now faces Democratic candidate Sari Lindroos- Valimaki in the general election.

In late May, Van Ostenbridge dropped his District 3 reelection bid and chose instead to challenge Kruse in the countywide District 7 race. Culbreath then dropped out of the District 7 race and entered the District 3 race instead.

Supervisor of elections

In the Supervisor of Elections race open to Republican voters countywide, Farrington received 24,327 votes (58.79%) and Satcher received 17,051 (41.21%). With no Democratic candidate in the general election, Farrington’s primary victory means he’ll return to his former workplace on Jan. 7.

Farrington spent 12 years working at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office before resigning in April after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Satcher, then the District 1 county commissioner, to serve the remaining months of the four-year term that long-time supervisor Mike Bennett vacated in March. Despite his primary loss, Satcher will remain in office until Jan. 7 and will still oversee the upcoming general election.

School board

Island voters helped determine the top two vote-getters in the non-party-affiliated District 3 school board race. Charlie Kennedy received 7,370 votes (47.53%). Jon Lynch, a Pedicini client, received 4,655 (30.02%) and Anna Maria resident Perri Ann Parkman received 3,481 votes (22.45%). Because no candidate received 50%-plus-one additional vote, Kennedy and Lynch will face off in the general election.

Non-island races

Several other primary races were decided without input from Island voters. Seeking to fill the District 1 commission seat Satcher vacated, Carol Ann Felts defeated Steve Metallo in that Republican primary and now faces Democratic candidate Glenn Pearson and non-party-affiliated candidate Jennifer Hamey in the general election.

In the District 5 county commission race, Robert “Bob” McCann defeated DeSantis appointee Ray Turner and now faces non-party-affiliated candidate Joseph Di Bartolomeo in the general election.

Heather Felton and Mark Stanoch were the top two vote getters in the District 1 school board race and will face each other in the general election.

Voter turnout

Voter turnout was 24.86%, with 68,211 of Manatee County’s 274,383 registered voters participating in the primary. Voter turnout was 40% in Anna Maria, 36% in Holmes Beach and 33% in Bradenton Beach, with 1,411 of Anna Maria Island’s 3,848 registered voters casting votes.

According to the elections office, 2,316 non-Republican county voters switched their party affiliation to Republican to participate in the Republican primary.

Post-election reaction

“I am thrilled with the results of the election,” Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said. “Talk about a clean sweep! I feel the threat of a parking garage in our city has passed with the results of this election. I have great relations with all current candidates and they are all big supporters of home rule and assisting Holmes Beach as needed. I attended the watch party with Scott Farrington, George Kruse and Tal Saddique and it was a memorable and exciting night.”

Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said, “The election turned out to be a great day for Manatee County and the Island cities. The winning candidates took the time to visit the city and look at the parking improvements we have completed. Those candidates spoke about their objection to the parking garage and the consolidation of the Island cities.”

Speaking on behalf of herself and her husband, Richard, Holmes Beach resident Margie Motzer said, “This was our best-case scenario; it was not only a clean sweep, but they were all very decisive wins. Those who care about good governance couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. It should not only send a message to the ‘developer darlings’ and their political consultant, but it was also a repudiation of the local developers backing them.

“In addition, it should send a clear message to the remaining commissioners that voters want good governance, fair representation, ethics, integrity, accountability and clean grassroots campaigns – not smear campaigns with a deluge of mailers and attack ads containing false or misleading information.

“We believe this election will go down in the history books. We believe the proposed parking garage will not have the same support it had under the commissioners who will be leaving office. However, we hope the whole experience will encourage a team effort between city and county officials to look at alternative solutions,” Motzer said.

Siddique reaction

“By running a grassroots campaign as a first-time, unknown candidate I knew I had a difficult path ahead of me,” Siddique said. “I believe this win can be attributed to having the right message, a strong work ethic and great local media that kept voters informed. Voters want someone who will represent them fairly instead of casting them aside for developers or special interest groups. I take the results as a signal that voters are tired of negative campaigning with fiery rhetoric. I was disgusted with the outright lies spread about my work history, the involvement of elected officials in supporting that campaign and the attacks on my wife. We have filed a number of cease-and-desist letters against SIMWINS (Pedicini) and other organizations and are not ruling out future legal action.

“I was in the room with George Kruse and Scott Farrington with dozens of our supporters on election night. As the results came in, I could feel hope and optimism fill the air throughout the night until we reached the crescendo when we realized that not only did Scott win, but that we would see a total shift on the board of county commissioners. I am grateful to all the local journalists, volunteers, political clubs, community organizations, grassroots Facebook groups and Manatee County voters for having the courage to act and fight for their community,” Siddique said.

Farrington reaction

“I am incredibly humbled by the trust that the voters have placed in me,” Farrington said. “I believe the outcome of the election shows the voters want to trust their elections office. I was very optimistic going into election day, but the margin was greater than I expected.”

Regarding the campaign tactics utilized by SIMWINS and Satcher’s campaign, Farrington said, “These tactics are designed to affect the less informed voter; and in my conversations, it seemed more voters had taken an interest and become involved. However, the ads and mailers were constant and deceptive and I didn’t discount that they would have an effect. I hope the outcome of this election will set a new tone for future campaigns. I believe these results prove that you do not need to bombard voters with constant negativity, and it shows that voters want engaged candidates that are willing to communicate and speak to them.”

Looking ahead to the general election to be conducted under Satcher’s supervision, minus four elections office employees that Satcher fired after the primary election, Farrington said, “I want the November election to go well. I am concerned about what I have read in the letters from the staff and I am concerned about the lack of knowledge that the office now has.”

Kruse reaction

“Tuesday, Aug. 20 was a pivotal day for Manatee County. The entire community, regardless of party or affiliation, came together to show the special interests that we are now, and forever will be, an informed voter base,” Kruse said. “The tactics of recent election cycles will no longer convince unsuspecting voters to vote against their best interests. The collective efforts of everyone in our county have turned the tide of our government and our future for the better. I am excited and optimistic about the next four years and beyond for Manatee County. Thank you everyone for your efforts, your resolve and your support this primary season.”

Related coverage: Fired elections office employees speak out

Farrington, Kruse, Siddique win key primary races

Written by Joe Hendricks on August 20, 2024. Posted in Community News, Featured, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – Manatee County’s Republican voters opted for change during today’s primary election.

In doing so, the county’s registered Republican voters rejected the far right, hyper-partisan political atmosphere that has dominated Manatee County politics since 2020.

Five of the primary losers utilized Anthony Pedicini’s Tampa-based Strategic Image Management (SIMWINS) political consulting firm.

The unofficial election results posted at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website must still be certified by the independent three-member canvassing board. Subject to potential change, the vote totals listed in this story were as of 8 p.m. Tuesday evening, with some mail ballots still being counted. Voter turnout was 23.57%, with 64,683 of Manatee County’s 274,385 registered voters participating in the primary election.

Supervisor of Elections

Former Supervisor of Elections Office Chief of Staff Scott Farrington will serve a four-year term as Manatee County’s next elected supervisor of elections, having defeated incumbent gubernatorial appointee James Satcher.

In the closed primary race that was open to registered Republican voters only, Farrington received 23,376 votes (58.92%) and Satcher received 16,299 votes (41.08%). Because there is no Democratic challenger in this fall’s general election, Farrington wins the supervisor of elections race.

County Commission races

Tal Siddique defeated April Culbreath in the District 3 county commission race that pitted two first-time candidates against each other in a closed primary race open only to registered Republicans who reside in District 3 – a district that includes Anna Maria Island, Cortez, a portion of Longboat Key and a portion of Bradenton.

Siddique received 5,783 votes (60.91%) and Culbreath received 3,712 votes (39.09%). Siddique will now face Democratic candidate Diana Shoemaker in the District 3 general election race that concludes on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Incumbent District 7 at-large Commissioner George Kruse defeated current District 3 Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge in the District 7 Republican primary race. Kruse received 23,245 votes (58.48%) and Van Ostenbridge received 16,503 votes (41.52%). Kruse will now face Democratic candidate Sari Lindroos-Valimaki in the general election.

Seeking to fill the District 1 county commission seat that Satcher vacated in April – when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Satcher to serve the remaining months of former Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett’s four-year term – Carol Ann Felts defeated Steve Metallo in the District 1 Republican primary. Felts received 5,427 votes (54.07%) and Metallo received 4,610 votes (45.93%). Felts will now face Democratic candidate Glenn Pearson and non-party-affiliated candidate Jennifer Hamey in the District 1 general election.

In the County Commission District 5 race, Robert “Bob” McCann defeated gubernatorial appointee Ray Turner. McCann received 5,744 votes (54.31%) and Turner received 4,833 votes (45.69%). McCann will now face non-party-affiliated candidate Joseph Di Bartolomeo.

Property Appraiser, Clerk, Sheriff

In a countywide race open to all voters, Incumbent Manatee County Property Appraiser Charles Hackney defeated Republican challenger Darin George. Hackney received 48,830 (80.98%) votes and George received 11,469 votes (19.02%).

Running unopposed, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Angel Colonneso will serve another four-year term in that role. Running unopposed, Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells will serve another four-year term as sheriff.

School board races

Charlie Kennedy was the leading vote getter in the non-party-affiliated District 3 school board race. Kennedy received 6,970 votes (47.39%). Jon Lynch, a Pedicini client, received 4,426 votes (30.09%) and Anna Maria resident Perri Ann Parkman received 3,311 votes (22.51%). Because no candidate received a 50%-plus-one additional vote, Kennedy and Lynch will face off in the general election.

Heather Felton was the leading vote-getter in the District 1 school board race. Felton received 6,100 votes (38.96%), Mark Stanoch received 4,960 votes (31.68%) and Alex Garner received 4,596 votes (29.36%). Because none of these candidates secured a 50%-plus-one additional vote, the top two vote-getters, Felton and Stanoch, will face each other in the general election.

Island city races

The winners of the Anna Maria mayor’s race and the Holmes Beach city commission race will be determined in the general election this fall.

Pedicini consulting for Satcher, Van Ostenbridge, Turner

Written by Joe Hendricks on July 15, 2024. Posted in Community News, Featured, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – During a recent Supervisor of Elections debate, candidate James Satcher refused to acknowledge he’s using Anthony Pedicini as his political consultant.

Manatee County Commission candidates Kevin Van Ostenbridge and Ray Turner are also utilizing the campaign consulting services of Pedicini and his Tampa-based Strategic Image Management (SIMWINS) consulting firm.

In 2020, Pedicini helped Satcher, Van Ostenbridge, George Kruse and Vanessa Baugh win their respective Manatee County Commission races and he remains actively involved in Manatee County politics.

Supervisor’s race

On April 12, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Satcher, then the District 1 county commissioner, to serve the remaining months of the four-year term that Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett vacated when he retired in March.

Bennett’s longtime Chief of Staff Scott Farrington also sought the gubernatorial appointment and he resigned after DeSantis appointed Satcher, who had no previous experience working in an elections office or supervising an election.Farrington and Satcher now face each other in the Republican primary race that concludes on Aug. 20. With no Democratic candidate in the general election, the primary will determine who serves as Manatee County’s Supervisor of Elections for the next four years.

On June 19, the Lakewood Ranch Republican Club hosted a debate between Farrington and Satcher. The first question posed by the moderator sought the names of the political consultants and the consulting firms being utilized by the two candidates.

“I’m tempted not to answer that question. I don’t know what it has to do with my performance as the Supervisor of Elections. Sure, I have a political consultant,” Satcher responded without disclosing the name of his consultant or consulting firm.

After noting that Satcher didn’t answer the question, Farrington said he’s received informal consultation from Bennett and one of Bennett’s past associates. According to Farrington’s campaign treasurer’s reports, he had spent no money on political consulting services as of July 13.

According to Satcher’s campaign treasurer’s reports, Satcher has paid Pedicini’s SIMWINS consulting firm $41,445 during the current 2024 election cycle. On June 21, two days after the debate, Satcher’s Supervisor of Elections campaign paid SIMWINS $40,000 for media services. On Feb. 6, Satcher’s now-suspended District 1 county commission campaign paid SIMWINS $1,250 for consulting services. On March 15, Satcher’s District 1 campaign paid SIMWINS $195 for a WebElect subscription.

Additional clients

In late May, Van Ostenbridge suspended his District 3 reelection bid and decided instead to run against Kruse in the countywide District 7 race that now pits two sitting commissioners against each other.

According to campaign treasurer’s reports, Van Ostenbridge’s campaign paid SIMWINS $98,420 for consulting services as of June 28. On June 24, Van Ostenbridge’s District 7 campaign paid SIMWINS $83,500 for media services. On Nov. 2, Van Ostenbridge’s District 1 campaign paid SIMWINS $3,915 for campaign consulting services. On Feb. 26, Van Ostenbridge’s District 1 campaign paid SIMWINS $3,950 for advertising and consulting services.

To date, Turner’s District 1 campaign has paid SIMWINS $17,510. On June 17, Turner’s campaign paid SIMWINS $11,565 for services related to a petition mailer. On Jan. 31, April 23 and May 18, Turner’s campaign paid SIMWINS $1,250 for consulting services on each of those occasions.

On Dec. 26, Turner’s campaign paid SIMWINS $750 for campaign notecards. On Dec. 7, Turner’s campaign paid SIMWINS $1,250 for consulting services. On Nov. 7, Turner’s campaign paid SIMWINS $195 for an online subscription.

Satcher, Van Ostenbridge and Turner each list Wendy White as their campaign treasurer, as do District 1 county commission candidate Steve Metallo, District 3 county commission candidate April Culbreath and District 3 Manatee County School Board candidate Jonathan Lynch. White’s Campaign Accounting Services LLC lists the same Tampa address as Pedicini’s SIMWINS firm. According to their campaign treasurer’s reports, Metallo, Culbreath and Lynch did not list any campaign expenditures made to Pedicini or SIMWINS as of June 28.

KVO attack ad

Van Ostenbridge’s campaign is currently airing a TV campaign ad that makes the following claims about Kruse: “When radical environmentalists backed by George Soros attacked our property rights, spineless Kruse sided with Soros. When the liberal media called DeSantis the village idiot for securing our elections, Kruse sided with the liberal media. Spineless George Kruse, so liberal he’s basically a Democrat.”

On July 8, Kruse published a lengthy written rebuttal at his Substack website.

“Before qualifying even ended, over $50,000 of airtime was bought to run an attack ad entirely devoid of facts,” Kruse wrote. “As he (Van Ostenbridge) can’t run on any fact-based record, the assumption is the baseless attacks will continue until Aug. 20. The broadest of their attacks is that I’m a liberal, communist, Democrat, RINO (Republican in Name Only), whatever term they have on hand at that time. Their definition of ‘conservative’ is so warped at this point that it’s lost all meaning. They have fought tax cuts, spent your hard-earned money freely on pork projects they can campaign on, grown government to stratospheric levels and weaponized their power against their residents and your voice. No self-respecting Republican would want to be associated with whatever brand of ‘conservative’ these people are.

“They further try to claim that any news (agency) is liberal if they don’t bow down to their corrupt and destructive actions. Even The Observer, by far the most conservative paper in town, was called the ‘liberal media’ in their pathetic TV ad for daring to have an opinion different than theirs,” Kruse wrote.

Regarding the ad’s claim about his views on DeSantis, Kruse wrote, “I’m not a member of a cult and I don’t blindly believe every single thing a politician does is correct. I fully believe the governor made a huge mistake appointing our current Supervisor of Elections (Satcher) over a far more experienced and qualified candidate in Scott Farrington. I would venture to guess 99% of informed Manatee County residents feel the same way. These are non-partisan issues that need the voice of the entire electorate.”

Regarding non-Republicans switching their party affiliation to Republicans to vote in the Republican primary, Kruse wrote, “The other side has no problem filing fake ghost candidates as write-ins to lock down primaries so they can use their ‘more conservative than you’ playbook.”

During the recent debate, Satcher referred to the completely legal practice of changing party affiliation as “election interference.”

“When we recommend non-Republicans change their party to have a voice in the governing of their county, it’s called election interference,” Kruse wrote. “Their playbook only works if they can con the furthest right of the base. If others start paying attention, they have no counter for that.”

Kruse noted July 22 is the deadline for voters to change their party affiliation at registertovoteflorida.gov.

Local candidates meet and greet potential constituents

Written by Leslie Lake on June 25, 2024. Posted in Community News, Featured, Manatee County.

CORTEZ – Karen Bell hosted five candidates running in local political races at a meet and greet event at the Star Fish Co. dock on Sunday evening.

Invited candidates were Scott Farrington (R) for Manatee County Supervisor of Elections; Charlie Hackney (R) for Manatee County Property Appraiser; George Kruse (R) for Manatee County Commission District 7 at large; Tal Siddique (R) for Manatee County Commission District 3; and Carol Whitmore (R) for Holmes Beach City Commission.

“I decided to do this because I am concerned about the current state of our local government and thought it would be good for people to have an opportunity to meet these candidates who I know personally and respect,” Bell said.

Farrington, who has more than 20 years of experience in the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office as chief of staff, spoke first.

“This election is important to make sure there are accurate and secure elections,” Farrington said. “I believe that experience matters, doubly so, when it comes to elections. I have 20-plus years in elections, in Sarasota County for 10 and in Manatee County. That experience gives me the ability to run the elections office and in a way you expect the elections office to work.”

Farrington, a Republican, reminded those assembled to vote in the Aug. 20 primary.

“In order to vote in the primary, you must be a registered Republican,” he said. “I understand some of you may not be Republican, but understand in the primary a 30% turnout is considered really good, so that means the winner is going to be selected by less than 30% of the Republican party. It’s your choice, but if you want to have a say, vote in the primary. I’m not asking you to switch parties.”

Charlie Hackney, Manatee County’s property appraiser for 32 years, is running for another four-year term.

“If I get elected, we can keep doing what we’ve been doing for the past 30 years, what I’m proud of,” Hackney said.

George Kruse spoke next.

“I’m at large so everybody in Manatee County will have me on their ballot Aug. 20,” Kruse said. “This is having a voice in your government and you’ve lost a voice in your government. Every year it’s getting chipped away more and more and more.”

Without mentioning names, Kruse spoke about the Manatee County Board of Commissioners.

“Those people don’t actually care about you, they don’t answer your calls, they don’t answer your emails,” Kruse said. “You need to fix that. This year is incredibly important. In the supervisor of elections race you have somebody in there now that has no business being there.”

“We’re not hoarding money from developers and LLCs who tell us to do what we’re told,” Kruse said. “We’re not sitting on our couch with mailers full of lies going out. We’re here speaking to you and hearing your concerns so we can govern for the next four years.”

Tal Siddique spoke next.

“I’m running to be your next grassroots commissioner,” he said. “If you’re a registered Republican and you live in the district, you can vote for me in the primary. I want to see a new generation of leadership.”

Siddique referenced a benefit for boat captain Marty Lee in Cortez on Saturday night.

“In no other town in this country have I seen that,” he said. “This is old Florida. When we see a problem, we fix it. That’s what I want to see happen on this board.”

“We need good people on this board,” Siddique added.

Carol Whitmore spoke next.

“I’ve been there done that, I was mayor of Holmes Beach, city commissioner and county commissioner. I came back to the Island after I lost my election to Bearden and I worked for a year and a half raising money for a non-profit. I cannot live in Holmes Beach and not try to repair the relationships with what’s going on. They’re trying to consolidate the Island because of one person,” Whitmore said, adding, “I promise you this is my last time in public service.”

Jonathan Lynch (NPA), candidate for the Manatee County School Board, was invited but unable to attend.

Van Ostenbridge switches races

Written by Joe Hendricks on June 3, 2024. Posted in Community News, Featured, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – Incumbent District 3 Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge announced he’s no longer seeking reelection in his current district.

He will instead seek election to the District 7 at-large seat currently held by George Kruse, who seeks re-election to another four-year term in that seat. The two sitting county commissioners will square off in the District 7 at-large Republican primary that concludes on Tuesday, Aug. 20.

On May 31, Van Ostenbridge filed his campaign redesignation letter with the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office, as did former District 7 Republican candidate April Culbreath, who is now running against Tal Siddique in the District 3 Republican primary.

The winner of the District 7 Republican primary will then face the winner of the Democratic primary between Aliyah Hurt and Sari Lindroos-Valimaki in the general election. The winner of the District 3 Republican primary will face Democratic candidate Diana Shoemaker in the general election.

On May 31, Van Ostenbridge distributed the following text announcement regarding his political lane change: “For me, it boiled down to this: Manatee County Republicans deserve a truly conservative representative who believes in the free market; who will never apologize to liberals; and who will protect and defend every God-given constitutional right. I can continue to represent west Bradenton and at the same time restore the promise of conservative representation to the county as a whole. George Kruse is a liberal. I am a staunch Trump conservative. George Kruse thinks the government knows best. I know the people know best.”

Van Ostenbridge shared his pro-Trump campaign statement the day after a 12-person New York jury found the former president guilty of all 34 felony charges alleged against him.

On June 1, Kruse provided The Sun with the following written response to Van Ostenbridge’s statement: “Both the decision to run away from the District 3 race and the context of his announcement are not a surprise to anyone. After a lifetime of living in his district and four years of ‘representing’ his district, the residents out west made it clear through their polling that Kevin only represents himself and a very small handful of people in Manatee County and his district wants him out. I’m happy for those residents and I’m hopeful they’ll once again have a commissioner who actually cares about their voice and their future.

“His announcement of this change is a reflection of how they’ll campaign throughout 2024. When you know you can’t run on your record, you deflect and distract in hopes of finding enough uninformed voters to manipulate into voting against their best interests. Kevin’s consultant (Anthony Pedicini) will deflect everything wrong with him onto me while they continue pushing their revisionist history of the facts. Kevin has consistently fought to stifle the voices of the people he claims ‘know best.’ Through his actions on Anna Maria Island and throughout the county, he has proven to be the foremost advocate of authoritarian, big government, tax-and-spend policies Manatee County has had on our board in a very long time,” Kruse stated.

“I’m hopeful that our community has finally been pushed too far by Kevin and his syndicate. The public is waking up and an informed electorate is not their voter base,” Kruse stated.

DISTRICT DIFFERENCES

Van Ostenbridge has invited opposition on Anna Maria Island due to his ongoing efforts to build a three-story parking garage at the county-owned Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach. Since being elected to the District 3 seat in 2020, Van Ostenbridge has frequently feuded with Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth and Police Chief Bill Tokajer about beach parking and other parking allowances.

District 3 includes all of Anna Maria Island, all of Cortez, the northern half of Longboat Key, west Bradenton and portions of Bradenton. It was long-rumored that Van Ostenbridge would switch to the District 7 at-large race if early polling numbers indicated he might not win the District 3 race, which features fewer total voters and a higher percentage of Island voters. Island voters make up a significantly smaller percentage of the total votes cast in the countywide District 7 at-large race.

When winning the election for the first time in 2020, the then-relatively unknown Van Ostenbridge received 23,213 (58%) of the 39,766 votes cast in the general election in which he faced non-party-affiliated opponent Matt Bower. Van Ostenbridge was the only Republican primary candidate in that race.

When winning the election for the first time in the 2020 District 7 at-large Republican primary, Kruse received 21,184 (57%) of the votes cast in the primary race that also included former county administrator Ed Hunzeker. When later running unopposed in the general election, Kruse received 159,894 (93%) of the 171,437 votes cast, with unnamed write-in candidates receiving 11,543 votes.

CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING

According to the latest campaign fundraising reports, Van Ostenbridge has raised $214,253 so far. Kruse raised $37,088, Valimaki raised $500 and Hurt has raised nothing. In the District 3 race, Siddique has raised $26,933, Culbreath has raised $19,993 and Shoemaker has raised $25,767.

Monday, July 22 is the deadline to register to vote in the August primary. July 22 is also the deadline to change one’s party affiliation to vote in the Republican primaries that will help determine who ultimately wins the county commission seats up for grabs in this year’s general election.

County pushes for fire district mergers

Written by SUN contributor on May 7, 2024. Posted in Community News, Manatee County, West Manatee Fire Rescue.

MANATEE COUNTY – County commissioners asked the county’s seven fire chiefs to consider merging their districts at an April 23 meeting.

Commissioners said they would support doing a study to look into the benefits of consolidating fire districts, adding that they would bring state leaders and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Governmental Accountability into the conversation if needed.

Manatee County Administrator Charlie Bishop reminded commissioners that they have no authority over fire districts, which are special districts and governed by the state of Florida.

The conversation was brought to the dais by District Four Commissioner Mike Rahn as a result of the volunteer Duette Fire Department seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) for non-transport advanced life support capabilities from the county. Receiving a COPCN is one of the many steps for district firefighters to be certified to provide the same care as an EMS first responder. Non-transport ALS means that the firefighters can provide the same medical care as EMS workers but cannot transport patients to the hospital or other care facility. West Manatee Fire Rescue, the department that covers Anna Maria Island, Cortez and the west side of unincorporated Manatee County, is a non-transport ALS provider in addition to having fire response, water rescue and dive team capabilities, among others.

During the meeting, Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said that Duette does not meet the minimum capabilities to provide non-transport ALS service to its residents and encouraged the fire chiefs to consider merging districts.

Duette Fire Chief Rocky Parker took to social media to dispute Van Ostenbridge’s claim. Parker said that he believes the district meets the requirements to provide the service to residents and will continue to seek COPCN approval, despite the county commission’s argument that the Duette fire department doesn’t meet the requirements because its firefighters are volunteers.

Van Ostenbridge said that there are positives and negatives to living “out in the country” with one of the negatives being that there is less access to emergency services. He suggested that Duette and Parrish fire districts consider consolidating with North River Fire District to provide more services to residents and property owners.

While fire districts are allowed to consolidate, they can only merge with ones contiguous to their established boundaries within the county.

During the discussion, Van Ostenbridge singled out WMFR as a fire district that would be interested in merging with another district. While Chief Ben Rigney said that the district is always willing to keep its options open to better serve residents and property owners, he doesn’t see a merger coming any time soon.

“It seems to come up every five to 10 years or so,” Rigney said of the talk of fire district consolidation in Manatee County. “I did not feel that West Manatee was being targeted or threatened by the discussion from the Manatee County commission meeting. The commissioners are trying to ensure that the fire districts remain fiscally responsible to their communities. I feel that our district has continued to be responsible with taxpayer monies and are always open to working with them on providing a better service.”

Van Ostenbridge said he doesn’t want to see services reduced but would like to see administrative costs reduced.

Commissioner George Kruse said he thinks it’s important to continually look at opportunities but he’s not sure what the opportunity would be. He said he doesn’t want to see residents have different kinds of safety services based on where they live. He said he would rather see fire safety capabilities standardized across Manatee County. Kruse added that he doesn’t want safety services dictated by where people can afford to live.

“I would just encourage people to have that conversation,” Kruse said. “I would like this to be a bigger discussion. Maybe the (state) delegation needs to get involved in it. We seemingly can get free OPPAGA studies at a snap of a finger. It doesn’t commit to anything, but it can support data for future discussion.”

“I want you guys to keep control of all of this, keep control of your own destiny,” Van Ostenbridge said. When the state delegation and OPPAGA studies are involved, he said that the fire districts would start to lose control of their futures.

Heritage Day features fun and fundraising

Written by Joe Hendricks on March 29, 2024. Posted in Entertainment, Events.

ANNA MARIA – While celebrating Anna Maria Island’s historic past, the Anna Maria Island Historical Society’s annual Heritage Day celebration raised more than $3,000.

Taking place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 26 at the Anna Maria Island Historical Museum and Historical Park, Heritage Day featured free tours of the museum and the historic Belle Haven cottage, a yarn maker, a basket weaver, other crafters and vendors, face painting and other kid’s activities, live music by the Anna Maria String Band, strawberry shortcake sales by historical society members, food sales by Poppo’s Taquerias and the Anna Maria Island Privateers’ capture, confinement and ransom-inspired release of Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy and Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth.

At noon, the Privateers captured Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy and Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth and held them hostage in “The Old City Jail” until more than $1,000 was raised in ransom to secure their release. The ransom donations included $350 from Titsworth’s husband, Steve, and donations Murphy secured using his cell phone while held captive.

After being released, Murphy said, “It was a lot of fun and it’s always a good cause to help the Anna Maria Island Historical Society. I’m pleased that we were able to do so much in terms of raising money.”

Titsworth said, “That was a lot of fun and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I love the historical society. We’ve got so much history here and I just love the fact that’s there’s so many citizens who are willing to contribute to the success of the historical society.”

Sold and served by historical society members Barbara Murphy and Karen Gardner, the strawberry shortcake sales featured fresh Plant City strawberries provided by Ed Chiles and shortcake provided by Hometown Desserts.

After displaying her old-fashioned methods to young Hattie Neaton, traditional yarn maker Donna Stansbury said, “It’s fun to show the kids and that little girl learned quick.”

Historical Society president and museum docent Liz Hager said, “We’ve been doing Heritage Day now for a long time at the museum and Heritage Day is better today than it’s ever been. We have unbelievable vendors selling beautiful things, people enjoying strawberry shortcake, a face painter, live music and so much more.”

In addition to being an important annual fundraiser, Hager said Heritage Day is also a great way to attract new visitors and passersby to the museum and museum grounds as they wander in to see what’s going on.

“People are walking through Belle Haven and walking through the museum. We hope it teaches them about our Island’s history. The museum is free and completely volunteer-run Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in season, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside of season,” she said.

See additional photos below:

Kruse talks beach parking, Island consolidation

Written by SUN contributor on March 25, 2024. Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Featured.

HOLMES BEACH – About two dozen people came out on March 20 to meet with Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse, bringing their questions for the candidate, who is seeking re-election in November.

Kruse held a town hall meeting at the Island Branch Library where he answered every question posed, discussing everything from parking and traffic to the possible consolidation of the three Anna Maria Island cities.

On the subject of traffic and making the Island trolley service more efficient during peak times, Kruse said that if there’s traffic, the trolley is stuck in it the same as any other motor vehicle. He did say that he would look into the possibility of adding additional trolleys during peak times, such as over holiday weekends and spring break to help reduce the amount of time spent waiting for transportation that may be too full to accept more riders.

When the new Cortez and Manatee bridges are built, Kruse said he hopes that there will be an express lane – a third lane for emergency and transit vehicles.

“You’re not going to reduce the want of people to go to the beach, you have to get them out of their cars,” he said, adding that with the current situation, one lane in each direction, people won’t want to sit on a bus in traffic instead of in their vehicles. The way around that would be to have a dedicated express lane for those people to bypass congestion on the way to the beach. Kruse said he’s spoken with Florida Department of Transportation representatives about including an express lane in the design for the new bridges but hasn’t received a definitive answer.

When it came to talking about a parking garage and the availability of beach parking on the Island, Kruse said he doesn’t currently see the benefit in building a parking garage at the county-owned Manatee Beach. With paid beach parking now existing in Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria, he added that he believes it’s just a matter of time before Holmes Beach city leaders will have to reconsider their stance on paid parking.

Currently, Holmes Beach is the only Island city that does not allow paid parking. Speaking up during the discussion, Mayor Judy Titsworth said that she’s not in favor of charging for beach parking and will avoid it in Holmes Beach for as long as possible. She said she feels the beach should be free for everyone to access, not limited to those willing to pay to park to access the sand.

Though the city has an updated parking map on its website, the map does not show parking space availability in real time. Titsworth said that to install the sensors and develop the corresponding applications for use would cost “hundreds of thousands of dollars,” funds that the city doesn’t have to commit to the project. To complete the project, she said the parking would have to be paid parking, going against what she believes is in the best interests of the city.

When the conversation turned to the state study concerning consolidation of the three Island cities, Kruse said he’s unsure that anything will come out of it, but he thinks what would be in the best interests of the residents would be to leave the three cities as-is with the possibility of consolidating some services to save taxpayer money.

An ongoing Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) study was begun at the request of the Manatee County state legislative delegation and against the wishes of city leaders in the three cities. While city leaders said they would support the study for the purposes of potentially saving taxpayer funds, they don’t support the other three possibilities – consolidation of the three cities into one, or elimination of the three city governments and annexation of Anna Maria Island into unincorporated Manatee County or the city of Bradenton.

Kruse added that he can’t truly guess what state leaders plan to do with the results of the OPPAGA study because there’s no precedent for the state eliminating a municipality without cause, such as the municipality being financially insolvent, which is not the case in any of the three Island cities.

To hear what Kruse had to say about these issues and more, visit The Sun’s Facebook page to watch the town hall discussion in its entirety.

County moves forward with beach garage design

Written by SUN contributor on August 15, 2023. Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

MANATEE COUNTY – Parking garage plans for Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach are moving forward despite pushback from Anna Maria Island residents and one commissioner.

During an Aug. 14 work session, county commissioners discussed four potential parking garages, one of which is the proposed parking garage at the county-owned Manatee Beach that was approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year. When initially discussed, Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge proposed a three-story 1,500 parking space garage costing an estimated $45 million. The garage proposal presented to county commissioners during the work session is expected to cost $30-35 million to build and have about 900 parking spaces. While the actual look of the garage is not yet decided upon, the garage is planned to cover the entirety of the existing beach parking area, including the concession, retail and restroom areas. The new parking garage would include concession, retail, restroom and other facilities.

Commissioner George Kruse said he’s concerned about the cost of the four proposed parking facilities. He said that three of the garages are “niceties,” but the proposed downtown Bradenton replacement garage is the only one that is actually needed. The current garage has structural issues and must be replaced for safety reasons. Out of the four proposed garages, the downtown garage is estimated to cost the most at around $100 million.

Kruse said that rather than serving the public interest, he feels the Manatee Beach parking garage is being considered strictly to support a narrative constructed around a lack of beach parking. Having toured the city’s available parking, he said he feels that the 600 additional spaces the garage would provide over and above the current 300 in the parking lot are unnecessary and that the construction of the garage, planned to take anywhere from 18-24 months, could cause significantly more damage to the area than it helps, reducing facilities and beach access over two high tourism seasons. He also noted that the garage is currently an unfunded expense for the county.

Kruse’s comments received a round of applause from members of the public in the commission chambers. However, Van Ostenbridge said he feels that the rest of the board doesn’t share Kruse’s concerns.

Commissioner James Satcher said that if he could just choose one parking garage on the list of proposals, he’d pick the Manatee Beach parking garage. “People are clamoring to get to the beach. This is the right thing to do,” he said. “This should definitely be number one on our list.”

PUBLIC OPINION

During public comment, several people spoke against the parking garage, including Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer, former Holmes Beach mayor and former county commissioner Carol Whitmore, city attorney Erica Augello and Titsworth.

“We do have adequate parking and I want to show you so bad,” Titsworth said to the county commission. “Please, before you act, take me up on my offer. Come take the tour and see our available parking.” She did note that Bearden agreed to come visit the city in the next week.

Some of the issues with parking in residential neighborhoods that Titsworth noted include lack of bathrooms, resulting in people defecating in sea oats, and lack of lifeguards down the entire length of the beach.

Resident Bruce Meyer also spoke and said he feels that he’s being “punished” and is not represented by the county commission. He said that 600 spaces wouldn’t make a difference with the amount of people who want to come the county beaches.

Augello noted that the proposed revenue stream for parking garage, paid parking, is not an allowable use in Holmes Beach and would not be allowed. If pursued, she said it could potentially end in litigation.

Owner of the Bamboo Beach Apartments, Alice Sutton, invited the county commissioners to come for a free weekend stay on a day of their choice and help her pick up used diapers, condoms and other debris from the sea oats and beach, help direct parking and explain to naked people why they can’t change in the complex’s laundry room.

Holmes Beach Commissioner Carol Soustek said that the issue isn’t availability of parking, it’s not addressing the issues with traffic and not addressing multi-modal transportation. She noted that the city commission is responding to the concerns raised by the residents they’re elected to represent to reduce on-street beach parking in residential neighborhoods. She said the city is not limiting access to the beach.

“We want to accommodate everyone we can,” she said. “We just can’t accommodate all of the cars.” Soustek encouraged county commissioners to look at some of the studies that have been done concerning traffic and congestion for additional solutions to issues with beach access, such as multi-modal transportation.

Holmes Beach Commissioner Greg Kerchner addressed Bearden’s comments about planning for the future of the county with the potential for residential growth of 100,000 people over the coming years. He said that if the county wants to plan for the future, leaders need to look at more sustainable options than 600 beach parking spaces.

Closing out the meeting, both Kruse and Bearden spoke again with Kruse reiterating his earlier concerns that there are more pressing infrastructure issues in the county, such as the $60 million Fort Hamer Bridge project and the downtown Bradenton parking garage, that need to be addressed before a mere 600 parking spaces at Manatee Beach that will tie up facilities and parking for years is considered. Bearden said that he believes the 600 spaces will make a huge difference to people who live on the east side of the county who are waiting in traffic to get to the beach.

Letter to the Editor: Parking garage won’t solve problems

Written by SUN contributor on March 13, 2023. Posted in Letter to the Editor, Opinion.

On March 1, I attended a Town Hall Meeting in Holmes Beach conducted by County Commissioner George Kruse. The main topic of the meeting was the traffic issues on Anna Maria Island and the proposed parking garage. Kruse listened politely, but he had obviously made up his mind that a parking garage should be built in Holmes Beach.

His decision was made with no input from any residents of Anna Maria Island, the people who will be most affected by the building of the parking garage. It’s disappointing that all the county commissioners, Rep. Robinson and Rep. Boyd did not take the time to meet with their Anna Maria Island constituents to gather additional input on a decision of this magnitude. What Kruse did not tell the audience is that the day before the Town Hall Meeting he had voted, along with the other County Commissioners, to endorse the parking garage. He has subsequently stated he is in favor of House Bill 947, legislation that would authorize a parking garage in county-managed public parks such as at Manatee Beach.

Kruse did admit that Anna Maria Island does not have a “visitor” problem, but rather has a traffic problem. His solution to reducing traffic on Anna Maria Island is to build a parking garage that Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge has stated could add 1,500 additional parking spaces. How does the building of a 1,500-stall parking garage reduce traffic coming onto Anna Maria Island? Won’t providing 1,500 additional parking spaces only add to the traffic problem? Why aren’t the county commissioners, Rep. Robinson and Rep. Boyd pursuing other options that would allow visitors to Anna Maria Island while reducing traffic as actively as they are pursuing a parking garage? Why aren’t they moving more quickly to find other solutions such as off-island parking facilities, shuttle services or other mass transit options to reduce the number of cars coming onto Anna Maria Island?

Jeff Dentz

Holmes Beach

Holmes Beach mayor declines Van Ostenbridge’s meeting request

Written by Joe Hendricks on March 28, 2021. Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth declined Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge’s request to meet and discuss the city’s past elimination of street-side parking spaces.

Titsworth rejected Van Ostenbridge’s request to meet in part because Van Ostenbridge’s invitation did not extend to Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer.

As the District 3 county commissioner, Van Ostenbridge represents all three Anna Maria Island cities. Van Ostenbridge was sworn into office on Nov. 17. During the county commission work meeting held later that day, Van Ostenbridge threatened to withhold future beach renourishment funding from the city of Holmes Beach because of the city’s parking reductions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Mayor Titsworth and the Holmes Beach City Commission have jeopardized future beach renourishment projects in their city. I will not support county participation in beach renourishment projects in Holmes Beach until on-street parking levels are returned to pre-COVID-19 levels. I am drawing a line in the sand,” Van Ostenbridge said, during his first county meeting.

Meeting sought

Vida Gordon is the executive administrative assistant to the county commission. On Tuesday, March 23, Gordon sent Titsworth an email on behalf of Van Ostenbridge which said, “Commissioner Van Ostenbridge would like to meet with you and staff regarding: Public parking on city streets in the city of Holmes Beach. Manatee County participation in future beach renourishment projects.”

Within 30 minutes, Titsworth sent Gordon her response.

“Please ask the commissioner to take the time to witness the high traffic in our city on our many sunny weekends prior to scheduling this meeting. I see no reason to have a meeting until he takes the time to see it for himself. Saturdays would be a great time, as our rather large resort housing industry turns over each Saturday and traffic is at a standstill. If we are going to have real discussions with real solutions, I find it important that he witness this first-hand,” Titsworth stated in her email.

“I would also ask that he drive through the residential neighborhoods to take note of the beach access parking we currently provide so that he can more easily understand the issues. This may allow him a better perspective to see the limits the city is facing in accommodating all our county residents and tourists who want to arrive by car,” Titsworth wrote.

“As for the Manatee County participation in beach nourishment, I am well advised as to the interlocal agreement we have with the county and the city’s continued participation to provide beach access public parking. If he would like to discuss any proposed changes to this agreement at this meeting, please advise prior, as I would ask that Charlie Hunsicker be present to inform us of any changes in requirements at the state level. The chief and I are available on April 12. Please ask him to come to city hall,” Titsworth wrote.

A short time later, Gordon sent Titsworth Van Ostenbridge’s response.

“I have seen first-hand the traffic challenges on AMI at peak hours. I look forward to hearing from the mayor in our meeting. I am hoping for a constructive meeting that will enable the mayor and myself to lay out our respective positions. The end goal I have in mind is to create a more welcoming environment on AMI and increase accessibility to our public beaches. My hope is that this meeting will be a productive first step,” Van Ostenbridge wrote.

“Mr. Hunsicker has been invited to the meeting as well as county attorney (Bill) Clague. If she would like to remove either of those invitees from the meeting, I will oblige her request. That said, my invitation does not extend to the Holmes Beach Police Chief,” Van Ostenbridge wrote.

Upon receipt of that message, Titsworth informed Gordan that she would not be meeting with Van Ostenbridge.

“If the meeting does not extend to the police chief who has first-hand knowledge on why parking was eliminated on certain streets, then I see no reason to have the meeting. Per the commissioner’s email, he feels he has all the experience he needs on the traffic, congestion and parking constraints. Unfortunately, he does not have the credentials to determine where parking works and where it does not. If I am to accept a meeting with the commissioner to discuss parking in the neighborhoods, I will expect the chief to attend. As for the county attorney, I see no reason why his services would be needed at this time,” Titsworth wrote.

“With all due respect, any comments made by the commissioner up to this point have been threatening in nature. I understand his position, as he does mine. There is no reason to take up any additional time in laying out our positions. Any proposed additional parking in Holmes Beach will require a traffic study by FDOT, including a viable plan for bringing additional cars on and off the Island. Any additional parking will need to include restroom facilities,” Titsworth wrote.

“If a meeting cannot be agreed to, I would suggest the commissioner attend a city meeting so he can express his concerns regarding the ‘unwelcoming environment’ and the accessibility to the beaches. I am certain the board would welcome hearing his suggestions, being that he is our new district representative,” Titsworth wrote.

Titsworth then received an email from Gordon that stated Van Ostenbridge would be happy to meet with the mayor in the county commissioners’ conference room or in his office in downtown Bradenton.

In response, Titsworth wrote, “If he is unwilling to come visit the city he represents, I will have to decline to attend the meeting. I can already see where it is heading. Commissioner Kruse was happy to meet me and the chief at our city. My door is always open.”

Chief’s comments

When contacted Friday, Tokajer said, “For Commissioner Van Ostenbridge to invite the mayor to a meeting that dictates which staff is allowed to attend is another example of his abuse of the perceived power of his position. I do not see our mayor and commission being bullied by empty threats about future beach renourishment.”

“As a city, we’ve more than upheld our requirements set forth in the interlocal agreement with Manatee County on parking. Do you really think the county is going to stop receiving federal funds for beach renourishment for the largest tourist destination in Manatee County? Are they going to stop advertising Anna Maria Island as a tourist destination? If the county is not going to do beach renourishment, they can give the city back the millions of dollars in the tourist tax revenues they collect from the Holmes Beach community,” Tokajer said.

“The city’s residential areas should not be made into a parking lot. The county needs to come up with some other ideas as to where people can park – and the places they come up with need to have facilities such as bathrooms, changing stations and lifeguards. We need to do something to balance the amount of people coming into our residential areas,” Tokajer said.

“Right now, there are 1,264 parking spaces that are open to the public, and 500 of those are dedicated to meeting beach renourishment parking requirements. We have an additional 645 spaces for residential parking by permit. The city’s parking plan is truly working in the manner in which we thought it would,” he added.

Tokajer doesn’t anticipate the city restoring its parking capacity to pre-pandemic levels.

“The commission has already voted numerous times on this parking plan and they unanimously support the plan we have now. No matter what this commissioner does, I don’t see them going back to that,” he said.

Citing data collected by license plate readers positioned along the city’s main thoroughfares, Tokajer said, “From March 1 through noon today, March 26, we had 621,569 vehicles that came on and off Island in Holmes Beach during that 26-day period. That’s an average of 24,675 vehicles per day. Even if we opened up the 2,400 parking spaces we had before COVID, that’s still leaves another 22,000 cars a day that have nowhere to park.

“Commissioner Kruse was willing to come here to Holmes Beach and sit down with the mayor and I to discuss things and learn why we did what we did. If Commissioner Van Ostenbridge wants to dictate who the mayor’s going to bring to a meeting, then I guess we’re not going to have it,” Tokajer said.

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