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Boogie-woogie legend resides in Holmes Beach

Boogie-woogie legend resides in Holmes Beach

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Entertainment, Music.

HOLMES BEACH – At 90 years young, Holmes Beach resident Bob Seeley remains one of the world’s premier boogie-woogie pianists.

In April, Seeley traveled to Michigan for a series of shows in his home state that included gigs at the Schoolcraft College in Livonia and the Steinway Gallery in West Bloomfield. In July, he’ll return to Schoolcraft College for a July 21 performance at 25th Annual Michigan Jazz Festival.

During his 70-plus-year career as a solo pianist, the Detroit native has performed worldwide.

“I played at Carnegie Hall in New York City,” Seeley said during a recent interview at his Holmes Beach condo, where he lives with his new dog, Harry. “I played all over Europe, several times. There was a guy in Normandy, France who was really crazy about boogie-woogie and he put on boogie-woogie concerts. I got called in to do that several times. And Shirley went with me a couple times,” Seeley said.

“He’s played in Russia too,” said his son-in-law and fellow Holmes Beach resident ‘Captain’ Scott Moore.

“Yeah, Moscow. That was interesting,” Seeley said.

In 2013, Seeley played the International Boogie-Woogie Festival in San Francisco. That performance has garnered more than 41,000 views on YouTube. Seeley’s duet with Russian boogie-woogie pianist Elena Tourbina at the Festival International de Boogie Woogie in Laroquebrou, France in 2008 has more than 30,000 YouTube views. In 2017, Seeley performed at The Hamburg Boogie Woogie Connection in Germany.

In March, Seeley celebrated his 90th birthday not far from his Florida home by headlining the 10th Anniversary Boogie Woogie Blues Piano Stomp at The Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg. The playbill listed him as “Detroit’s Boogie Woogie Legend.”

Last Friday afternoon, Seeley and Moore visited The Doctor’s Office cocktail bar in Holmes Beach and Seeley treated patrons to one of his impromptu performances.

Moore’s wife, Karen, is Seeley’s stepdaughter and the daughter of Seeley’s late wife, Shirley, who passed away two years ago. After visiting the Island for more than 20 years, the Seeleys bought their Holmes Beach condo in the mid2000s.

“Shirley immediately loved it, so we bought it. I’m glad we did,” Seeley said.

“I told them not to leave the Island without buying it,” Moore added.

Boogie-woogie legacy

When asked how he defines boogie-woogie, Seeley said, “I call it happy blues.”

“Blues is sad and slow,” he said before walking over to his living room piano to demonstrate. “Boogie-woogie is more up-tempo,” he said as he tore into a fast number he calls “Bob’s Boogie.”

Seeley started playing the piano in 1941 when he took classical piano lessons at the age of 13.

“During World War II boogie-woogie was popular. My brother and I brought home some recordings of boogie-woogie and that ended the classical. One was called ‘Boogie Woogie,’ and Tommy Dorsey’s band had a big arrangement of that. ‘Honkey-Tonk Train Blues,’ by Meade ‘Lux’ Lewis was another.”

Seeley lists Lewis, Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons – the holy trinity of boogie-woogie pianists – as his main musical influences. He also likes Fats Waller and Jelly Roll Morton. “Those were the guys that could really play the boogie-woogie. They’re all gone. I’m trying to carry on their tradition.”

Seeley later struck up a friendship with Lewis. “He lived out in Los Angeles, in Watts, so I decided I’d go over and make my acquaintance. He was a really nice guy, a heavy guy. I think he weighed about 290 pounds and he only came up to my chin,” Seeley said.

For more than 30 years, Seeley’s main gig was performing five nights a week at the piano bar at Charley’s Crab, a high-end seafood restaurant in Troy, Michigan, just outside of Detroit.

“I played solo. I was never anxious to play with any bands. The piano player doesn’t stand out in bands. I was more interested in playing solo,” Seeley said. “I’m not a singer. When the piano player sings the singing is the important thing. Guys that can’t sing have to play some decent piano,” he added.

Seeley’s energetic stage presence and between-song stories further enhance his non-vocal performances.

In the 1980s, Seeley and one of his grade-school friends supplemented their incomes with the purchase of several Pac-Man video game machines.

“We bought 70 of those things. We put them in bars and restaurants and every couple of weeks we’d go get the money,” Seeley recalled.

Seeley’s fans include Rolling Stones’ singer Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards, drummer Charlie Watts and pianist Chuck Leavell.

Boogie-woogie piano Mick
This photo collage includes a picture of Bob Seeley and his wife Shirley with Rolling Stones’ singer Mick Jagger. – Submitted

“I was in New York City roaming around some park and there’s Charlie Watts, so we got to know each other,” Seeley said.

“Just an incredible player,” Leavell said of Seeley in a 2016 review of Seeley’s sixth released recording, “Let’s Boogie.”

Playing at the Charley’s Crab location near the luxurious Hilton Hotel resulted in Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Tony Bennett and the Smother’s Brothers becoming Bob Seeley fans. He also got to know fellow-Detroit musician Kid Rock.

“He would come to Charley’s Crab quite a bit with Pamela Anderson when I was playing,” Seeley said.

“They would sit at the piano bar,” Moore added.

“I didn’t who Kid Rock was, but I got to know him and he’s a really nice guy,” Seeley said.

When asked what the future holds, Seeley said, “I’ll never retire, unless I get sick and I can’t move my fingers.”

Planning commissioners talk future flooding

Planning commissioners talk future flooding

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

HOLMES BEACH – The city’s planning commissioners voted unanimously June 5 to find an ordinance amending the existing flood plain ordinance as consistent with the comprehensive plan. They didn’t come to that decision without first expressing some concerns about how the move could affect homeowners and their flood insurance policies.

The proposed ordinance alters the city’s flood plain ordinance to remove the duties of flood plain manager for the city from the building official’s duties. Though the new Building Official Neal Schwartz is a certified flood plain manager, Schwartz told planning commissioners that he believes the city commission’s plan is to appoint City Engineer Lynn Burnett as the flood plain administrator. He said he will provide backup as needed to Burnett.

With the duties of flood plain administrator given to Burnett, Schwartz said he is free to concentrate on the building department and turning around permit applications in a reasonable timeframe.

“I think Lynn’s very qualified,” commission Chair Chuck Stealey said, adding that he’s glad Schwartz will be working to make the permit process faster for residents and local contractors.

Commissioner Barbara Hines agreed with Stealey. “I do think the city is going in the right direction,” she said to Schwartz. “I think that what you’re doing is a good thing.”

Commissioner Scott Boyd expressed concern that because a contract employee, like Burnett, typically has many clients to answer to that a full-time city employee might be a better choice for the position. He asked that his concern be taken to city commissioners when they continue discussions on the subject at a future meeting.

The proposed ordinance also addresses city leaders’ concerns regarding permit-to-permit construction on homes built below FEMA’s base flood elevation. The change would require homeowners who improve their ground-level homes to adhere to the 50 percent rule for a period of one year from certificate of completion.

Under the rule, homeowners are allowed to improve their home up to 50 percent of the home’s assessed value. Any repairs or renovations over 50 percent require the house to be lifted to the base flood level or torn down and rebuilt to current codes.

In Holmes Beach, an issue identified by FEMA as permit-to-permit construction has been allowed in the past and commissioners are worried that with FEMA’s attention on the matter it will negatively impact the city’s flood insurance rating, resulting in higher premiums for homeowners. In permit-to-permit construction, a homeowner can improve or renovate the house up to 50 percent of the assessed value. Once a certificate of completion is received, the homeowner can have the home’s value reassessed and begin a new phase of construction valued at up to 50 percent of the home’s new value.

If the ordinance passes city commission vote, what’s currently being discussed is not allowing a home built under the base flood elevation to be improved more than once up to 50 percent of the home’s assessed value for a period of one year from receipt of a certificate of completion. The ordinance does include a provision for storm or other involuntary damage to the structure.

While damage from a storm wouldn’t count against a homeowner who had recently completed renovations up to the 50 percent rule, it would allow for repairs up to 50 percent of the home’s assessed value due to involuntary damage. If the repairs to the structure from the storm were found to be above 50 percent, the home would still be required to be elevated or torn down and rebuilt to current standards.

Boyd asked that if a homeowner has private flood insurance, instead of flood insurance through FEMA which will only reimburse a homeowner up to $250,000 of the property’s value, why would the 50 percent rule still apply. Schwartz said that FEMA doesn’t give an exception for one home. If one home was given an exception to the rule, then it would invalidate the city’s flood insurance rating and the city as a whole, including all properties therein, would be unable to participate in the national flood insurance program or seek disaster relief from FEMA.

A moratorium is currently in place and is up for consideration for extension to September 11 while city commissioners work out the details of the ordinance and put it up for a vote. The moratorium extension is scheduled to be voted on by city commissioners June 11.

Attorney Scott Rudacille, appearing on behalf of the owners of 502 74th Street, requested that when planning commissioners give their recommendation on the ordinance to city commissioners that they consider also recommending a grandfathering provision for any property where renovations were already in progress under the previous rules.

He said his clients met with the previous building official, Jim McGuinness, and were assured that they could complete extensive renovations on the exterior and interior of their ground level home before they even purchased the property. After receiving assurances and assistance from McGuinness, he said his clients purchased the home and began renovations more than a year before the moratorium went into effect Jan. 9, 2019. Now the exterior renovations on the home are being completed but his clients may have to wait a year to get permits to complete the planned renovations on the interior of the home.

Previously, City Attorney Patricia Petruff said she knew of one other homeowner in a similar situation.

While Stealey said he’s sympathetic to the homeowners’ situation, he asked Rudacille to take the issue up with city commissioners. He added that planning commissioners are only tasked with determining if proposed ordinances are compatible with the comprehensive plan and land development code. They cannot change a proposed ordinance.

With planning commission approval, the ordinance now goes back to city commissioners for a vote.

Related coverage

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Protecting Holmes Beach from rising tides

Holmes Beach logo OLD

Commissioners consider exemption for rental homes

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

HOLMES BEACH – Vacation rental owners may soon have one less piece of paperwork to worry about filing in one Island city.

During a May 30 work session, commissioners began discussing whether or not to do away with the requirement that vacation rental owners apply for and receive a business tax receipt for every unit they own in the city. City Attorney Patricia Petruff said that for the small amount of income the city receives from the BTR applications from rental owners, $31.90 per unit annually, processing the high number of applications has become a burden for city staff. She said that Mayor Judy Titsworth had requested the commission discussion on the issue.

“It was a nightmare,” Titsworth said to commissioners of the processing of large amounts of BTRs. “Why continue this nightmare of trying to keep track of it all when there’s no benefit?” She added that it costs the city more in staff time to process the applications than is earned through the BTRs.

In a breakdown of the costs to process the BTRs for 506 individually owned vacation and annual rental units provided by the city clerk, with no complications it costs $41.45 in staff time to process a single BTR, which costs $31.90 for the applicant, resulting in a loss of $9.55 per BTR. The total loss to the city is $4,833.90 annually according to the supplied calculations. In total, it’s estimated the BTRs for vacation and annual rentals represent somewhere around $60,000 for the city.

Rather than charge rental owners through the BTR, Titsworth suggested commissioners consider an increase in the vacation rental certificate required for all short-term rental properties renting for less than 30 days to make up the difference in finances.

VRCs are required to be renewed every two years and currently cost $150 for the initial application and renewal. During their June 11 work session, commissioners are expected to consider an amendment to the VRC to raise the cost of initial application and renewal to $600 per vacation rental unit.

If the BTR requirement was removed from rental units, Petruff said the longer term, 30-day rentals would basically have no oversight by the city as they are not required to apply for a VRC. She said code enforcement officers would have to try to catch violators of the minimum rental period or occupancy requirements through advertising. Police Chief Bill Tokajer said that the financial impact to the city from those units, a few hundred in number, could be easily recouped through the around 1,200 VRCs issued to short-term rentals.

Commissioners agreed to consider the issue but said they want to see more information about how the loss of revenue would affect the city and how it could be made up through the VRC program.

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Vacation rental changes on hold for now

Leah Purvis - simply one of the best

Leah Purvis – simply one of the best

Written by Monica Simpson on . Posted in Sports.

Few individuals progress from gym rat to professional athlete. Even fewer rise to the top of their discipline.

Anna Maria Island’s own Leah Purvis went from working out at Fit Crew Bradenton in regular group training sessions to one of the best CrossFit athletes in the world. This achievement did not come easy. Purvis’s hard work, dedication and sacrifices over the past several years resulted in a formal invitation to participate in the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games Online Qualifier.

CrossFit, known as a functional exercise program for everyday people, as well as a highly competitive international sport, was created by Greg Glassman in Santa Cruz, Calif., and trademarked in 2000. With thousands of affiliate gyms around the world, the sport has caught fire and has become a passion for so many athletes like Purvis.

Although not a CrossFit affiliate, Fit Crew Bradenton is the home of one of the sport’s top-ranked athletes with Purvis. The combination of a tough mental and physical athlete and an outstanding coach – Andrew Terman, co-founder of Fit Crew – as well as support from her family and friends, has elevated Purvis to the top of her game.

Leah Purvis and trainer
Consulting with her trainer Andrew Terman, Purvis works tirelessly at Fit Crew Bradenton. – Submitted

In a recent Instagram post, Terman says about Purvis, “It’s easy to think of time as a hassle or a threat – with time, things change. With time, the journey takes longer. At the gym, success isn’t built overnight, so time is our greatest gift and opportunity. From top 1,500 to top 750 to top 100 in 3 years in the masters’ division … [Leah’s] journey has taken time, dedication and grit.”

Purvis has always been a high achiever, personally and professionally. As a managing director at Greystone & Co., Inc., scheduling her daily training around her full-time job makes her accomplishments all the more impressive. Many top-ranked CrossFit athletes have the luxury of making the training their only focus. Purvis, with much personal sacrifice, fine-tuned the balancing act between work, the gym and life with her husband, Don.

“I have fallen in love with the process.  There is just so much more to it than people realize, and it is work,” says L. Purvis of the sport, training and conditioning.

Her progress in the gym over the past three years comes as no surprise to her coach or her husband.

“Leah was looking for an athletic outlet for a long time,” Don Purvis says. “Once she found it, I wasn’t surprised she went all in.”

Both Terman and Don Purvis knew a serious CrossFit athlete was born at the Fit Nation Thunderdome competition a few years ago. Competing in the Rx Division (lifting the prescribed weights and performing each movement as written with no modifications), along with one of the top CrossFit Games athletes, Talayna Fortunato, and several high-ranking younger regional athletes, sparked the fire that made Purvis the athlete she is today.

Don Purvis recalls her saying in the car on the way home from the Thunderdome competition, “I’m going to start training twice a day!”

“That was when I knew it was about to get serious,” he said.

As with most high-level athletes, Purvis can be her harshest critic. As an intelligent athlete, Terman says sometimes she overthinks and over analyzes things.

Known as someone who may hate to lose more than she loves to win, this is the drive that pushes Purvis.

Leah and Don Purvis
CrossFit athlete Leah Purvis and her number one supporter and husband Don Purvis. – Submitted

“I believe she also fears regret,” her husband says. “She doesn’t want to reach a point in her life down the road and regret not having fully committed to obtaining her goal.”

Typically in high-level sports, an athlete can only compete at the top of his/her game for a limited number of years. Now in the Master Division, currently with six age divisions, Purvis is determined to do the best she can with the time she has left.

The sport of CrossFit is extremely physically challenging and taxing. Inevitably Purvis’s goals will change, but the competitive spirit will not.

“She will have goals with any fitness she tackles post-completion,” Terman says. “She will always compete in some manner. That’s just who she is.”

“I think she will always enjoy the sport, even if she isn’t competing at an elite level,” Don Purvis says. “One of the greatest things about CrossFit is the ability to compete with yourself on a daily basis.”

Being the best at everything she does is the trademark of Purvis, whether it is in the CrossFit arena, at work or acting in the annual murder mystery play fundraiser at The Center. She does not do anything halfway.

Leah Purvis Bacon Beatdown 2018
Competing at Dayton Beach’s Bacon Beatdown in 2018, Leah Purvis took third place overall. – Submitted

As an elite athlete, Purvis’ sacrifices have come in the form of “… [missing out on] ‘having fun’ with friends and family,” her husband notes. “Understanding the time she invests at the gym, in the pool or ocean and on the road is something she cannot get back is even more reason she wants to be successful in competition.”

It is this drive that also leads Terman and Purvis to be on the cutting edge of training, nutrition and post-workout recovery – building and maintaining the total top-level athlete. Purvis utilizes weekly massages, periodic chiropractic adjustments, and cryotherapy with CryoXL as just a few of her training must-dos.

“It’s not a hobby to her. It’s another full-time job,” stresses Don Purvis. As a job, Purvis works to make sure everything she does has a purpose that will only positively contribute to her end goals.

Terman, who works with Purvis daily, estimates he spends roughly 25 hours a week training Purvis along with the time it takes to prepare for her training sessions. Purvis is technically the first competitive CrossFit athlete he trained. The success that the Purvis-Terman duo has accomplished has now led to Terman training five athletes that are actively competing in the sport.

At least a couple of times a month, individuals will approach Terman about their personal desire to able to achieve the fitness and athletic level of Purvis. Terman attributes gaining the other CrossFit athletes he now trains in some way to Purvis’s successes.

CrossFit is a family affair. The Purvises talk about training and goals every day. As a former high school coach and inspirational speaker, Don Purvis knows the importance of goal setting.

He says, “I think it is healthy to continuously evaluate your goals and how to achieve them.”

Don Purvis himself trains at Fit Crew Bradenton, which enhances his ability to relate to the training his wife puts herself through every day.

Don Purvis now trains six days a week, including time outside of Fit Crew swimming, and has increased the intensity of his workouts. As a former football player, he says he has not trained this intensely in years and “ … assumed for a long time [his] ‘athletic’ days were over.”

“Leah’s training has been incredibly positive in my life. She’s an inspiration to me for her dedication in total health. I was literally on the verge of being prescribed medication because I was not taking good care of myself. With Leah‘s training, I have tried to emulate her and completely change my eating and training habits,” Don Purvis notes with much love and admiration. “[Her] training has proven to me that age doesn’t have to dictate what our bodies are capable of doing.”

Leah Purvis muscle up
Leah Purvis completing a bar muscle up at the Bacon Beatdown in Daytona Beach, Florida, at last year’s event. – Submitted

Don and Leah have talked about working together in the future in a CrossFit competition, but his back injuries limit him from completing some of the common CrossFit movements. For fun, the couple has done partner workouts at Fit Crew and they enjoyed pushing each other and competing together. The pair have played flag football on the Island for years and put together a number of winning seasons. The competitive spirit is something they definitely have in common.

Much like her husband, Purvis’s trainer also has personally benefitted from the time he has spent working with her. Terman confesses, “ … it’s just great to be surrounded by someone like her who is so driven, organized and really such a great person. She has definitely made me better as a person, coach and businessman.”

The desire to be the best at anything she does is what has lead to Purvis’s success in CrossFit competitions. Her accolades include finishing in second place in the intermediate division at the Thunderdome in 2016 and a third place overall finish at the Bacon Beatdown in 2018. 2019 has taken it to another level for Purvis placing 67th in the world in the CrossFit Open for the 40- to 44-year-old division.

This year’s biggest accomplishment was qualifying for the Age Group Online Qualifier (AGOQ) where only the top 200 athletes in the world for the division are invited to participate.

What is next on the horizon for Purvis? Her short-term goal in CrossFit is to qualify for the annual Wadapalooza CrossFit Festival in Miami in 2020. This event started in 2012 as a one-day event with only 145 competitors and is now a four-day event with some of the biggest names in the sport in attendance.

Purvis’s advice for anyone interested in possibly competing at the highest level in CrossFit, “ … talk to me or anyone who they know is competing at a high level to really get a full understanding of what all is involved…it is beyond nutrition, sleep, training … ”

There is no doubt that Purvis’s drive, commitment and passion for the sport of CrossFit will result in more outstanding achievements in the future.

“Through the club sodas and limes while others enjoy adult beverages, the missed vacations, the early nights, the failed lifts, the bloodied hands, the missed cuts on qualifiers … it is so much bigger than I ever realized and for which I am so humbled and blessed,” Purvis states, speaking of the sacrifices and challenges involved in her passion and all of the support she has received during the last several years from her husband, trainer, and Fit Crew family.

To Purvis, these individuals have pushed her forward and had her back, with an understanding of what it takes for her to achieve her goals.

The most notable aspect of Purvis the athlete and the person is her genuine and caring personality. Despite being a very accomplished athlete, Purvis is encouraging and kindhearted to everyone who walks through the Fit Crew doors, making her all the more incredible.

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Ahead of the curve

Written by Sun staff on . Posted in Editorial, Opinion.

Another school year has come and gone with no harmful incidents to students or staff at Anna Maria Elementary School (AME).

In this day and age, safety has become a worry for all schools in this country. As a result, the Manatee County School District has opted to place armed personnel at all county schools to patrol the grounds and provide a first line of safety just in case the unthinkable should happen.

Here on Anna Maria Island, the Holmes Beach Police Department has been way ahead of the curve for years, doing a stellar job of protecting the grade-schoolers with a school resource officer and educating them with the DARE (Drug Awareness Resistance and Education) program.

At the AME Awards Ceremony last Wednesday, Holmes Beach Police Officer and AME School Resource Officer Josh Fleischer and Police Chief Bill Tokajer handed out DARE completion certificates to fifth-graders, with former resource officer Brian Copeman also present.

Select students read essays they wrote about the DARE class and what they had learned about the hazards of drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

As the uniformed law enforcement officials stood in the auditorium, it was clear to all that they were there not just to provide protection but also to be a very human and intricate part of the program and these kids’ lives. At the close of the ceremony, parents and children gave the officers a loud and heartfelt round of applause.

It was just their way – the Island way – of saying thank you to those who keep the peace in paradise.

WMFR logo

WMFR 2019-20 assessment rates set

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, West Manatee Fire Rescue.

BRADENTON – West Manatee Fire Rescue commissioners held a public hearing May 21 to discuss the 2019-20 residential and commercial assessment rates. No members of the public offered comment, and commissioners approved a modest increase in rates with a four to one vote.

After being presented with five options ranging from a zero percent increase to a 2.5 percent increase, commissioners voted to adopt a 1.65 percent increase for residential properties and a 5 percent increase for commercial properties.

For residential property owners, the 1.65 increase equals a $3.09 increase in the base rate, increasing from $187.48 to $190.57. The rate per square foot, assessed on home square footage over 1,000 square feet, is being raised from $0.1106 to $0.1124. For a 2,000 square foot home, the total assessment is being raised from $298.08 to $303, a difference of $1.92.

Residential homes make up the majority of the properties in WMFR’s district, which stretches from the Gulf of Mexico on the west, Tampa Bay to the north, Longboat Key to the south and city of Bradenton to the east. The district includes unincorporated Manatee County, Palma Sola, Cortez, Bradenton Beach, Anna Maria and Holmes Beach.

For commercial properties, the increase is slightly higher to bring WMFR’s commercial rates closer to those assessed by other Manatee County fire districts. The base rate is increasing from $451.07 to $473.62 for commercial properties, an increase of $22.55. The per square foot rate for buildings over 1,000 square feet is $0.2051, a $0.0098 increase for square footage over 1,000 square feet. The increase equals a $32.32 total increase for 2,000 square foot commercial properties.

With the increase in assessment rates, WMFR’s projected assessment revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal year is $7,285,989, a $144,203 increase over the current fiscal year.

Commissioner Al Robinson, who voted against the rate increase, said, “I think it’s insignificant in a $7.3 million dollar budget. We don’t need a raise.”

Commissioner George Harris said he was comfortable raising the commercial rates to get the district more in line with the surrounding districts but was happy to only give residents a minimal increase. “It’s nice to give the residents a little break,” he said.

With the rate increases, WMFR’s projected total revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal year is $7,618,556. The new fiscal year begins on October 1.

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Vickers sentencing set

Vickers gets life in death of toddler

Written by Sun staff on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Holmes Beach.

David Vickers has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole in the death of 16-month-old Luca Scholey on Aug. 21, 2017.

Vickers was found guilty of second-degree murder and neglect of a child with great bodily harm in the death of the child.

Vickers was babysitting Luca and his sister for their mother, Melissa Scholey, when he called EMS to report the boy was not breathing. The child was flown to All Children’s Hospital where he died.

According to the Holmes Beach police report, Vickers said Luca had run into his sister while playing, but an autopsy showed signs of physical abuse, including broken ribs in stages of healing.

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School turns back the clock

School turns back the clock

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Entertainment, Events, Family fun.

HOLMES BEACH – Part of the past was unearthed last week, although it was almost lost forever.

A time capsule, buried in 1994, was unearthed near the school’s auditorium after its location was blurred over time. The Manatee County School Board had to send a tractor to expedite finding it, according to AME Principal Jackie Featherston. “Instead of burying it just a little, it was buried four feet or so,” she told the crowd at the celebration Monday morning, May 20.

school time capsule 2019
A view of the future from 1994 by Shawn LaPensee, now Shawn Shield and a mother herself. – Tom Vaught | Sun

Staff opened the plastic capsule and removed stories students wrote in 1994. Some of those students attended the ceremony and some were parents of students today. Former principal James Kronus attended the ceremony and he was mentioned a lot during the festivities.

The students put on skits for the decades, beginning in 1900 when the school was a single room building in Anna Maria. The witty skits mentioned Kronus as they unfurled another decade.

school time capsule kronus
Former principal James Kronus speaks to the students. – Tom Vaught | Sun

After the ceremony, Kronus said it was great to see everybody and he was fervent about the need to keep the school going, despite the loss of Island residents. Presently, the majority of students live off-Island and attend the Island school through the School Choice program.

Dog park supporters get answers

Dog park supporters get answers

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

HOLMES BEACH – Dog park users are feeling a bit better about the future of their pooches’ beloved outdoor space after hearing plans for the park from City Engineer Lynn Burnett.

After a misstep the week before, Burnett and Eron Wasserman from LTA Engineers met with more than a dozen interested community members during an emergency Parks and Beautification Committee meeting held at Holmes Beach City Hall. Burnett assured attendees that while some projects in the city field complex, such as the skate park, seem to be moving forward more quickly than others, there is no priority for these other projects over the planned dog park improvements.

Holmes Beach dog park Lynn Eron
City Engineer Lynn Burnett and Eron Wasserman make adjustments to a map of the dog park to help meet the needs of the park’s users. – Kristin Swain | Sun

Currently, she said demolition of the former tot lot and the skate park is in progress, followed by the relocation of the construction area in the parking area on the northeast side of the complex to the site of the former skate park near public works. The next step forward for the city field complex is to begin grading, drainage and resloping work to improve drainage in the area. During this phase, Burnett said the clay will be removed from the current baseball diamond and, once drainage work is complete, the new surfaces for the dog park will be installed. While some of the drainage and resurfacing is done, she added that the new and current dog parks will be closed due to the fencing having to be removed for a period of about 45 days. The dates that the dog park will be closed have yet to be determined though drainage and resurfacing work is expected to take place beginning in June and continue through August.

In the last 30 days of construction, currently planned for late August and September, Burnett said community members will really see the dog park begin to take shape as the ground cover is laid, fencing is put back up, shade structures are constructed, benches placed, trees planted and other elements are placed in the new park. A soft opening for the new and improved dog park is currently planned for some time in October.

Dog park users seemed pleased with the plan, with some offering suggestions including where to place the four access points planned to the park, one on each side of the fencing, how to place pathways for easy access by handicapped visitors and extending the fence between the small and large dog parks by about eight feet into the planned large dog park to give the small dogs a little more play area. The proposed expansion of the small dog park also would give Burnett the opportunity to relocate the shade structure in the small dog park to allow pet parents to view their dogs playing along the common fence line. Burnett said the shade structure in the large dog park will likely be replaced rather than moved to the new park location because she said moving it would cost more money and would damage the structure.

She recommended using both grass and a shell and sand mixture recommended by the parks and beautification committee for ground cover in the large dog park. Attendees agreed to the idea, but some were concerned that grass in some areas would be worn away by frequent use even with irrigation in the park.

In the future, Burnett said that more public meetings would be held for updates on improvements as the project progresses, beginning with the capital improvement plan update planned to be presented during a future city commission budget work session.

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Dog park users disappointed with lack of progress

Dog park construction on hold

Dog park users concerned with city field improvements

Tree house case back in court

Tree house case back in court

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

BRADENTON – The beachfront tree house at Angelinos Sea Lodge is back in the city of Holmes Beach’s crosshairs as the case goes back to Manatee County Circuit Court to be heard by Judge Edward Nicholas.

Both sides met in chambers April 29 to discuss the city’s motion for summary judgment and tree house owners Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen’s complaint for declaratory judgment and a more definitive statement from the city.

The attorney for the owners, David Levin, told Nicholas that the complaint for declaratory judgment was filed on behalf of his clients in 2013 and was never heard. Now that the complaint is being heard, he asked for the opportunity to update the complaint to include all of the activity on the case in the past six years. Attorney Jim Dye, representing the city, did not object to the request and commended Levin for bringing the issue up before the court. Nicholas granted the request, giving Levin 20 days to submit the amended motion and the city 20 days after that to respond before the complaint is heard by the court.

Also to be heard with that motion is the city’s motion for summary judgment. The city’s motion, submitted by Dye, requests that the court rule in favor of the city without further delay, requiring Tran and Hazen to not only remove the tree house from its Australian pine and wooden pole supported perch on the beach but to also pay the mounting code enforcement violation fines, which accrue daily for as long as the tree house remains aloft, along with other assessed fines and attorney fees.

The code enforcement fines alone amount to over $65,000. If granted, the motion would also allow the city to forcibly remove the tree house if the owners refused to take down the structure.

Levin said the owners’ complaint for declaratory judgment was filed prior to the code enforcement hearing in 2013.

Nicholas said that he doesn’t believe it matters in what order the two cases are heard. He said that if the motion for summary judgment was heard first and he ruled in favor of the city that he would stay the ruling until the motion for dismissal could be heard.

A date to hear both motions is planned to be scheduled for some time in the summer.

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Vickers sentencing set

Vickers sentencing set

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

BRADENTON – David Vickers’ future will be announced on May 20 after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and neglect of a child with great bodily harm in the death of 17-month-old Luca Sholey on Aug. 21, 2017, in Holmes Beach. The crimes carry a minimum sentence of life with a chance of prison release possible. The maximum is life without a chance of release.

According to the police report, EMS responded to call of a child not breathing and unresponsive. He was taken to Blake Medical Center and then airlifted to All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, where he died. The cause of death was asphyxiation, according to the police report. There were indications that the child suffered respiratory distress plus broken ribs and laceration of the lips and mouth.

Vickers was the babysitter for the child while the mother, Melissa Sholey, worked. The report said Vickers was often alone with the child.

The prosecution is seeking the maximum sentence.

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Dog park users disappointed with lack of progress

Dog park users disappointed with lack of progress

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

HOLMES BEACH – Little visible movement has been made on the city’s plans to relocated and improve the dog park, and it’s leaving users feeling frustrated.

During the May 1 Holmes Beach Parks and Beautification Committee meeting, City Engineer Lynn Burnett was expected to uphold a commitment made during her second quarter capital improvement projects update to city commissioners, that she would present resurfacing, grading and drainage plans at the committee’s May meeting. Several dog park users showed up to hear about Burnett’s plans for the park, but Burnett herself was a no-show and her associate, Eron Wasserman, said that he had no plans for the dog park to present.

Resident and dog park advocate Renee Ferguson said that she, along with other park users, felt frustrated after helping to develop a plan for the park, being put on hold due to the renovation of the city field complex and then seeing no action being taken on the dog park while plans are in action for the skate park and other facilities.

“We seem to be put at the end of the agenda rather than the beginning of the agenda,” she said, adding that the dog park is one of, if not the most utilized park in the city.

Park user Terry Green said that he has several concerns about previously presented plans for the park, including parking, access to entrances from parking areas and whether or not the existing dog park pavilions will be saved and reused in the new location.

Parks and beautification committee Chair Zan Fuller said that she understands the frustration felt by park users. She said that committee members hadn’t seen updated or detailed plans for the new park facilities either and agreed to attempt to set up a meeting between the interested parties and Burnett for the week of May 8. A meeting was held May 7 after press time for The Sun.

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Commissioner proposes unique solution to noise

Commissioner proposes unique solution to noise

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioner Kim Rash wants city leaders to follow the letter of the law, particularly where it involves the enforcement of the city’s noise ordinance.

Rash brought up noise in residential areas during the April 23 regular meeting. He said that the noise from vacation rentals in residential areas remains a large problem for residents. With some rentals being occupied for less than the required seven days and other over posted capacity, Rash said he wants to make sure that no one is exempted from the city’s noise ordinance, including children. His argument is that the noise ordinance governing the levels of acceptable noise during day and nighttime hours does not single out an age group to apply to, so it should be applied to everyone equally.

“I don’t see anything where any age group is exempted from our code. We have the decimal reader and that covers everybody,” he said. “I’ve heard different people say we’re not going to give kids citations even though they’re breaking our code. My thing is noise is noise and it doesn’t matter if you’re one or 91.”

Mayor Judy Titsworth didn’t agree with Rash’s idea.

“Do you want us to cite children playing in pools?” she asked Rash.

“If people are violating our noise ordinance, they need to be cited,” Rash replied.

Titsworth said the city’s residential neighborhoods are not 55 plus communities and are open to families. She added that she hopes to attract more families to the area rather than deter them through police presence.

“Once we start citing children in pools people will leave and never come back,” she said. Rather than giving a citation to children or their families for loud horseplay outside during the day, Titsworth said she prefers to have code enforcement officers visit the property who greet the family in a friendly manner, bring gifts for the children and gently remind visitors that they’re vacationing in a residential neighborhood.

Rash replied that while he loves children, visitors to the city and the rental agents who manage properties need to follow the rules, including the noise ordinance. Rather than discourage families from coming to the Island, he said his hope is to create balance between visitors and residents so that everyone can enjoy the residential neighborhoods. He added that he would like to see occupancy enforced during the day time, rather than just for overnight visitors, to prevent backyard parties at rental properties during the day.

Police Chief Bill Tokajer said that while overnight occupancy limits can’t be enforced during the day, his department is ready to respond to noise complaints, including those generated by a large group of people gathering at one property.

City Attorney Patricia Petruff said that she doesn’t know how occupancy can be enforced during the day because property owners and renters are allowed to have guests visit the property as long as they don’t exceed maximum occupancy of two people per bedroom or six people maximum, whichever is greater, at night.

In a letter to city leaders, resident Renee Ferguson followed up on Rash’s comments, saying that with the high price of property on Anna Maria Island, she feels that young families have been largely priced out of living in the area, leaving the population primarily a mix of visitors and retirees, in her estimation.

“No one that bought here to live full time signed on to be responsible for making sure our visitors are entertained and have a good time. I sure never agreed to that when I built my home,” Ferguson’s letter states.

“Our chief states clearly in a newspaper letter (Feb 26th) that day time noise is “normal conversation.” Screaming kids in a pool is not normal conversation. If this is occurring, then the renter should be cited. Our police and code enforcement have the tools they need to enforce.

“Residents have asked to make clearer to management companies what our ordinances state,” the letter continues. “The clingers, (small instruction signs) showing kids playing in the pool, states a message of being “respectful.” That message alone could mean something different to each reader. We need something clearer. Normal conversation is acceptable, screaming is not.

“If we just follow our own codes, the residents and visitors could enjoy the best the Island has to offer. Beautiful sunsets, clean beaches and fun times,” she wrote.

While no resolution was achieved with regard to daytime noise, Titsworth did say that the city’s noise ordinance will soon come before commissioners to consider changes to the fine structure.

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Aeration plans take shape for Spring Lake

Aeration plans take shape for Spring Lake

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

HOLMES BEACH – Relief is coming to the residents located around Spring Lake in the form of an aeration system for the ailing body of water.

City leaders have been searching for a way to help repair the damage done to the lake by a lift station leak back in 2016 that left the water polluted and acidic. At a previous meeting, City Engineer Lynn Burnett and her associate, Eron Wasserman, from LTA Engineers, gave commissioners two proposals – one for an aeration system and another for dredging. Due to the large cost of dredging and lack of access to the lake, commissioners opted for the aeration system during their April 23 meeting.

The aeration system involves an air compressor planned to be placed on an existing concrete pad near the northwest corner of the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church property, an air filtration system on the opposite side of Palm Drive, and a system of pipes running to the bottom of Spring Lake. The pipes, which will push air bubbles into the lake 24 hours a day, are capable of turning over the entire lake twice in one 24-hour period, moving around seven million gallons of water. A sound abatement apparatus is planned to be placed over the compressor, reducing the noise produced to about the same as what comes from a modern pool pump.

Burnett said she hopes that using the aeration system will create an oxygenated, uniform column of water in the lake that will be able to support marine life.

The lake is filled tidally via an outflow pipe running under Palm Drive from the Grand Canal near Gloria Dei. This naturally brackish water system will be retained.

To get the one-foot layer of algae off the bottom of the lake, Burnett and Wasserman said they are researching types of marine life that could thrive in the lake and eat the algae, leaving behind a two-foot deep layer of clean silt in the bottom of the manmade lake.

The cost to install the aeration system is estimated at $4,608.31 with around $380 annually in maintenance costs and around $2,000 for an electricity hookup from Florida Power and Light. Water quality testing is estimated at about $200 for bi-annual testing.

“I think it’s a go,” Commissioner Carol Soustek said.

Commissioner Kim Rash said he’d spoken with several residents in the area and found that more are in favor of installing the aeration system than attempting to dredge Spring Lake.

“It’s a good start,” Commissioner Jim Kihm said of installing the aeration system.

Mayor Judy Titsworth said she’s observed minnows in Spring Lake recently, along with jumping mullet.

“It is getting healthy,” she said of the water quality. “All we’ve got to do is keep it healthy.”

The aeration system is expected to be installed and operational by the end of May as long as the final contract passes legal review with the city attorney.

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Four chosen for chamber scholarships

Four chosen for chamber scholarships

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Anna Maria, Anna Maria Island, Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, Bradenton Beach, Community News, Holmes Beach.

The four members of the Anna Maria Island Scholarship Committee – Bev Lesnick, Wendy Webb, Mike Southwick and Amy Tobin – distributed scholarships to four students at a ceremony on Thursday, April 19 at the Chamber.

The four scholars were chosen from a record number of applicants, according to Chamber President Terri Kinder.

This has been the highest application response the program has seen. Applicants came from a wide variety of Manatee County schools including St. Stephens, Manatee, Bayshore, Lakewood Ranch, Southeast, Palmetto, Manatee School for the Arts, Bradenton Christian and State College of Florida.

The recipients are:

  • Emma Johnson, a Manatee High School senior, who took first place in the Manatee Science Fair. Johnson has volunteered her time as president of the Science National Honor Society, a member of the Key Club, marching band, private tutor and after-care teacher. Her GPA of 4.0 unweighted and 4.7155 weighted makes her the number one ranked senior in her class. She plans to attend Bates College in Lewiston, Maine for a degree in Biology.
  • Ava Clinton, a senior at Manatee School for the Arts has balanced leadership in clubs, volunteer work or working 25 to 30 hours a week while she maintained her class ranking as first in her senior class. Coming from a single parent home she learned to be creative, such as in competing in the “Recycled Dreams Fashion Competition.” She constructed a ball gown out of Walmart shopping bags and cereal boxes to win it. Ava has overcome many challenges to become successful in college already through the Early Admissions program. She will study Biology and Environmental Science at the University of Florida.
  • Gabriela Guardiola will be the first in her family to pursue a post-secondary education. As a student at Bayshore High School, she was involved in the AVID (Achievement Via Individual Determination) college prep program. While maintaining herself in the top one percent of her class of 350 Gabriela also will attain her A.A. degree at the same time, she graduates with her high school diploma. She aspires to become a forensic psychologist to help rehabilitate mentally ill people in the community, those who have harmed others and themselves. To achieve this goal Gabriela wishes to enroll at Florida Gulf Coast University.
  • Bayshore High School senior Orbilia Matiano has shown the motivation to achieve her scholastic goals, evidenced by the AVID 4.0 GPA award while actively involved in the Key Club, school newspaper, JROTC and taking leadership roles. Her desire is to obtain her Associate’s degree in diagnostic medical sonography at State College of Florida.        This scholarship is a new one from the Chamber for students who want to study, graduate and work in Manatee County. It is called Stay, Learn and Live.