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Tag: Hurricane Milton

Anna Maria checkpoint, curfew suspended

Anna Maria checkpoint, curfew suspended; emergency declarations extended

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News, Featured.

ANNA MARIA – Sunday morning, Mayor Dan Murphy renewed for seven additional days two previously issued hurricane-related emergency orders.

Monday morning, he discontinued the nightly curfew and the re-entry checkpoint at the entrance to the city. The Holmes Beach nightly re-entry checkpoint remains in place on Manatee Avenue.

Emergency orders

Dated Oct. 13, Emergency Order 1 extends the city’s declaration of a state of local emergency due to the effects of Hurricane Milton. Emergency Order 3 extends the city’s declaration of a state of local emergency due to the effects of Hurricane Helene. The emergency declarations allow the mayor to take certain emergency measures, such as enacting and lifting curfews and re-entry checkpoints. The emergency declarations also allow Murphy to make recovery-related emergency expenditures without city commission authorization.

Anna Maria checkpoint, curfew suspended
The city of Anna Maria continues to operate under a local state of emergency. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Murphy usually calls an emergency city commission meeting and seeks commission authorization before issuing or extending emergency orders, but due to the circumstances and conditions created by back-to-back hurricanes, he extended the emergency orders without an emergency meeting.

On Saturday, Murphy informed each Anna Maria commissioner of his intentions via email: “I just wanted to let you know that tomorrow afternoon we will renew the two emergency orders. As you recall, the emergency orders allow us to get funding from the state and federal government. I would like to have had a public meeting to discuss this and take a vote, but I cannot. As it stands now, the general public wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting because they can’t get into the city. Only residents and business owners are allowed in. So, I wanted to let you know I’m going to sign off on it, and if you have any concerns or questions call me.”

Curfew & checkpoint

On Saturday, Anna Maria residents, business owners and property owners were allowed to return to the city after passing through law enforcement checkpoints at the entrance to Holmes Beach on Manatee Avenue and at the entrance to Anna Maria, with a city-wide curfew in effect from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Monday morning, Murphy discontinued the checkpoint and curfew. The following message was posted on the city of Anna Maria’s Facebook page: “Since the beginning of the storm, the city of Anna Maria has had an average of 6 to 8 deputies patrolling our streets. We have now taken down the checkpoint to the entrance of our city and the curfew has also been lifted. Residents and workers are free to move about the city, please exercise caution in doing so. A checkpoint remains at the entrance to the Island.”

Anna Maria checkpoint, curfew suspended
The Holmes Beach re-entry checkpoint remains in place on Manatee Avenue during curfew hours. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

As of Monday, the Holmes Beach checkpoint on Manatee Avenue continues to operate from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily. According to Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria residents will be the only people allowed to pass through the Manatee Avenue checkpoint between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Business owners, contractors, vacation rental owners and managers, and rental guests will not be allowed through the nightly Holmes Beach checkpoint.

Short-term vacation rental lodging remains suspended in Holmes Beach due to a previously adopted 45-day vacation rental moratorium. Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach remain open to vacation rental guests and normal vacation rental business operations.

Debris removal

Monday morning, the following debris removal message was posted on the city of Anna Maria’s Facebook page: “The majority of household debris has been picked up and removed from the right-of-way in the city of Anna Maria. Landscaping debris remains and should be placed in the right-of-way for pickup. Any remaining household debris needs to be placed in the city right-of-way ASAP – not on private property – if you wish to have this removed by the city. Pickups will continue through the next several days. Please remember to separate all household debris from landscaping debris in two separate piles in the city right-of-way.”

Anna Maria checkpoint, curfew suspended
Hurricane Helene debris sat partially submerged along a flooded street in Anna Maria the day after Hurricane Milton struck. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Commission meeting

The next regular Anna Maria City Commission meeting will take place on Thursday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. During that meeting, Murphy and General Manager Dean Jones will provide a status update on the hurricane damage and the ongoing recovery efforts.

The city commission will also engage in regular city business that includes the second and final reading of a city ordinance that will provide a $25,000 additional property tax-related homestead exemption for low-income homeowners who are 65 and older who meet the state’s income limit threshold which is currently $31,100.

The city commission will also be presented with the first reading of an ordinance prohibiting overnight camping and sleeping and the first reading of an ordinance pertaining to the city’s special event permitting process.

Fuel distribution to southwest Florida resumes

Fuel distribution to southwest Florida resumes

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Business, Featured.

PALMETTO – With gasoline shortages at local stations following Hurricane Milton, welcome news came from SeaPort Manatee as the port resumed fuel distributions to southwest and central Florida on Sunday, Oct. 13.

“Thanks to cooperative efforts between Manatee County, state and federal authorities and industry partners, fuel distribution activities have resumed at SeaPort Manatee as of this morning,” Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority, stated in an Oct. 13 press release from SeaPort Manatee Director of Communications and Public Relations Virginia Zimmermann.

As power restoration began at Manatee County’s seaport, limited landside cargo operations resumed. Per U.S. Coast Guard direction, waterside operations resumed during daylight hours with shipping channel activity limited to a single direction, the release stated.

“SeaPort Manatee is a critical gateway for supplying fuel stations throughout our region and beyond, with a flow of nearly 400 million gallons a year,” said Carlos Buqueras, SeaPort Manatee’s executive director. “It is particularly crucial that we have been able to see resumption of this fuel supply at a time when our area has been hit by two hurricanes in such a short period of time.”

While in Cortez on Oct. 11 with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, FEMA Executive Director Kevin Guthrie told The Sun that generators and gas are being sent to gas stations. He called getting power back on at those stations a number one priority.

“If they don’t have generators, they may have fuel, but they can’t power it,” DeSantis added. “Any interruption of supply from the port here, we’re also working on that.”

Bradenton Beach after Milton

A look at Bradenton Beach after Milton

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

A palm tree on Bridge Street was uprooted by Hurricane Milton. - Leslie Lake | Sun

A palm tree on Bridge Street was uprooted by Hurricane Milton. - Leslie Lake | Sun

Mounds of debris are piled in the Pines Trailer Park parking lot following Hurricane Milton cleanup. - Leslie Lake | Sun

Mounds of debris are piled in the Pines Trailer Park parking lot following Hurricane Milton cleanup. - Leslie Lake | Sun

Rocks that used to be covered with more than six feet of sand dunes on Bradenton Beach are exposed following Hurricane Milton. - Leslie Lake | Sun

Rocks that used to be covered with more than six feet of sand dunes on Bradenton Beach are exposed following Hurricane Milton. - Leslie Lake | Sun

The living room of this beachfront Gulf Drive home is filled with sand and debris following Hurricane Milton. - Leslie Lake | Sun

The living room of this beachfront Gulf Drive home is filled with sand and debris following Hurricane Milton. - Leslie Lake | Sun

Vehicles are in sand on Gulf Drive following Hurricane Milton. - Leslie Lake | Sun

Vehicles are in sand on Gulf Drive following Hurricane Milton. - Leslie Lake | Sun

Sand is up to the door of this Gulf Drive business.- Leslie Lake | Sun

Sand is up to the door of this Gulf Drive business.- Leslie Lake | Sun

The front wall of this building on Gulf Drive was destroyed by Hurricane Milton. - Leslie Lake | Sun

The front wall of this building on Gulf Drive was destroyed by Hurricane Milton. - Leslie Lake | Sun

A cabin cruiser is partially sunken at the Bradenton Beach Marina. - Leslie Lake | Sun

A cabin cruiser is partially sunken at the Bradenton Beach Marina. - Leslie Lake | Sun

DeSantis surveys Cortez hurricane damage

DeSantis surveys Cortez hurricane damage

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

CORTEZ – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a stop in Cortez shortly after noon on Friday, Oct. 11, and got a firsthand look at the damage to the fishing village following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

DeSantis, FEMA Executive Director Kevin Guthrie, members of the Florida National Guard, and law enforcement, arrived at A.P. Bell Fish Co. and spoke to owner Karen Bell and local fishermen.

“Our docks need a little work, but we’re working on it,” Bell said.

The governor addressed state initiatives for the restoration of power, debris removal and gasoline supplies.

DeSantis surveys Cortez hurricane damage
Gov. Ron DeSantis and FEMA Executive Director Kevin Guthrie speak to AP Bell Fish Co. owner Karen Bell in Cortez on Friday – Leslie Lake | SUN

“We picked up all this debris on Anna Maria because they weren’t doing it quick enough, so we got a lot in Pinellas beaches, Manatee beaches; we got 50,000 cubic yards in 72 hours,” he said. “These were guys working on roads in other parts of Florida, but I had to take them off those jobs and put them here.”

It turns out that debris didn’t make that much of a difference, he said.

“We thought there were going to be projectiles. It didn’t really do that, but still, it’s about city and county getting contracts,” DeSantis said. “He’s (Kevin Guthrie) working with FEMA to be able to get that done more efficiently, but the state of Florida as a whole, we could not possibly clean up all the debris. That’s a local responsibility, but if we can supplement we will.”

Bell said debris removal is minor in the overall picture.

“Everyone here made it, our boats made it, buildings are a little rough and we were lucky compared to a lot of people,” Bell said.

DeSantis surveys Cortez hurricane damage
AP Bell Fish Co. owner Karen Bell, Gov. Ron DeSantis and FEMA Executive Director Kevin Guthrie meet in Cortez Friday to discuss local damage and restoration –
LESLIE LAKE | SUN

“We were just lucky as a whole that the storm weakened,” DeSantis said. “Thirty-six hours before landfall was much more powerful than what it hit at. Whereas Helene accelerated, this one weakened. If it had not weakened, the damage would have been twice as much.”

With more than 4 million homes without power statewide after Hurricane Milton, DeSantis said state power restoration after Hurricane Milton will be the fastest restoration at this scale in American history.

“We brought in people from as far away as California for the linemen,” he said. “They restored 1.6 million people and there are 2.2 million now, but I guarantee you, they’ll have a million more restored soon. They’re working really fast.”

Guthrie said generators and gas are being sent to gas stations.

“The number one priority for us today is not just search and rescue, but it is getting power back on and fuel to the fuel stations,” Guthrie said.

“If they don’t have generators, they may have fuel, but they can’t power it, so FPL’s going to do a good job getting power back on here relatively soon,” DeSantis said. “Any interruption of supply from the port here, we’re also working on that.”

Before leaving, DeSantis said he would be back to partake in local chowder when everything is back up and running.

“We’ll save you some,” Bell said.

Mounds of debris remain as hurricane approaches

Mounds of debris remain as hurricane approaches

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

CORTEZ — Hurricane Milton is expected to bring high winds and a storm surge to the area late Wednesday night, and time was running short on Tuesday to remove household debris left out following Hurricane Helene.

On Monday, a Manatee County clean-up crew was in Cortez using a claw lift to put roadside household debris into the back of a dump truck.

Some of the roads there were cleared of debris, but others were not and, as of Tuesday afternoon, multiple piles of discarded items remained on side streets in Cortez and along the roads in Sunny Shores.

Manatee County spokesperson Bill Logan responded to an email from The Sun Tuesday afternoon, saying county clean-up crews will attend to Cortez Village and Sunny Shores.

“All haulers (including those who would normally be on trash/recycling routes) are working to clear the debris as they are able to get to it,” he wrote.

Homes in Cortez and Sunny Shores were inundated with more than three feet of water from Hurricane Helene’s storm surge and residents fear that floating debris during the storm surge from Hurricane Milton may cause further damage to their homes.

One Sunny Shores resident Tuesday said she hopes to see county cleanup crews.

“That would really help us if they did,” she said.

Anna Maria, Manatee County preparing for Hurricane Milton

Anna Maria, Manatee County preparing for Hurricane Milton

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News, Featured.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – City and county officials are preparing for Hurricane Milton as the Hurricane Helene recovery efforts continue.

Mayor Dan Murphy and the Anna Maria City Commission held an emergency meeting this morning (Sunday) at 11 a.m. Manatee County public safety officials held a brief hurricane-related press conference at 1:30 p.m. this afternoon.

Anna Maria

The city of Anna Maria’s previously declared local state of emergency remains in effect as Tropical Storm Milton approaches Anna Maria Island as a potential Cat 2 or Cat 3 hurricane with possible life-threatening winds and storm surge.

This morning, Murphy ordered a mandatory city of Anna Maria evacuation effective at noon on Monday. This afternoon, Manatee County issued a mandatory evacuation for zones A and B effective at 2 p.m. Monday.

At 2:30 p.m. today (Sunday), Murphy sent city commissioners an email informing them that a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office re-entry checkpoint will be established at the entrance to the city at noon on Monday, but there is no city curfew in place at this time.

“Our intent is to not allow in sight-seers, party goers and looters and those who simply have no business or purpose in coming to our city at this time of emergency preparation,” Murphy stated in his email that noted the following vehicles will be allowed to pass through the Anna Maria checkpoint:

  • Vehicles with a city of Anna Maria re-entry tag
  • Residents with an Anna Maria address, supported by a driver’s license, state-issued ID, mail and deputy discretion.
  • Anna Maria property owners
  • Anna Maria vacation rental customers
  • Anna Maria business owners and employees
  • County, state and federal restoration employees
  • Building contractors/employees with an Anna Maria job site
  • Delivery vehicles (UPS,  FedEx, Amazon, etc.)
  • Transport vehicles (Uber, Taxis, etc.)
  • Clean up workers with an Anna Maria destination
  • Debris haulers, street sweepers, etc.
  • Any other vehicles, at the sole discretion of the deputy on site

City-issued evacuation re-entry tags can still be acquired at city hall until noon on Monday when city hall is expected to close to the public until Hurricane Milton passes.

Debris removal

As of 11 a.m., Murphy was awaiting the arrival of 34 FDOT and/or National Guard dump trucks and claw trucks to help clear the Anna Maria rights of way of Hurricane Helene debris before Hurricane Milton arrives, with a focus on removing the debris along North Shore Drive, from Pine Avenue to the Rod & Reel Pier, and also along Bay Boulevard.

At 3:30 p.m., the following announcement was posted at the city of Anna Maria Facebook page: “The city of Anna Maria has employed debris removal trucks from five agencies to remove debris and deposit it either in Bayfront Park or to the Lena (Road) landfill. Although we have made some progress, the amount of debris is increasing exponentially and consideration must be taken for the impending effects of Hurricane Milton. Accordingly, do not place any further debris in the city right-of-way until after the hurricane passes. This debris can become dangerous projectiles; endangering lives, creating further property damage and blocking access to our streets. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.”

Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach and Manatee County have issued similar debris placement requests.

Murphy said no looting has been reported in Anna Maria, but anything placed in the city right of way can be removed by scrappers and others and that is not considered looting or stealing.

Sandbags

Empty sandbags are available today and early tomorrow near the north end of Bayfront Park. You might want to bring your own shovel and someone to hold the bags while you fill them.

City updates

Continuing hurricane-related updates and information are available at the city of Anna Maria website, www.cityofannamaria.com and the City of Anna Maria Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067051575662.

Additional information can be found at the Holmes Beach Police Department Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HolmesBeachPD and the Bradenton Beach Police Department Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080990498526.

Manatee County

At 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Manatee County officials held a brief Hurricane Milton-related press conference. Public Safety Director Jodie Fiske announced mandatory evacuations in evacuation zones A and B beginning at 2 p.m. on Monday.

Fiske said the Hurricane Milton storm surge is expected to be worse than the Hurricane Helene storm surge and she strongly encourages anyone in evacuation zones A and B to heed the evacuation orders and find safety on higher ground. You can check your evacuation zone level and the potential storm surge inundation for your specific address at: https://www.mymanatee.org/residents/information

School closings

At 3 p.m. (Sunday) the Manatee County School District announced that Manatee County school and school-related will be closed Monday, Oct. 7, through Wednesday, Oct. 9. Some schools will be used as hurricane shelters.

County updates

Continuing hurricane-related updates and information can be found at Manatee County’s Severe Weather Information Center, https://extreme-weather-dashboard-manateegis.hub.arcgis.com/, and also at the Manatee County Government Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/manateegov.