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AME parts with beloved train caboose

AME parts with beloved train caboose

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Anna Maria Elementary School (AME) is unique for many reasons – a caring and dedicated staff, its spectacular location on the bay and the recent addition of the world’s first Guy Harvey Academy are just a few things that make the Island’s only school something special.

For the past 37 years, students, staff and visitors have also been treated to the unmistakable sight of the school’s unofficial mascot, its train caboose, which has been as much a fixture of the school since 1987 as teachers, principals and homework. Unfortunately, due to years in the salty air that makes the school’s location one of the best in America, the caboose had to be removed on Feb. 24.

The caboose spent nearly four decades on a short stretch of track near the main entrance of the school. It all began in 1987 when a former student and parent, Joan Pettigrew, read about CSX Railroad phasing out their cabooses. With some help from members of the community, she convinced the school’s administration and the Manatee County School Board to allow it to be moved to the school.

AME parts with beloved train caboose
This beloved train caboose sat on the grounds of Anna Maria Elementary School for nearly four decades before being removed on Feb. 24 due to disrepair. – JASON SCHAFFER | SUN

Billie Coles, AME’s curriculum specialist from 1988-1992, led the successful effort to make the caboose a computer lab in 1988, and the caboose was later dedicated to her. According to current Principal Mike Masiello, Coles was instrumental in getting parents involved in students’ computer education at a time when most schools had limited access to computers. The caboose later went on to serve as the speech classroom and later the school store. Even once the caboose was no longer being used as a classroom, it remained a source of pride for students and staff, as well as a backdrop for plenty of class pictures. So the question for many has been, why remove it?

“It’s a safety hazard at this point,” Masiello said. “It was too rusty, it was falling apart to the point where nobody could go inside of it. The roof was shot, it leaked, causing mold and mildew. Nobody has been in it for years. It just kept rusting and rusting and rusting because of the salty air here on the Island.”

Early in the morning on Feb. 24, a crew from the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish arrived at AME with a large crane and an extended-length “wide load” semi-truck to remove the caboose. They chose a Saturday because of safety concerns associated with such an undertaking when children and staff were on the campus. The caboose was successfully lifted off its track and onto the truck without incident. It was then taken to Parrish, where Florida Railroad Museum staff will evaluate whether it can be restored and join the museum’s five other vintage cabooses currently on display.

Editorial: Strange changes

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

Anna Maria Island beachgoers lost their beloved fishing pier at Manatee Beach in 2009. There were some good reasons; principally, it was a safety hazard due to its deteriorating condition, lifeguards said. But for those who remember learning to surf there, it was like a death.

Within the next three months, the Island is about to lose the beloved treehouse at Angelino’s Sea Lodge. There are some good reasons for that too – for one, the owners never got a permit from the city of Holmes Beach before building it. But fans who come back year after year always ask the same thing: “Is the treehouse still here?”

Last week, we lost the beloved red train caboose at Anna Maria Elementary School, which for nearly 40 years was the school’s unofficial mascot (the official mascot is the dolphin). There was again a good reason; it was deteriorating due to the salt air.

Old Australian pines were recently removed on Coquina Beach, leaving pedestrians in the sun instead of the shade, but the good reason was that their roots were buckling the sidewalk.

Pines Trailer Park residents in Bradenton Beach – and many islanders – fear losing the old-Florida-style park now that new, development-minded owners have purchased it. Progress may be a good reason to some, but not so good to others.

Losing the Gregg Allman-era vibe on Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach with the recent demolition of the historic Magnolia Inn and several other buildings soon to be replaced with a bigger, better hotel – ditto.

When they got rid of the automobile ferry to Anna Maria Island after the first bridge to the island was built – which happened within the lifetime of some elders who are still with us – those folks shook their heads, but they faced the strange changes.

Y’all, listen up.

The only constant in life is change.

Sometimes, it’s for a good reason. Sometimes, a bad one. Sometimes, it’s for an anguished but necessary reason, like using the nuclear bomb to end WWII. Sometimes, it’s for a selfish reason. Sometimes, a greedy reason. Sometimes, for no apparent reason at all.

Back in the day, Anna Maria Island used to be pronounced Anna “Mar-eye-ah” Island. That changed too.

Love AMI now, because – like everything else in life – we will eventually lose what we thought it was to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. And again and again, we will have to let it go.

Daughter sues over mother’s death

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Deborah Trotter returned last week to the site of the May 12, 2023 accident that took the life of her mother, Miriam Trotter, to warn others of safety issues inherent in construction zones.

Trotter has avoided the intersection of Gulf Drive and Marina Drive since she and her 86-year-old mother were struck by an oncoming truck while in the crosswalk. On Feb. 28, she and her attorney spoke at a news conference there about what she said was a preventable tragedy if the onsite construction team had maintained proper safety precautions.

“This shouldn’t have happened and I would never want this to happen to anybody else,” Trotter said.

“This is all about the construction that’s going on not only in this area, and the contractors really need to start doing their job better,” said Trotter’s attorney, Douglas McCarron, of the Haggard Law Firm. “They need to make sure they’re not putting pedestrians and the driving public at risk.”

McCarron has filed a wrongful death negligence lawsuit on behalf of Trotter against the driver of the truck, Michael Ritchie, and C-Squared General Contractors, which was working on the intersection.

“On the day of the incident, May 12, the driver Mr. Ritchie had the green light, Deb and her mom had the signal that it was safe for them to cross to street and there was the crash that cost Miriam her life,” McCarron said. “You’re never going to be able to replace Miriam, you’re never going to be able to give Deb back the time she’s missing from her mom. But the fact is, she doesn’t want this to happen to anybody else. Contractors are responsible to keep people safe, it’s that simple. At the end of the day, we’re just trying to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

“I remember the whole thing, we were walking from where we live at the Martinique two blocks down. Mom wanted to go to a painting class at the library that afternoon, and so we were walking, she was still getting her steps in, she walked about five miles every day,” Trotter said.

Trotter recalled hitting the button at the crosswalk and when it turned white with the walk symbol, she said to her mother, “OK mom, we can cross now.”

“As we stepped off the curb, I turned ever so slightly to say something to her – she was about a foot behind me – and when I turned I actually saw the truck in my face hit me. I remembered hearing the noise, my eyes closed, I went backwards,” Trotter said, holding back tears. “But the thing I remember the most is that was my mother’s last conscious breath right next to me. And she was… I never spoke to her consciously again.”

Trotter said as she lay on the ground paramedics asked who her mother was and said, “She’s in worse shape than you are, we’re going to tend to her first.”

The Trotters were transported to Blake Hospital, where Deborah was released later that day. Her mother was placed on life support and died five days later.

“My mom was my best friend, she was my hero,” Trotter said. “She was the light of our family, she was the matriarch, she loved life. Hard pressed to find her not smiling and she loved coming for long visits here on the Island. She was so happy to be here, and the fact that she’ll never be here again, I’ll never understand why she was killed.”

Trotter expressed the hope that the incident will be an awakening for contractors and visitors to the Island.

“It’s clear to me that it wasn’t safe that day, the lights at the intersection itself wasn’t safe,” Trotter said. “We thought it was, that’s why we used the crosswalk, it’s clear to me the contractors who were working on it for so long didn’t take the right safety precautions. It’s clear to me that the driver didn’t take the correct safety precautions to yield to pedestrians in a marked active crosswalk.”

McCarron said construction site safety is the responsibility of the contractor.

“Body-worn cameras by police and sheriffs show barricades and things of that nature were either down or weren’t in an area where you were walking up the street,” he said. “There were no signs, there was a sidewalk closed sign in the parking lot facing down and there was a sidewalk closed sign on the other side of the street facing that way. The maintenance of traffic is the responsibility of the contractor. There was no reason for anyone to think the sidewalk was closed.”

“This didn’t need to happen and she and I should be sitting on the beach right now watching the waves,” Trotter said.

“The police investigation was very clear that the signalization was wrong,” McCarron said. “My understanding is that the lights have been changed and when the sign says people can walk, every light is a red light, as it should be.”

City settles Kaleta lawsuits

City settles Kaleta lawsuits

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

HOLMES BEACH – City leaders may not be completely happy with the terms, but a settlement agreement has been reached between them and developer Shawn Kaleta concerning the Bali Hai Beach Resort, Islands West and the developer’s properties at the Coconuts Beach Resort.

Commissioners voted unanimously on Feb. 27 to approve the agreement reached during a recent shade (private) meeting, bringing to an end several different lawsuits. As a part of the agreement, each party is responsible for their own legal fees.

“Our position as a city is compliance,” Mayor Judy Titsworth said. “We felt really strongly on our side that regardless of where this took us, we didn’t have a site plan on Bali Hai. That’s why it was so important to me number one, to move on, but also to address all the different properties and have closure and compliance and something to move forward with.”

“It’s a fresh start and I think it’s good for both of us,” Commissioner Terry Schaefer said.

BALI HAI

In resolving the code compliance and permitting issues with the Bali Hai, the settlement agreement states that city leaders will cancel any outstanding fines and refund any fines already paid. In return, Kaleta agreed to submit a site plan for the property at 6900 Gulf Drive to the city’s building department within seven days to be processed as a minor site plan review.

City leaders also agree to review and sign off on any liquor license request for the hotel.

The hotel’s ownership also agrees to obtain any necessary after-the-fact permits needed for construction on the property.

Titsworth said that she was happy that the city will finally have a full site plan on file for the hotel.

COCONUTS BEACH RESORT

Regarding three units at the Coconuts Beach Resort, both parties agree to disagree on length of stay, however they agree that the units are allowed to be legally rented on a nightly basis. In return for Kaleta dismissing related lawsuits, city leaders agree to refund all code enforcement fines and administrative costs paid due to code compliance special magistrate hearings.

ISLANDS WEST

The Islands West property at 3605 Gulf Drive received legally nonconforming status as a result of the settlement, allowing the eight units on the property to be rented on a nightly basis. City leaders agreed to refund all fines and waive any unpaid fines incurred for renting the units on a nightly basis.

Kaleta and city leaders also agreed to issue a joint statement to be printed in both Anna Maria Island newspapers at the city’s expense. The statement, bearing both Kaleta’s and Titsworth’s names, states, “The city of Holmes Beach and Mr. Shawn T. Kaleta wish to publicly express their shared regret concerning any real or perceived animosity or ill-will between them. Although the current mayor and commissioners do not believe they have personally acted in this regard, no favor is gained by any city employee or official treating Mr. Kaleta or his partners and related entities differently than anyone else or unequally and targeting Mr. Kaleta and his properties will not be permitted as may have happened in the past. No benefit is gained by violating the city’s ordinances or performing work without appropriate permits. Compliance with all applicable statues, ordinances and regulations is expected of every citizen, property owner, business, visitor and the city. The city and Mr. Kaleta are committed to moving forward to working together to balance and advance the interests of all the city’s residents, visitors, tourists, businesses, property owners and stakeholders.”

Attorney Jay Diagnault, representing the city, said his office would monitor the actionable items in the agreement to make sure all of the terms of the settlement are properly executed.

Judge orders demolition of treehouse

Judge orders demolition of treehouse

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

HOLMES BEACH – The battle over the fate of the treehouse is finished with 12th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Edward Nicholas dealing the final blow in court.

In the final hearing of the last court case in Manatee County, Nicholas ruled in favor of the city’s request for a court order to have the treehouse removed from its Australian pine perch on the beach in front of Angelinos Sea Lodge. While he said that owners Richard Hazen and Lynn Tran could appeal his decision to the Second District Court of Appeal, the only way to stop the demolition of the treehouse is an order staying the removal order.

In speaking with The Sun on Feb. 29, Tran said she’d already submitted the engineering plans for the treehouse to the city for evaluation and requested applications for demolition permits.

“It will be a very sad day taking it down,” Tran said.

During the Feb. 28 hearing, Nicholas sanctioned Tran and Hazen for filing a third amended complaint in the case, calling the move a stall tactic to prevent the case from moving forward.

Representing the city during the most recent hearings was attorney Randy Mora.

“It’s not about what the city wants but about legal requirements,” he said. “It’s time to resolve this. All litigation must come to an end. This is that end.”

For the treehouse to be permitted as a recreational structure, it would require site plan approval, permits and to be properly set back from the erosion control line, none of which Mora said was possible given the circumstances.

“The treehouse is located within 30 feet of the erosion control line,” he said, noting that wasn’t the city’s only issue with the structure. “That structure still stands because the owners refuse to comply with enforcement. There is no version of the treehouse that will be allowed. No plans are or were approved. The city seeks an end to these proceedings here today. We are here because the city is without any other recourse.”

Tran represented herself and Hazen during the proceedings.

When making his ruling at the end of the more than three-hour hearing, Nicholas said that he agreed with a statement made by Tran at the beginning of the session that the case was, in fact, pretty simple.

“The saga of the treehouse is over,” he said, adding that the case was, at its core, an appeal of a code enforcement administrative order.

“Ultimately the bottom line is that the treehouse is within the ECL (erosion control line) setback and in violation of the city code and remains uncompliant after 11 years,” he said. “The respondents (Tran and Hazen) are unwilling to accept that they have lost. This is not about taking anyone’s property. This is about the respondents’ unreasonable unwillingness to accept the inevitable. The city is entitled to the injunctive relief it seeks.”

Nicholas gave the owners 90 days from the recording of his filing, expected within days of the hearing, to apply for demolition permits and remove the treehouse. Otherwise, with 72 hours’ notice, the city can enter the property and remove the treehouse with the cost of removal charged to the owners.

After the hearing, Tran and Hazen both said they were unsure what their next move would be, but Tran told The Sun on Feb. 29 that they would be pursuing removal of the treehouse.

Treehouse history

Hazen said he first approached Holmes Beach city staff in April of 2011 about building a treehouse on the property he shares with Tran. At the time, he said he didn’t have a plan for the structure, he just knew he wanted to build something, and was told by then-building official Bob Schaefer that he just needed to build something that was safe and that people wouldn’t easily fall out of, and that there was nothing explicitly in the city’s codes about a treehouse.

Construction on the two-story beachfront structure began in May 2011 with the treehouse being supported by an existing Australian pine tree and several pilings disguised as tree trunks. Tran said that construction was primarily completed in November 2011 when the city received an anonymous complaint about the treehouse. She said the couple received the first notice of violation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Nov. 29, 2011. She added that FDEP staff was looking at either an exception for a permit for the structure or a way to approve it with an after-the-fact permit.

Thinking that the issues with the structure were only with FDEP, Tran said the city had given verbal approval for the construction. It wasn’t until 2013 that the couple say they learned that wasn’t the case.

Tran said they had to get a letter from the city stating that staff didn’t contest FDEP issuing a permit for the treehouse. When they tried in early 2013 to get that letter, she said they received a first notice of violation from the city in April 2013, the first time she said she and Hazen learned about a 50-foot required setback for construction from the erosion control line. Unfortunately for them, the treehouse was constructed within that setback and no exemption could be given by the city or FDEP staff.

In June 2013, the couple received the first of several code violations on the property, this one at $100 per day until the property was brought into compliance. Though a judge later reversed that violation, the property still has an ongoing daily code violation of $50 per day, along with fines for operating a vacation rental without a city-issued vacation rental license. Over the years, the amount owed in code violation fines has swelled to well over $300,000 in addition to attorney fees and court costs.

Litigation between the city and the treehouse owners spanned more than a decade between 2013 and 2024.

Vacation rental issues

The treehouse isn’t the only structure on Tran and Hazen’s beachfront property. The couple also owns and operates Angelinos Sea Lodge, a short-term vacation rental with four units. Though they had previously had vacation rental certificates issued by the city for the operation of those units, in 2021 they were unable to renew the certificates because of a code violation at the property – the treehouse was the code violation. In addition to removing the treehouse, the couple was required to pay all fines, at that time amounting to about $200,000, before vacation rental certificates for the units could be issued.

City staff took the couple before the code compliance special magistrate in April 2021 where a $125-per-day fine was assessed for renting without a vacation rental certificate. In June of that year, Tran appeared again before the special magistrate, breaking into tears because in refusing to allow them to rent the units, city leaders were taking away their source of income.

During the Feb. 28, 2024 hearing, Tran said the couple could pursue litigation against the city due to the non-issuance of vacation rental certificates and the ensuing fines if needed to settle that dispute with Holmes Beach city leaders.

Holmes Beach logo

Mayor responds to OPPAGA study changes

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

HOLMES BEACH – Mayor Judy Titsworth is reacting to the state’s decision to include a fourth option in the ongoing Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability study – eliminating the three Anna Maria Island cities and folding the Island into unincorporated Manatee County.

“It’s concerning that none of the mayors were told this was an option,” Titsworth said. “That’s concerning, why there’s no dialogue between us and our state representatives who represent us. Our citizens want to be informed so it’s important that we continue to make ourselves available.”

In an effort to help keep the public informed about the ongoing study, which is expected to conclude in late summer/early fall, Titsworth said the city has purchased the domain saveannamariaisland.com and is in the process of building a website containing facts on the three Island cities and the study as well as information for residents and concerned members of the public who want to reach out to their state representatives. Though consolidation of the three Island cities isn’t up for discussion during the current state legislative session, it’s expected that it will be addressed in 2024. Titsworth says if that happens, she fears an approval for consolidation could go through at the state level quickly and without the input of Island residents similar to the bill to construct a parking garage at Manatee Beach that was approved in 2023 without resident input and against local building regulations. She said she urges everyone who has an opinion on the potential for consolidation to reach out to their state representatives now rather than wait for it to be brought up in bill form for consideration at the state level.

The option joins three other considerations including allowing the three cities to remain as-is, consolidating the cities into one new city or eliminating the three city governments and folding the Island into the city of Bradenton.

The ongoing study, conducted by the state of Florida, is the result of a request from the five-member Manatee County Legislative Delegation and is not being done at the request of the three Island mayors. While the mayors said they would support the study insofar as it looks at potential ways for the three cities to share costs and reduce the burden on taxpayers, they’re not in favor of consolidation. Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown previously stated that he also has no interest in consolidating Anna Maria Island into his city.

If the Anna Maria Island cities are forced into consolidation or elimination by the state, Titsworth said there’s nothing protecting any other Florida municipality from suffering the same fate, including other Manatee County cities.

“If you get on the wrong side of state leaders, it’s no

School zone speed cameras could be coming to AME

School zone speed cameras could be coming to AME

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Excessive speed in school zones is a serious safety issue that can be addressed by cameras, according to a recent Manatee County Commission vote.

Cameras will be installed at some Manatee County schools, possibly including Anna Maria Elementary School (AME).

The vote was unanimous to move forward with installation and monitoring of the speed zones. A 6-1 majority approved an agreement with the vendor, RedSpeed, to furnish, install and maintain the speed detection system, comply with FDOT placement and installation specifications and assist Manatee County Public Safety in the public announcement and awareness campaign according to a press release from Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan.

The lone dissenting vote came from Commissioner George Kruse.

“There will be warning signs up for about two weeks prior to them being turned on, so drivers will have ample opportunity to be notified the cameras will be in effect,” District 3 Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said. “And even once the cameras are in place and active, there will still be warning signs that they are active.”

Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said that his department supports the installation of the cameras if the county includes AME in the project.

“We had a speed study done two weeks ago from a different vendor than the county uses to see what it would be in our area,” Tokajer said. “During the five-day period, there were almost 1,300 violations.”

Tokajer said they are waiting to see if the county is doing this in the entirety of the county, or if the cities are going to make their own decisions. He said he has not yet been informed by the county about the issue, and his department has not been included in the conversation.

Tokajer said that while his department supports the installation of the cameras, saying it will increase driver awareness of the seriousness of speeding in school zones, it will not affect his placement of officers on Gulf Drive in front of the school during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal times.

The move comes after the Florida Legislature passed Florida House Bill 657 last April, which authorizes counties to enforce speed limits in school zones using speed detection systems. Drivers traveling more than 10 mph over the posted school zone speed limit during designated hours would receive a $100 ticket in the mail. The speed camera zones would be active only at times when kids are heading to and from school.

Letter to the Editor: Parking lot raises question

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

Reading about the idea of having 90 parking spaces (for 12 months at least) instead of building a hotel might sound weird – but if you can charge $15 per hour for each space – it multiplies!

It raises the question: why not start building? The landowner is normally pretty fast in going forward.

But – this is obviously pure theory – but owning the trailer park on a much better location for a hotel and the fact that the rents were doubled almost immediately after the purchase, could it hypothetically be possible that the plan for the location of the hotel has changed? Could it be possible that the renters of the trailer park will be “friendly forced out?” And that a hotel or another hotel will grow there?

Who knows – the future will show!

 

Daniel Lamprecht

Holmes Beach

Crime shrinking in Holmes Beach

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

HOLMES BEACH – There’s good news for residents and visitors to Anna Maria Island’s largest city. Police Chief Bill Tokajer says serious crime has been dramatically reduced over the past decade.

In an email to commissioners and the mayor, Tokajer said that serious crime has been reduced 77.9% since its peak in 2012. Serious crimes include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft.

In 2012, the HBPD reported 154 serious crimes, also known as uniform crime reporting. In 2023, that number had dropped to 34. Last year, officers reported six instances of aggravated assault, eight burglaries, 18 larcenies and two vehicle thefts. Since the peak in 2012, instances of those crimes have steadily been on the decline.

Arrests in the city also went down in 2023 to 169 adults and 12 juveniles. Since 2016, arrests have also been on the downswing with a peak of 385 adult and 30 juvenile arrests recorded that year.

In 2023, officers responded to 13,185 calls for service, up from 12,082 the previous year. Officers responded to 96 noise complaints, 84 of which were deemed to be unfounded, completed 141 weekly house checks, wrote 4,051 parking tickets, issued 984 traffic citations and 718 written warnings, worked 90 traffic accidents and completed 145 traffic stops with the help of the city’s license plate reader cameras. HBPD officers also assisted other agencies with issues 785 times in 2023.

Artists’ Guild February featured artist shines with pastels

Artists’ Guild February featured artist shines with pastels

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Art, Entertainment.

HOMES BEACH – On Feb. 9, the second Friday of the month, a flurry of activity surrounded the Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island (AGAMI) gallery. The monthly event, formerly known as the Holmes Beach Art Walk, allows shoppers in Holmes Beach to enjoy extended shopping hours at area businesses and is a chance for AGAMI to show what its artists have to offer, including the monthly featured artist.

Barbara Truemper-Green was born and raised in Germany, where she studied architectural interiors and interior design. After coming to the U.S., she worked as a commercial space planner and project manager. When she retired to Anna Maria Island, the environment inspired her passion for painting in soft pastels. The changing colors and moods in nature provide her inspiration and creativity. Her work is represented by the Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island and Cove Gallery and Boutique. Her feature display in the front window of the former will be on display and available for purchase through the end of the month.

In addition to Truemper-Green’s work, the gallery had artist demonstrations on the sidewalk in front of the gallery, live music from Larry Wilhelm, wine and snacks, People’s Choice Awards and an Artist Paint-A-Round, where artists collaborate on one painting. That painting is then raffled off at the conclusion of the event.

Other Holmes Beach businesses also took part, including Pizzano’s Pizza and Grinders, D Coy Ducks, Small Town Creamery, howluckyami, Irene’s Clothing Store, Sand Dollar, The Feast, Hurricane Hank’s, Freckled Fin and The Doctor’s Office. It was a treat for both art lovers and anyone looking for something unique they may only find on Anna Maria Island.

The next Holmes Beach Night Market will take place on Friday, March 8 from 5-7:30 p.m. or later.

In love with luxury

Written by Louise Bolger on . Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Every year this day is put aside for the lovers of the world and the greeting card companies. But this year, deep-pocket lovers have even more to be in love with, since luxury real estate has a new benchmark of an outrageous $100 million.

Granted, this number isn’t for everyone. In fact, only 5% of the overall housing market is defined as luxury, but we can all dream, can’t we? Based on how quickly Anna Maria properties have increased in value over the past three years, why shouldn’t $100 million be the new norm for a narrow percentage of the population?

According to The Wall Street Journal, since 2020, at least 24 homes nationwide have traded for $100 million and up. Florida has had a dramatic increase in nine-figure transactions in recent years. Since 2020, three homes over $100 million have changed hands in New York City compared with six in and around Palm Beach. Tampa is also benefiting from the ultrarich due to the lack of available luxury properties in the Miami area. Tampa’s sales have been boosted by 35.8% in the luxury market during the third quarter of 2023 compared with the same period last year, bringing in buyers who were disappointed with the availability of high-end homes on the east coast of Florida.

In 2023, there was a record set for a sale in Florida of $170 million. A broker selling high-end properties in Palm Beach said there are more billionaires than there are oceanfront estates to sell them. Don’t get too comfortable with the $100 million benchmark, $200 million is waiting in the wings as the number of billionaires around the world grows. There were 3,194 billionaires in 2023, up from 2,170 in 2013, according to the wealth research firm Wealth X.

The ultra-rich aren’t much different from any buyer. Not comfortable with the higher interest rates, especially for jumbo loans, they’re using cash to buy their estates. These cash buyers are propping up the overall real estate market, shifting from a downturn in late 2021. According to Redfin, the median luxury sale price during the third quarter of 2023 rose 9% year-over-year to $1.1 million, almost three times the annual jump for nonluxury homes, which rose only 3.3% during the same period. The median price is the mid-point of sale prices; half of the sales are above and half are below.

Redfin also reports that 42.5% of luxury buyers paid cash during the third quarter of 2023 compared to 34.6% during the same period the previous year. In the third quarter of 2023, only 28% of nonluxury homes sold for cash. In addition, inventory of luxury homes rose 2.9% during the third quarter of 2023 compared to a decline of 20.8% for nonluxury homes nationwide.

If there’s a lesson to be learned here, it’s that wealthy people watch their money the same as the rest of us and use cash if the numbers make sense. It also means that it’s far better to be rich and have the option of an all-cash offer on a property.

Be careful, the ultrarich will be coming for your home when the inventory of appropriate billionaire estates runs out, and Anna Maria Island is prime for their next stop. Nevertheless, the Gulf of Mexico that we all love is the same whether your home is a cottage for $1 million or a sprawling estate for $100 million. Luxury is in the eye of the beholder.

Year in Review: Tourism

Tourist tax collections reveal mixed results in AMI’s cities

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Business, Taxes, Tourism.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Tourism in the city of Anna Maria was up in all 12 months of 2023 over 2022, according to tourist tax collection statistics from the Manatee County Tax Collector’s Office.

The Island’s other two cities did not experience the same boon.

Bradenton Beach tourist tax collections were down in every month but August, which showed approximately a 3% increase from August 2022.

In Holmes Beach, tourist tax collections were down in every month but September, which showed no change, and October, which showed approximately an 8% increase from October 2022.

Anna Maria brought in $3,070,039 in tourist tax collections in 2023, up 20.3% from $2,552,183 in 2022.

Bradenton Beach tourist tax collections totaled $1,620,837 in 2023, down 6% from $1,724,637 in 2022.

Holmes Beach brought in the lion’s share at $7,816,520 last year, down 13.6% from $9,045,714 in 2022.

The tourist tax is one of the most accurate indicators of whether tourism has increased, decreased, or remained steady from year to year.

Each month, Manatee County’s 5% tourist tax is collected from owners of accommodations rented for six months or less who charge the tax to their renters, in most cases, tourists.

About 50% of the tax proceeds are allocated to Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau tourism marketing efforts, with 20% allocated to beach renourishment. The tax also partially funds tourism-related attractions such as the Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria piers.

2023 Manatee County tourist tax collections compared to 2022

 

JANUARY

Anna Maria up 12%

Bradenton Beach down 3%

Holmes Beach down 24%

Manatee County up 27%

FEBRUARY

Anna Maria up 36%

Bradenton Beach down 2%

Holmes Beach down 7%

Manatee County up 19%

MARCH

Anna Maria up 26%

Bradenton Beach down 6%

Holmes Beach down 5%

Manatee County up 21%

APRIL

Anna Maria up 29%

Bradenton Beach down 3%

Holmes Beach down 10%

Manatee County up 12%

MAY

Anna Maria up 18%

Bradenton Beach down 6%

Holmes Beach down 11%

Manatee County up 8%

JUNE

Anna Maria up 18%

Bradenton Beach down 4%

Holmes Beach down 11%

Manatee County up 11%

JULY

Anna Maria up 21%

Bradenton Beach down 17%

Holmes Beach down 14%

Manatee County down 2%

AUGUST

Anna Maria up 33%

Bradenton Beach up 3%

Holmes Beach down 5%

Manatee County up 11%

SEPTEMBER

Anna Maria up 16%

Bradenton Beach down 3%

Holmes Beach 0%

Manatee County down 10%

OCTOBER

Anna Maria up 10%

Bradenton Beach down 14%

Holmes Beach up 8%

Manatee County down 30%

NOVEMBER

Anna Maria up 15%

Bradenton Beach down 1%

Holmes Beach down 1%

Manatee County down 16%

DECEMBER

Anna Maria up 6%

Bradenton Beach down 15%

Holmes Beach down 14%

Manatee County down 12%

 

Source: Manatee County Tax Collector’s Office

Letter to the Editor: Commissioners stall library board appointments

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

On Jan. 23, I listened to the Manatee County Commission meeting. It has been about a year of discussion to expand the current “volunteer” Library Citizen’s Advisory Board. After the ordinance passed, people within the community came out, adhering to the specific demographic requirements. Sure, some positions only had one candidate, but others had multiple. As Tammy Parrott stated, she was happy with the candidates.

The motion to table was made by Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, stating, “I’m not satisfied with the applicants on the list… the individuals on the list are not like-minded to this board.” Not one of you asked him to define what like-minded means to him. So, I ask, what is the definition? Without an answer, I can only conclude Commissioner Van Ostenbridge only wants Republican-registered applicants to apply for advisory board positions. If this is true, we live in a democracy and this attitude is discrimination.

Your continuing disregard and disrespect for the professionals who lead this county, not only in the Library Department, but other departments, shows a lack of good conduct on your part as an elected leader, and inappropriate means for change.

Thank you to Commissioner Kruse, the only one of you who had the resolve to question and dissent from the motion set forth.

Now you have tabled the appointments and because of this decision, the advisory board does not have a quorum and can’t meet! There was no reason why the two returning members should have been restricted from approval and no reason why the positions with multiple applicants could not have moved forward. How did you vet the process?

Your residents came out to volunteer, several are college educated (with masters), extensive employment backgrounds and volunteer experience. What a letdown for them.

I respect the work of the County Library Department leaders and staff, and they have responded positively to all your requests for library changes and improvement. What a letdown for the staff!

As a resident of Manatee County, I am very disappointed with the rhetoric I heard and the silence from this Board of Commissioners. Remember, in the United States we live in a democracy.

Julie Perry

Friends of the Island Library

Holmes Beach logo

Commissioners reach out for community support

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

HOLMES BEACH – City commissioners are fighting to maintain home rule and they’re seeking community support to make that happen.

During a Jan. 23 meeting, Commissioner Terry Schaefer said that he hopes members of the community will reach out to their state legislators by writing letters expressing their opinions on the proposed parking garage at Manatee Beach, approved by the Legislature in 2023. He also requested public input on the ongoing Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) state study looking at the consolidation of the three Anna Maria Island cities and on HB 1537/SB 280, which would assign control of vacation rentals to the state instead of allowing local municipalities to regulate that industry in their locations.

Schaefer added that while city leaders are sending letters to Tallahassee, he said the city’s lobbyist advised him to not send every bit of correspondence to Sen. Jim Boyd and Rep. Will Robinson Jr. While those two men represent Manatee County at the state level, Schaefer said the lobbyist is trying to repair the relationship between the city and the two state legislators and too much correspondence could “put salt in the wound.”

“They know where we stand and we know where they stand,” Schaefer said.

During comments, Commissioner Greg Kerchner said he’s concerned that the OPPAGA study will state that there is a cost savings in consolidating the three Island cities and that it will come down to a public relations move by the state to try and convince residents that consolidation or elimination of the three cities is good for them. He encouraged his fellow city leaders to direct staff to create a financial analysis to get ahead of what he feels is an inevitable discussion between the city and state.

Commissioners reach out for community support
Mayor Judy Titsworth visits with Congressman Vern Buchanan on Jan. 23. – Submitted | COHB

Mayor Judy Titsworth said she met earlier that day with Congressman Vern Buchanan to discuss issues facing the city, potential appropriations requests and what city leaders and staff are doing to improve the area for residents and visitors.

“He’s a great friend to the city and our community,” Titsworth said of Buchanan.

Changing tides

Written by Louise Bolger on . Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

Every day I watch the tides change. Sometimes they’re low, sometimes they’re high, and every day is different. You could say almost the same thing about mortgage interest rates, but the tides for rates are starting to get lower.

Mortgage rates are ringing in the new year much lower than their near 8% peak this past fall. The 30-year fixed rate mortgage has decreased for multiple weeks with a slight uptick. However, the overall trajectory of mortgage interest rates in 2024 is expected to decrease according to the National Association of Realtors.

While mortgage interest rates ease there will be weekly shifts in the average rate, however, the National Association of Realtors is predicting that the 30-year fixed rate mortgage will average 6.3% in 2024. Between late October and mid-December 2023, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage decreased by more than a percentage point. In real money, the difference between a 6.62% rate and a 7.12% rate is $173 monthly on a $400,000 loan, enough of a difference for some buyers to qualify for a home or a better home. Lower mortgage rates are certainly welcome and will make news, but the problems of dealing with the challenges of low inventory and high home prices will not change quickly on a national basis and may continue to rise. Buyers are more optimistic but are still facing a lack of properties that are being held onto by owners with ultra-low mortgage rates.

End of year 2023 sales and December sales for Manatee County are both looking better than the national numbers. Let’s see what those statistics look like reported by the National Association of Realtors and the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee.

Nationally, sales of previously owned homes dropped to the lowest in 28 years, down 19%. Manatee County single-family sales were up 7.3% and sales of condos were down 0.8%. The single-family median selling price for Manatee County in 2023 was down 2.1%, but the median selling price for condos was up 5%.

The December sales compared to December 2022 nationally for previously owned homes fell 6.2%. Manatee County’s single-family closed home sales were up 13.6% from December 2022 and the median sale price was $499,900, down 1.4%. Condos closed 25.4% fewer in December 2023 compared to the previous year, and the median sale price was $350,000, up 1.6% from December 2022.

The month’s supply for both single-family and condos is up. Single-family homes have a 3.3-month supply of properties available and condos have a 4.6-month supply of properties available.

Our area continues to outpace the national market. Manatee County appears to be stabilizing with more inventory available and is pointing to a good upcoming sales season, however, what happens overall in the country can still affect Florida.

We’re all hoping for a good year since the tide of real estate has an overall effect on the economy. The number of properties sold impacts the furniture business, remodeling companies and the sale of everything from paint to lawnmowers. The jobs market is also closely tied to the real estate market, not only in retail but for real estate companies and their employees.

The owner of the first real estate company I worked for once said, “If you’re gone for a week, the entire real estate market is different when you return.” That is essentially true. Properties sell, others are listed and interest rates change. The ebb and flow dictate the marketplace and always will.