Skip to main content

Tag: Holmes Beach

Holmes Beach mayor Joshua Linney

Postcard causes issue for mayoral candidate

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

Holmes Beach mayoral candidate Josh Linney is again coming under fire, this time for offering an hour of free technical support on his election postcard mailing.

Offering anything of monetary value in election mailings, including services, is a violation of Florida law because it implies that candidates are paying for votes.

The catch with Linney’s mailing is that, according to his company site, Digital Verb, he doesn’t charge for an hour of technical support, only labor, which is listed at $50 per hour.

According to Sharon Stief, chief deputy at the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections office, the statement on the postcard is in violation of Florida Statute 104.061 which states: “No person shall directly or indirectly give or promise anything of value to another intending thereby to buy that person’s or another’s vote.”

Linney argues that while he’s aware of the law, the statute doesn’t apply to him because the offered service has no monetary value.

“I think it’s important that it be known, the postcard doesn’t change the price or make it free, it’s always free. There isn’t any cash value, never has been because I don’t charge people,” Linney told The Sun.

Linney said that rather than offering a service to voters for their support of his campaign, he hopes that the offer on his campaign postcards will be taken as an opportunity for him to interact with the public. He said in exchange for answering residents’ questions he wants residents to tell him how, if elected, he could work to make Holmes Beach better.

“I just want to engage with the community,” he said. “I’ll do whatever they need. I’ll clean their house if they want me to.”

In an emailed statement, Linney wrote, “I don’t think it’s fair to ask hardworking residents, citizens and merchants to take time out of their day if I’m not willing to do the same. If someone has a problem and they think I have the solution, I’m willing to take the time to go meet with them personally to see if I can help them. If any in the city of Holmes Beach has anything they want me to hear about anything or wants to ask me any question any time, I’ll go to them personally to hear it. That’s the way it should be.”

The statement on his campaign postcard causes an issue because generally, technical support does come at a cost, particularly in-home assistance. Without a complaint to the state elections board that would have to be investigated, the issue won’t move forward or pose a threat to remove Linney from candidacy in Holmes Beach.

Linney said that right now he has no plans to re-release the postcard mailing without the offer, however, he said he will if necessary.

No complaints have yet been filed with the Florida Elections Commission concerning Linney’s election postcard.

Absentee voting already is underway in Holmes Beach. Early voting begins Oct. 24 in Manatee County. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Michael brushes past Anna Maria Island

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Featured, Weather.

Hurricane Michael made landfall at Panama City around 2 p.m. as a category 4 storm with 155 mph winds, and has since dropped to 140 mph winds, moving north/northeast at 15 mph, according to NOAA.

Anna Maria Island saw few effects today, with localized flooding, intermittent rain showers and high surf, which brought out surfers and pushed the Gulf of Mexico high onto the beaches at high tide around 2 p.m.

Local tropical storm and storm surge watches have been lifted, but high surf and rip current advisories remain.

NOAA forecasts south/southwesterly winds subsiding Thursday to 20-25 mph, gusting as high as 36 mph, with a 60 percent chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms and a high around 89 degrees.

A sea turtle nest falls victim to washover in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael passing Anna Maria Island Wednesday. - Kristin Swain | Sun

A sea turtle nest falls victim to washover in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael passing Anna Maria Island Wednesday. - Kristin Swain | Sun

Water crept high on this dock in Holmes Beach as high tide approached this afternoon. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Water crept high on this dock in Holmes Beach as high tide approached this afternoon. - Cindy Lane | Sun

The sidewalk beside Holmes Beach City Field flooded from rainwater associated with Hurricane Michael this morning. - Cindy Lane | Sun

The sidewalk beside Holmes Beach City Field flooded from rainwater associated with Hurricane Michael this morning. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Surfers took advantage of waves during Hurricane Michael at Twin Piers in Bradenton Beach on Wednesday. - Joe Hendricks | Sun

Surfers took advantage of waves during Hurricane Michael at Twin Piers in Bradenton Beach on Wednesday. - Joe Hendricks | Sun

The Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria closed today. - Joe Hendricks | Sun

The Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria closed today. - Joe Hendricks | Sun

The Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria closed today. - Joe Hendricks | Sun

The Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria closed today. - Joe Hendricks | Sun

The boats in the Bradenton Beach anchorage fared well today as Hurricane Michael passed by. - Joe Hendricks | Sun

The boats in the Bradenton Beach anchorage fared well today as Hurricane Michael passed by. - Joe Hendricks | Sun

The water was high near the Bridge Street Pier Wednesday, but the boats in the anchorage are faring well. - Joe Hendricks | Sun

The water was high near the Bridge Street Pier Wednesday, but the boats in the anchorage are faring well. - Joe Hendricks | Sun

Wading birds in Holmes Beach got new feeding grounds from Hurricane Michael today. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Wading birds in Holmes Beach got new feeding grounds from Hurricane Michael today. - Cindy Lane | Sun

This morning, Anna Maria Island showed evidence of extremely high tides overnight. - Cindy Lane | Sun

This morning, Anna Maria Island showed evidence of extremely high tides overnight. - Cindy Lane | Sun

A child chases retreating waves Wednesday on Manatee Public Beach as Hurricane Michael passes offshore. - Kristin Swain | Sun

A child chases retreating waves Wednesday on Manatee Public Beach as Hurricane Michael passes offshore. - Kristin Swain | Sun

Water slid up a driveway this morning in Holmes Beach. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Water slid up a driveway this morning in Holmes Beach. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Waves and sea foam reached far up the shoreline Wednesday at Manatee Public Beach. The foam appeared to contain red tide. - Kristin Swain | Sun

Waves and sea foam reached far up the shoreline Wednesday at Manatee Public Beach. The foam appeared to contain red tide. - Kristin Swain | Sun

As the clouds blew away from Holmes Beach, the surf rose along the shoreline this afternoon before high tide. - Kristin Swain | Sun

As the clouds blew away from Holmes Beach, the surf rose along the shoreline this afternoon before high tide. - Kristin Swain | Sun

A line in the sand in Holmes Beach shows that the Gulf waters rose well up the beach as Hurricane Michael passed the Island Wednesday. - Kristin Swain | Sun

A line in the sand in Holmes Beach shows that the Gulf waters rose well up the beach as Hurricane Michael passed the Island Wednesday. - Kristin Swain | Sun

A family waded in the Gulf as Hurricane Michael approached. - Chantelle Lewin | Sun

A family waded in the Gulf as Hurricane Michael approached. - Chantelle Lewin | Sun

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ7WBXp0wjU[/embedyt]

Related coverage

Hurricane Michael brushing Anna Maria Island

Island cities prepare for Hurricane Michael

 

 

home renovation front

Homeowners opt for retro renovation

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

HOLMES BEACH – In a time when many homeowners are rebuilding or giving a modern renovation to their homes, one family is turning back the clock on their Island home all the way to 1963.

Sean and Mary Anne Muniz purchased their Island home on 73rd Street in Holmes Beach in January 2018, a place they’ve dubbed Beach Haven. When they purchased the home, it featured a more modern kitchen, tile floors and a few hints as to its mid-century original grandeur.

Rather than tearing down the home and rebuilding or renovating to provide more modern amenities, the Muniz family decided to go another route. They’re remodeling the home and restoring it back to the year it was built, 1963, with the mother/daughter team of Mary Anne and Gillian Muniz leading the charge.

All of the furniture in the home is authentic to the 1960’s, including these reproduction chairs and the vases adorning the wall. – Kristin Swain | Sun

Mary Anne and Gillian are choosing everything for the house from paint colors, to specially made period-specific tiles for the kitchen, furniture and accessories to reflect the original period of the home. Only a few concessions have been made to provide modern conveniences including putting a new roof on the home, internet and cable services, placing a television on a 1960’s reproduction room divider, and replacing the kitchen appliances with modern antique reproductions. One of the more amusing aspects of the renovation, Mary Anne said, is watching her children, Robbie and Gillian, react to some of the antique pieces, such as a rotary phone.

“I wish I would’ve recorded that because it was pretty funny,” she recalled of the incident, explaining to her children how the phone works.

Currently, work is underway to remove the ceramic tile from the home, uncovering and refinishing the original terrazzo flooring. Once the flooring is complete, kitchen renovations will begin.

home reno calendar
A wall calendar from 1963 is just one of the many unique and period-specific touches in the Muniz home. – Mary Anne Muniz | Submitted

All of the lighting, accessories and decorative touches for the home have been carefully tracked down and lovingly selected by Mary Anne and Gillian from vintage shops and authentic reproduction companies.

While most of the furniture in the home is reproduction pieces, great care and a lot of research was done by the two women to make sure that it’s authentic to the time period before it earned its place in the home. Much of the furniture they’ve selected is made by Heywood Wakefield, a company specializing in mid-century modern furniture that has been in business since 1897.

Upon entering the home, the first thing that visitors will notice is the vintage cinderblock wall shading the porch with cutouts to allow a breeze through. The porch is decorated with a vintage reproduction seat grouping. Entering through the front door, there is a dining room with a vintage 1963 wall calendar decorating one wall and the kitchen waiting to be restored on one side. On the other are the living area with three bedrooms and two bathrooms off to the side.

home reno vases
Four square style glass vases from the 1960’s adorn a wall in the home’s living area. – Kristin Swain | Sun

Gillian, however, makes her home in the attached pool house area featuring its own bathroom and separate entrance. From the living area, large windows and sliding glass doors give a lovely view of the outdoor patio area and fully restored pool.

Restoration work isn’t the only retro thing the family is planning to do with the property. While the Muniz’s plan to one day make the Island their full-time home, once renovations are complete they plan to periodically rent the home through Anna Maria Vacations to help make their dream a reality, a practice common prior to the economic hardships suffered in the mid-2000s. The family currently makes their full-time home in Minnesota.

You can follow the home’s journey back to 1963 on their Beach Haven social media page.

Holmes Beach logo OLD

Twenty-nine new Bert Harris claims come to Holmes Beach

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

HOLMES BEACH – In the last week to file Bert Harris claims with Holmes Beach regarding the city’s vacation rental ordinance, 29 new claims found their way to city hall with a total value of $8,031,000 if city leaders choose to accept the proposed settlement amounts.

Twenty-two of the claims, with property owners represented by attorney Aaron Thomas, came in on Sept. 28 with a total value of $5,664,000. All of the claims listed the reason for filing for loss of property value with the city were due to reductions in occupancy in the short-term rentals. Occupancy in Holmes Beach in short-term rentals is limited to two people per bedroom or six people total, whichever is greater, including children and infants.

One claim found its way to city hall Oct. 1 requesting compensation from the city amounting to $250,000, claiming property loss due to a reduction in occupancy. The property owner also is represented by Thomas.

Just under the deadline, six claims were received at city hall on Oct. 2 amounting to $2,117,000 in requests for compensation. All of the property owners are represented by attorney Scott Rudacille.

While all six claims list occupancy as a reason for filing for compensation due to property value loss, one claim also lists loss of future land use as a reason and two list restrictions on the number of bedrooms allowed for new construction for short-term rental properties. The city’s ordinances restrict the number of bedrooms on new construction to four per single family home or two bedrooms per side of a duplex for short-term rental properties.

The 29 claims were in response to a postcard mailing sent out by city hall Oct. 1, 2017, advising property owners of their rights under the Bert Harris Act and the vacation rental ordinances previously passed by commissioners. Property owners were given one year from receipt of the postcard to file Bert Harris claims. Now city leaders have 150 days from receipt of the claims to respond or offer a settlement to property owners.

Freckled Fin purchase

New owners take over The Freckled Fin

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Business.

HOLMES BEACH – If you’ve noticed any changes at The Freckled Fin since Oct. 1 it might be due to the restaurant’s new ownership.

Holmes Beach resident and Commissioner Rick Hurst, along with Island residents and friends Guy Yatros, Rick Cloutier and Sean McCarthy purchased the restaurant, taking over management at the first of the month. Hurst said that eventually, McCarthy will take over day-to-day operations of the restaurant. Right now, the project is something the four friends are excited to work on together.

“We’ve always wanted to do it,” Hurst said of purchasing a restaurant. He said he and his friends enjoy going to The Freckled Fin and “thought that’s a great place with a great atmosphere,” so when the business became available, Hurst said they took advantage of the opportunity.

“It’s pretty much a turnkey operation,” he said.

Going forward, patrons will see some changes or tweaks coming to the restaurant, Hurst said. One of the more notable changes being enacted immediately is that patrons will no longer have to order at the bar. Hurst said one of the biggest complaints he heard from patrons was a lack of table service, so the new management has decided to remedy the situation, along with considering replacement of the restaurant’s credit card system to simplify card processing and allow patrons to tip after the card is run by servers.

Another change Hurst said they hope to make is to simplify the menu over time. While the same chefs and staff are planned to remain at The Freckled Fin, Hurst said some changes may come to the menu in the way of a concentration on fresh food and paring down menu selections. He said the plan is to find out which items patrons prefer and to “get good at select things rather than be average at a lot of things.” During this process, the new owners are hoping to receive feedback from the community about which menu items are favorites and which ones patrons would prefer not change. He said anyone concerned about a favorite menu item changing should let management and restaurant workers know.

Management also is evaluating the sound system to see if there are any improvements needed. Hurst said they want to be very conscious of noise and respectful of residential neighbors.

Right now, Hurst said they’re just trying to get into the swing of things and provide patrons with an experience that just gets better with each visit.

“We like the place; that’s why we bought it,” he said. “We saw some areas for improvement and really hope to make it better.”

The Freckled Fin is at 5337 Gulf Drive, Suite 600 in Holmes Beach.

Spring Lake

Spring Lake pollution continues to be a problem

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

HOLMES BEACH – After residents voiced their concerns to city hall, Mayor Bob Johnson said the city plans to address the issues at Spring Lake.

The once-clear saltwater lake, located between Clark and Palm drives, is a man-made feature built over a bubbling spring where residents used to be able to swim and fish. But the days of stepping in the water are over, at least for now. The water is murky, full of silt and a Manatee County engineering analysis of the lake showed highly elevated levels of dissolved solids, chloride and salt in the dark waters.

Palm Drive resident Boyd Grayson, in a letter to Holmes Beach commissioners, said that before the water turned brown and murky, fish were abundant in the lake along with blue crabs, families of ducks and many other types of birds, all making Spring Lake a desirable place to live.

Part of the pollution problem now stems from an incident that happened in late 2015 when a county lift station leaked more than 20,000 gallons of sewage into the lake. When the sewage leaked, it created a large fish kill and left debris on the bottom of the lake that killed vegetation.

Though Manatee County had the lake cleaned and deemed the water suitable once again for fishing, few fish came back to Spring Lake. One reason is that piping that connects Spring Lake to the waters of the bay, running underneath homes and streets to the large canal near Gloria Dei Lutheran Church commonly known as Grand Canal, is partially blocked.

The piping is a part of a project by the city to replace aging and failing infrastructure. The pipe is scheduled to be cleaned out and slip-lined with a new pipe before being fitted with a WaStop valve. The valve is designed to prevent debris and tidal waters from entering the pipe from the bay but will allow water out of the pipe.

While this means that silt won’t be able to enter Spring Lake through the pipe anymore, it also means that the waters of the lake won’t be replenished with fish or water from the bay.

Johnson said in an October commission meeting that he’s in the preliminary stages of coming up with a system to agitate the water in the lake, similarly to the way the spring underneath the lake used to bubble up. Because the fresh water lens underneath the Island is depleted, uncapping the spring is unlikely to bring any new water to the lake at this time. He said a benefit of the city’s new stormwater drainage system is that it’s supposed to help replenish that freshwater lens.

Commissioner Carol Soustek said she recently visited Spring Lake with code enforcement officers and wants to find a way to clean the sediment from the water.

Commissioner Judy Titsworth agreed.

“I think it’s horrible,” she said of the situation at the lake. “We need to make an effort to get it back into shape.”

She suggested using bags of oysters to help filter the water while city leaders come up with a more permanent solution to the problem.

Johnson said he hopes to have a formal discussion with commissioners at an October meeting to determine how to best clean the lake and repair any ongoing pollution issues.

Holmes Beach city field proposal

Dog park users concerned with city field improvements

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

HOLMES BEACH – New plans are emerging from city engineer Lynn Burnett for a master plan to remodel the existing city field complex and add new amenities, including bocce ball courts and horseshoe pits. She’s also brought to commissioners’ attention an idea to install a jogging track around the entire complex.

However, dog park users are concerned that these plans mean planned updates to the city’s small and large dog parks may be years down the road.

The idea of a master plan for city field was first introduced by commissioners after a presentation from dog park users and members of the city’s Parks and Beautification Committee on recommended dog park improvements in the spring. User Renee Ferguson, who helped formulate the plans for the dog park, said in an email to The Sun that the idea of a master plan being broached after months of meetings and planning for the dog park surprised her. Once commissioners decided to pursue a master plan for the park complex, Ferguson said she fears necessary improvements may never come to the dog park.

Improvements recommended by the dog park users and committee members include new drainage and ground cover, additional benches, trees to provide shade, new fencing, potable water stations for dogs and their human companions, and additional entrances and exits to both dog parks for canine and companion safety. In its current state, the dog parks lack shade, the grass has been worn down or away in some areas and parts of the park flood during rainstorms, creating a muddy mess for dog owners.

Dog park user Don Anthony said in an email to The Sun that it feels like the voices of the dog owners have not been heard and that all of the planning done for improvements to the park was wasted time, with months passing and no improvements to the park being made.

Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson said the plans haven’t been abandoned, but they are on hold while a master plan is created by Burnett, to be approved by commissioners. Right now, the only enhancements planned to the current park include the installation of shade structures with moveable anchors that can be relocated when or if the dog park is moved. The shade structures are expected to be in place within the next two weeks.

In an email to The Sun, Commissioner Judy Titsworth, running for mayor in the November election, said she doesn’t feel that the dog park has received the attention it deserves from city leaders. She committed to making improvements to the dog park a top priority for city leaders to ensure that the planning already done for enhancements isn’t lost in the shuffle of the city field master plan.

Commissioners have not yet voted to accept either of the city field park plans proposed by Burnett.

Commissioner Rick Hurst addressed one concern of dog park users saying the intention in including the dog park in the city field master plan is to better utilize the available space. He said that there are no plans to decrease the size of the small or large dog parks.

As commissioners consider the master plan renovations, Ferguson said she’d like for commissioners to take special care to include the parking needs of the dog park and skate park, including the need to have nearby parking available. She also said rather than spend money to maintain a ball field that she sees little use being made of, she’d like to see the baseball diamond turned into more multi-use field space. Another consideration for commissioners, Ferguson said, is to make sure that wherever amenities including the dog park and skate park are located within the complex, it should be determined if the location of the amenities will cause noise problems for nearby residents.

Anthony said rather than move the dog parks, he’d just like to see improvements made to the current location, particularly resurfacing of the park and added drainage to combat flooding.

With the election approaching in November with the mayor’s seat, along with two commission seats up for grabs, both Ferguson and Anthony said the timing of any decisions could create an issue in implementation. For her part, Ferguson said she expects the process of planning improvements to begin again after the election, hopefully with implementation at the dog park to be a priority for city leaders.

Police officers doing their job

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Feature, Guest column, Opinion.

By William L. Tokajer

Holmes Beach Chief of Police

As I watch this election season come upon us, I do so with disbelief as to the way this city’s police and code officers are again the target for attacks.

They work extremely hard to keep this city safe and should be applauded for their actions to protect Holmes Beach residents and visitors.

I believe the Holmes Beach Police Department and its police and code officers should be recognized for its proactive actions: distributing window clings and informative security fliers, as well as personally knocking on doors in the target areas, reminding people they are vacationing in a residential area and that noise should be kept to a respectful level.

I believe facts support our actions, and people are seeing a positive difference in their neighborhoods — a remarkable decrease in calls for service in the targeted area. In one year, the outreach program has shown a decrease in calls for service of 75 percent.

This outreach program is working!

Through proactive, high visibility policing, the HBPD has reduced crime, while increasing traffic enforcement and arrests, including high profile arrests, such as the recent home invasion burglary and attack of a resident.

Some say Holmes Beach is a little sleepy town with no crime. And yes, almost all of Holmes Beach residents are wonderful law-abiding citizens, but we also have unwelcome visitors. This is evident in the increase in arrests from 121 in 2012 to 400 arrests in 2017 — a 230 percent increase in five years.

Holmes Beach is increasingly becoming a very popular place to live and vacation, which results in the city being an ideal target for criminals.

The Holmes Beach Police Department has implemented and improved community outreach with National Night Out, Coffee with a Cop, Rascal program, RADKids – a self-empowerment for kids program – House watch program and joint functions with other agencies. For a small department, I’m proud of our accomplishments.

It’s my hope that this election year, we all look at the positive advancements that have been accomplished in a very short period, and avoid calling out easy targets: the hard-working professionals that proudly serve as members of the Holmes Beach Police Department and code enforcement.

Holmes Beach mayoral candidates

Mayoral candidates speak out

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

HOLMES BEACH – Mayoral candidates Joshua Linney and Judy Titsworth are ready for the November election. The two took to the dais at city hall to answer questions from Sun readers during the 2018 candidate forum held Sept. 19.

Abbreviated answers to some questions from the forum are below but, to hear all the questions, answers and rebuttals, visit The Sun’s social media page.

In your opinion, what is the job of the mayor?

Linney: “The job of the mayor is to dutifully execute the will of the commission and represent the city in a legal capacity. I think that I am pretty much trying to mimic that now without even having been elected.”

Titsworth: “The mayor is the chief executive officer of the city and he’s administrator of all the city affairs as it relates to our city charter. He’s a leader and it’s important that he’s a responsive leader and that he speaks with the residents, the businesses, embraces the commission and their legislative duties and administrates the staff effectively.”

How do you think the three Island mayors can work together to better address common issues?

Linney: “Well I think it’s very important that we work together.”

Titsworth: “I’ve seen a lot of improvement and I want to thank them all for that… I think consolidation on the loss of home rule and things that we’re all dealing with together, consolidating ideas, consolidating solutions, sharing things, but I don’t think it’s just our only three Island cities, I think we need to reach out farther.”

What do you think is the biggest issue facing the city today and how would you approach dealing with it?

Linney: “There’s a number of them. First, there’s management. Nothing matters if you don’t do it right and if all we keep doing is changing the problem or shifting the problem or not actually addressing the problem we’re not going to get anything done. I think the management of the city is key and that’s number one.”

Titsworth: “The biggest challenge is water rise and stormwater management because we’re a barrier island… An issue is the loss of home rule. Our hands are tied on so many avenues that we used to be able to use to effectively police our communities.”

How would you help reduce the effects of red tide on the community?

Linney: “Shifting the algae into the ocean isn’t a solution, it’s just a different pileup… why haven’t they found a solution to redistribute the algae onto the land, letting the water run through and then taking the product that is the result which is nutrient rich because it’s blooming and use it to fertilize the cane fields it’s coming off of. It seems like solutions like this would be easier than pumping it all the way over 300 miles to the west just so we can push all the other algae north. It just doesn’t make sense.”

Titsworth: “As mayor get to Tallahassee. As mayor get to Vern Buchanan. As mayor just get the word out as best as possible about the amount of loss from our restaurants, from our motels, from our resort housing. Yes, we’re all enjoying the no one on the streets right now but we had to pay a really hefty price for that and that’s not right. We have to find a solution.”

How would you describe your city today to a stranger?

Linney: “Paradise. I don’t care what you say or where you go, all the things the city’s been through in the 43 years I’ve been here it’s still paradise.”

Titsworth: “It’s home. Period.”

Related coverage

Commission candidates speak out on the issues

Holmes Beach commission candidates

Commission candidates speak out on the issues

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

HOLMES BEACH – It’s getting closer to November and the day when residents will go out to the polls to cast their vote for who will take the two available seats on the city commission.

To help voters make their decision, The Sun hosted its 2018 candidate forum Sept. 19 at Holmes Beach City Hall with candidates Pat Morton, Don Purvis and Kim Rash. Candidate answers to some of the top questions asked are below. To hear the entire forum, visit The Sun Facebook page.

What, in your opinion, is the job of a commissioner?

Morton: “My theory of being a commissioner for a few years now is that I talk with the citizens and with the community. If they come to me with something, I work with them to try to get the best for each.”

Purvis: “I believe the responsibility of the job is truly to represent all the residents here and I think that requires somebody who is moving in multiple different circles, knows a lot of different people, is involved in different aspects of our community and whether that’s understanding what’s going on with small business or what’s going on right now in R-2, in R-1, what’s going on, all of those things matter.”

Rash: “To represent the residents of Holmes Beach. To listen to them and see what their needs are as a resident.”

If elected, what are your top three priorities to tackle?

Morton: “My big thing is infrastructure. It was let go for so many years. Now we’re in the process of getting it processed through. The second, my biggest thing is bicycle and pedestrian safety… the life safety of the Island. We need to get beach accesses opened up, so they can go to pick somebody up.”

Purvis: “Well I would say for me that number one is, as we look at the impact tourism has had on our city for all of us, where that is, where it’s been, where it is now, and, most importantly, where that’s headed and how to responsibly move forward in that manner. Number two, right now for me is infrastructure… third for me is pedestrian/cyclist safety.”

Rash: “Again, I think the top three things all have to do with residents. One, I’ve been out walking and talking and what I’ve been hearing the past couple weeks is all about property taxes. How their property taxes just keep going up and if they don’t raise the millage their property value goes up so they’re writing a larger check this year than they did last year…The other thing is a peaceful way of life for the residents… the third thing is I think we need tighter restrictions for the demo of properties and the building of new houses to make sure they’re built right and they’re not inconveniencing the whole neighborhood while they’re building them.”

What do you see as the hardest task the city has to deal with right now?

Morton: “I would say the rental program, getting that up to where it needs to be.”

Purvis: “I would say the biggest challenge… is cooperation.”

Rash: “I think keeping residents is the hardest task the city has to deal with right now.”

Are there issues that you think the city isn’t handling effectively? How do you propose to improve the city’s approach?

Morton: “We’re working things through, but it takes time to get there.”

Purvis: “Well, you know, the issue that probably jumps out biggest to me and this is once again, not a knock against anybody, it’s just that in my business every day I see vacation renters, I see people come in to purchase property, wanting, having the same dream we did of having the opportunity to live here one day and I realize that the best way to get a lot of these people who come to our city to understand what is expected of them is to get ahold of them before they get here.”

Rash: “The biggest things they have to deal with is the traffic.”

How would you describe your city to a stranger?

Morton: “I think we have a very friendly city here. The people here are very into what’s going on and I think we’re in tune to what’s going on.”

Purvis: “It’s paradise. There’s a reason why when we stumbled upon it we made sure to find a way to make this where we would end up.”

Rash: “We have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world right here. It’s just an unbelievable place to relax, unwind and breathe in the salt air. It’s just a great place to call home.”

Related coverage

Mayoral candidates speak out

Holmes Beach Jessie's exterior

Jessie’s Island Store looks to expand

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

HOLMES BEACH – A resolution to amend the site plan for Jessie’s Island Store is moving forward to a vote in November after commissioners approved the proposal for expansion during a September work session.

Building Official Jim McGuinness, along with City Planner Bill Brisson, presented the site plan amendment to commissioners. McGuinness said the business has outgrown the current 1,400 square foot structure at 5424 Marina Drive and the owners hope to add 1,025 of additional space behind the current building to allow for more retail and storage space.

His only concern with the project, he said, is that the owners of the business, Atco, Inc., provide adequate screening along the western side of the property to protect the nearby residential residents. Currently, he said, there is a dilapidated chain link fence that the property owner proposes to replace with a six-foot opaque fence which McGuinness said would bring the property into compliance with current building codes.

Appearing on behalf of the property owners were engineers Matt Morris and Camden Mills, of Morris Engineering.

Mills said the project proposes to improve stormwater drainage and parking on the Jessie’s Island Store site, provide two additional parking spaces to bring the total number of spaces to 12, including one compact space, and replace shell on the lot with sod. Mills said the cooler currently located behind the existing building would be incorporated into the expansion, bringing it into compliance with local ordinances.

Once the site plan amendment passes a commission vote, the property owners will have 180 days from the approval to apply for permits with the building department. Morris said the intent is to begin work on the project as quickly as possible.

“This was the easiest site plan we’ve ever had to look at,” Commissioner Judy Titsworth said.

“They did a good job with it,” Brisson added.

Holmes Beach coyotes Wooten

Coyotes are here to stay

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News.

After an increasing number of coyote sightings in West Bradenton and on the Island, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is cautioning residents to treat the canines with caution.

And to get used to them.

“In the past, we had no coyotes in Florida,” said Angeline Scotten, senior wildlife assistance biologist with FWC, who spoke to about 30 people at a special meeting last week at Palma Sola Botanical Park.

“We had red and gray wolves, but their numbers declined as farmers moved in and so did coyotes,” she said, adding that FWC  fielded about 900 reports of coyotes statewide last year.

Scotten said agricultural areas offered coyotes food, protection from the elements and space to breed. She said as time went on and the county built bridges to the Island, some coyotes walked from the mainland while others probably swam.

Meanwhile, coyote sightings on Anna Maria Island have increased in recent months. Residents have reported seeing coyotes in all three Island cities, in and around Cortez and in the Perico Island housing developments.

Recently, a coyote was spotted in Anna Maria near the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Tarpon Street, while another was seen crossing the humpback bridge, also in Anna Maria.

Sgt. Mike Jones, who heads the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office substation, said they have had numerous calls from people saying they have seen coyotes in residential areas, both during the day and at night.

Jones said one coyote was spotted by a deputy on the beach.

“It was near Bean Point, and my deputies saw it,” he said. “At first, they thought it was a dog, but they identified it as a coyote, and it left on its own.”

Ed Straight, of the Bradenton Beach-based Wildlife Inc. Education and Rehabilitation Center said they recently had a report of a coyote near St. Bernard Church, and they scared it off. It was last seen headed toward West Bay Cove.

He added that coyotes are extremely hard to capture because they are so smart and that most standard animal traps simply don’t work.

Cats are a favorite food of these wild animals, according to Straight.

“We have a habit of leaving feral cats alone,” he said. “All that does is attract coyotes.”

Straight told The Sun in July that residents should take care with their small pets.

“I don’t think they (coyotes) are dangerous to people unless somebody starts feeding them,” he said. “They’re afraid of people and usually run the other way. If you value your cats and little dogs don’t put them out at night. They definitely like cats and they can jump a pretty high fence. We’ve always felt like it’s a matter of time before they’re out here because they’re everywhere else in Manatee County,”

“Coyotes are omnivores, which means they’ll eat practically anything,” Scotten added. “The more people there are around, the more opportunities for food.”

Scotten said FWC examined the foods found in the stomachs of dead coyotes and found a varied diet.

“There was dog food, cooked human food, vegetation, trash, small mice and insects,” she said. “If you don’t want to attract coyotes, keep pet and human edibles away from the outdoors.”

Conversely, there are pluses for having coyotes around, according to Scotten.

“They control some of the smaller predators like mice and raccoons that hunt birds,” she said. “They don’t compete with endangered species like Florida panthers and bobcats because they live in separate areas.”

Coyotes have undesirable habits though, like going after sea turtles and shorebirds, as well as cats and small dogs.

If a person does encounter a coyote, Scotten said to scare it off by making some noise either by yelling or using a noise-making device like an air horn. She also said to keep dogs on a short leash when taking them for a walk and to make sure all garbage is secured in a bin with a lid.

Holmes Beach City Hall

Meet the Holmes Beach candidates at The Sun forum

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

HOLMES BEACH – If you have questions for the City Commission and mayoral candidates, Sept. 19 is your chance to get answers.

The Sun is hosting its annual candidate forum at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive. Candidates will take to the dais to answer our readers’ questions before early voting begins in October.

During the forum, candidates will be asked to answer your questions with their fellow candidates given the chance to respond with their thoughts on the issues.

Commission candidates are first up at 6 p.m. With two two-year terms available on the City Commission, three candidates are vying for votes – Commissioner Pat Morton, Don Purvis and Kim Rash.

Morton served as commissioner since first being elected in 2003 and is currently serving a one-year term on the dais. In his current term, expiring November 2018, Morton was elected by his fellow commissioners to serve as vice-chair. He serves as liaison to Waste Pro for recycling and solid waste concerns, the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center and the Holmes Beach Police Department pension board.

Purvis is a newcomer to the local political arena. A Holmes Beach resident since 2010, Purvis works as the managing broker and an owner of Beach House Real Estate. After spending a year on the Center of Anna Maria Island’s board of directors, Purvis is ready to branch out into the local political arena to provide the City Commission with a fresh perspective on community issues.

Rash, the self-proclaimed mayor of Holmes Boulevard, is a long-time Holmes Beach resident who prides himself on giving a voice to the residents. After spending several years on the sidelines, he’s ready to dive into local politics to continue advocating for Holmes Beach residents and the rights of property owners in a more official capacity.

Immediately following the commission candidate forum, the mayoral candidates take the dais for a discussion of local issues and to answer questions. Vying for the mayoral position are Commissioner Judy Titsworth and political newcomer Joshua Linney.

Titsworth has been a lifetime resident of Holmes Beach. She was first elected to the city commission in 2012 and has served as commission chair since 2013. If elected as mayor, Titsworth hopes to use her years of local political and business management experience to benefit the city’s residents and business owners. Currently, she serves as the commission’s alternate for the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center and liaison for roads, bridges, canals and erosion issues.

Linney is a newcomer to the local political arena. A long-time resident of Holmes Beach, he currently serves as a member of the city’s Parks and Beautification Committee. He owns a website consulting service and previously served for three years in the U. S. Army. If elected, Linney says he wants to give voice to the residents of Holmes Beach.

To submit questions to be asked during the forum, email them to news@amisun.com or post them to our social media page.

Related Coverage

Mayoral candidate plagued by inconsistencies

Rash remains in commission race

Meet your mayoral candidates

Minnie's cafe staff

Minnie’s crew sings about red tide blues

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Business.

HOLMES BEACH ­– The outbreak of red tide has cut into the profits of almost every business on Anna Maria Island and some business owners are fighting back, offering discounts for their services. Some of the larger Island restaurants banded together to offer a “Save our Shores” buffet Sunday now one of the smaller eateries is fighting back with music. The goal is to not only let people know that Minnie’s Beach Cafe is open for business but to also let them know there’s more to the Island than just the beaches.

The staff got together to dance to the Blondie song “The Tide is High,” sung by cook Mary Doub. Most of the waitresses danced to the music. The group dubbed themselves The Minnie’s Reefers and the video has been viewed by many people, including Maggie Plath, who came in Friday with her husband, Jim, to compliment them and collect a 10 percent discount for mentioning it.

Kathy Smart said they rewrote the lyrics several times.

“We went through it three times before we were satisfied,” she said.

“I thought it was very good,” said Maggie Plath. “After seeing it yesterday, I told my husband we would have to go here for breakfast.”

Smart said they hope people are entertained and come in for a meal.

Minnie's cafe guests
Guests Maggie and Jim Plath peruse the menu options at Minnie’s Beach Cafe. – Tom Vaught | Sun

“It was a lot of fun to make,” she said, “and it was a morale booster.”

Minnie’s Beach Cafe is open daily for breakfast and lunch. It’s located at 5360 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach in the S&S Plaza. The restaurant’s hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The staff’s music video, introducing the stylings of The Minnie’s Reefers, can be viewed on the Minnie’s Facebook page. Check out the video and mention it to your server when dining in at Minnie’s for a 10 percent discount on your next visit.

Holmes Beach Josh Linney campaign

Mayoral candidate plagued by inconsistencies

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

HOLMES BEACH – Mayoral candidate Josh Linney is facing a lot of heat for the number of inconsistencies in his self-told background.

Despite his open and honest platform, misinformation and changing biographies are causing the public to question Linney and what he stands for. Though Linney can’t be disqualified for misrepresenting himself or altering the information in his self-written biography on the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website, the inconsistencies are consistently placing him and his background in the public spotlight.

Biography versions

Updates to Linney’s online candidate biography have been noted by The Sun on July 4, July 23, July 27 and August 4, the latest as of press time. In each incarnation, new details have emerged and some have changed or disappeared.

In the first version of his biography, Linney made several claims including declining ROTC scholarships and admission to West Point in favor of guaranteed airborne and Army Ranger training. He noted that he finished second in his Army Advanced Infantry Training class. His biography also said he was deployed for a year to Iraq and suffered a traumatic brain injury from a one-story fall from a building.

The July 23 biography lists Linney as a Gulf War veteran and changes his deployment location to the Middle East. The detail about the fall from a building was omitted.

The July 25 biography said at recruitment he was guaranteed an assignment in the Army’s airborne division and admission to the Ranger Indoctrination Program. It also said he graduated from AIT second in his class from U. S. Army Quartermaster School in 1994 and spent nearly a year traveling through the Middle East before returning stateside in 1995 and being diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome along with other medical issues. A July 27 change took his status from Gulf War veteran to a veteran of the Gulf War period. In his Aug. 4 biography, Linney is listed as a Gulf War veteran who participated in Operation Vigilant Warrior.

Military training

His military records state that Linney entered the Army on Sept. 15, 1993, and served as a private first class before receiving an honorable discharge for medical reasons Aug. 6, 1996, followed by disability. In addition to passing basic training, he completed three weeks of basic airborne training, one week of combat lifesaver training and one week of driver training.

Linney never completed any infantry training. In an Aug. 5 interview, Linney said the claim of attending Advanced Infantry Training was an error he made after seeking help from an advisor on the biography with the full name of the training he knew as AIT. The Army website lists AIT as Advanced Individual Training.

Both airborne division soldiers and Army Rangers are listed as specialty schools and training disciplines on the Army’s official website. His military record shows his only specialty as food service.

At the time Linney was in the Army, soldiers were evaluated in a three-week Ranger Indoctrination Program before qualifying for Ranger program training. At enlistment, soldiers can volunteer for airborne training if they meet the criteria, but cannot be accepted to the Ranger training program without first being enlisted and completing the required pretraining and passing the screening process. Completion of basic airborne training does not qualify a soldier for acceptance into a specialized airborne division, according to the official Army website.

Education

Linney said he was invited to attend West Point by school representatives in a letter after scoring in the top 1 percentile on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. School representatives would not confirm or deny Linney’s acceptance. The school’s website says admission to West Point requires prospective students pass each step of the rigorous acceptance process, including receiving at least one nomination from Congressional representatives, the Vice President of the United States, the Puerto Rican governor or resident commissioner, the Secretary of the Army or a military official. Linney said he had no nominations.

Injuries and Gulf War Syndrome

In a previous interview with The Sun, Linney stated his traumatic brain injury was caused by the fall from a building, but in an Aug. 5 interview said it was caused by a fall from a truck during a training exercise in California in preparation for going overseas. After he recovered from the fall, Linney said he went back to training and was deployed as scheduled with the other members of his unit.

When he was discharged, Linney said he was diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome. The illness is defined by the Department of Veterans Affairs as “a cluster of medically unexplained chronic symptoms” ranging from headaches to PTSD. Because of the widespread physical and mental symptoms documented in soldiers who served in Southwest Asia, it’s assumed that certain chronic, unexplained symptoms that persist or get worse over a six-month period are related to the syndrome. Soldiers can apply for benefits due to the syndrome if they served on active duty in the region prior to the end of 2021.

Linney served in Southwest Asia for 43 days, his only recorded deployment. The dates of his deployment line up with those from Operation Vigilant Warrior, a mission to dispel an Iraqi threat on the Kuwait border. Linney said he was a cook in the dining facility of an armored division attached to the third brigade infantry division verified to have participated in the operation. Though he did not serve during the Gulf War, Linney qualifies as a Gulf War veteran according to the VA along with any other soldier serving on active duty from Aug. 2, 1990, to present.

Despite inconsistencies in biographies, articles, or social media posts, Linney’s name is still on the November ballot for Holmes Beach voters. Though inconsistencies can’t disqualify him, voters will be left to assess a candidate with a past record in dispute who is running on an honesty platform. Linney has had several run-ins with the law, more than a dozen with the Holmes Beach Police Department whose budget he would oversee as mayor, been convicted of two driving under the influence charges, and also faced drug-related and theft charges.

These days, Linney says he lives his life free from alcohol and drugs other than those prescribed by a doctor and medical marijuana, of which he is an advocate. He says he hopes voters will not judge him based on the issues of his past, though he denies issues in his present, saying that he wants to be as “open and transparent as possible.”

“I don’t have anything to hide,” he said.