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Tag: Manatee County

Who’s Anna Marie?

Who’s Anna Marie?

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – It’s been 100 years since the first bridge linking Anna Maria Island to the mainland was opened to the public.

During that time, the Island has gone through a lot of changes, but a name change hasn’t been one of them.

Knowing this, local veterinarian Denise Vondrasek was surprised when she was driving on Manatee Avenue toward the Island and noticed a crew putting up a sign letting drivers know that they are five miles from “Anna Marie Is.” Realizing the sign was misspelled, she stopped to tell the workers, but none of them spoke English, so she reached out to The Anna Maria Island Sun.

The Sun called the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, which spends millions of tourist tax dollars advertising Anna Maria Island around the world. Executive Director Elliott Falcione was not available for comment and office staff members were unaware of the sign.

A subsequent call to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) resulted in the typical transfers to multiple departments, but a spokesperson for District 1 – which covers Manatee County – said she would immediately put in a work order to replace the sign.

With refreshingly little government red tape, The Sun was assured the error would be corrected.

Editor’s note: Having restored the integrity of The Sun’s namesake, Dr. Denise is honorary copy editor for the day.

New COVID-19 vaccine available on the Island

New COVID-19 vaccine available on the Island

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Featured.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The new COVID-19 booster vaccines aimed at fighting the omicron subvariants hit local pharmacies late last week after final approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Pharmacists at both Walgreens and CVS in Holmes Beach confirmed the updated vaccine is in stock and available.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the new booster is an updated formulation that targets both the original strain and the omicron subvariants, similar to how the flu vaccine is reformulated every year to best defend against the current strains in circulation.

The CDC is recommending that everyone 12 and older get the vaccine, as long as it’s been at least two months since their last vaccine or three months since they have tested positive for COVID-19. Those who have not received any vaccine must get vaccinated with the primary series first – two doses of the original Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two doses of Novavax or one dose of Johnson & Johnson.

The CDC recommends asking your doctor if or when you should get the vaccine, or what the possible side effects are.

While the new COVID-19 subvariants don’t pack the punch of the original, Manatee County COVID community transmission levels have been at medium or high for more than 20 consecutive weeks, with some contracting COVID more than once in a matter of two or three months. While the effects can be deadly, more commonly people miss work and feel generally miserable for a week, longer in some cases.

Reel Time: Celebrate the bay

Reel Time: Celebrate the bay

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

The communities that line Sarasota Bay are fortunate to have an active National Estuary Program centered right here in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

First named in the newly-minted Water Quality Act of 1987, the Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program (SBEP) officially began in June 1989 as one of 28 estuaries in the United States that were named by the U.S. Congress as “estuaries of national significance.”

The SBEP is celebrating National Estuaries Week 2022 from Sept. 17-24. During the month of September, the public is welcome and encouraged to attend various events and opportunities to experience and learn more about the area’s critical local bays and waterways!

National Estuaries Week is celebrated every year to showcase the value of bays and estuaries in providing for local communities. An estuary is defined as an area where freshwater and saltwater meet. On the Gulf coast of Florida, estuaries provide habitat for over 70% of key recreational and commercial fish species including snook, redfish, snapper, grouper and mullet. Estuaries also support a host of birds, dolphins and manatees. They are the main driver of the local economy, elevating property values and underpinning local economies. Habitats like mangroves and seagrasses help reduce erosion and storm damage, and add to the overall quality of life here in Florida.

Here are a few of the activities the public can enjoy as they experience and learn about the Sarasota Bay Estuary.

Join SBEP and Oscar Scherer State Park on Wednesday, Sept. 14 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Enjoy a free guided hike to Big Lake and learn about the efforts that go into protecting, restoring, creating and maintaining habitat for water quality and wildlife.

Check out Vertical Oyster Gardens (VOGs) on Tuesday, Sept. 20 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Bayfront Park in Sarasota. VOGs are oyster shells strung with lengths of rope that hang below docks. VOGs help add more habitat to our bays for sessile organisms – oysters, sea squirts and other marine organisms that grow attached to surfaces.

These VOGs have become more important as most shorelines in the greater Sarasota Bay area are “armored,” meaning that they have been engineered with seawalls, bulkheads, and riprap. This armoring reduces the habitat that is available for marine life. While oysters might settle on older concrete seawalls and wooden pilings, vinyl and other newer construction materials and coatings can prevent oysters and other sessile organisms from settling. These materials might extend the life of the seawall, but they severely reduce the amount of habitat available to oysters.

You have the opportunity at this event to learn about and build your own VOGs. Efforts by citizens help create habitat and contribute to our understanding of oyster distribution in Sarasota and Tampa bays.

These are just a few of the opportunities. For a full list and to sign up, visit the Sarasota Bay National Estuaries Week page.

Castles in the Sand

Crashing real estate waves

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

We don’t have a lot of serious wave activity here on the Gulf coast; most of the big rollers are on the Atlantic Ocean side, especially north of Florida. However, if you’re talking real estate wave activity, we certainly have those, but not nearly as erratic as other states are experiencing.

According to the Core-Logic Case-Shiller National Home Price index for the year ending in June, prices rose 18%, down from 19.9% for the prior month. Most economists are saying the housing market has cooled in recent months and nationally, existing home sales have fallen for six straight months through July.

The blame here rests with higher mortgage interest rates, which is adding additional pressure on buyers when they attempt to qualify for mortgage loans. As of this writing, the fixed-rate mortgage average was 5.99%, looking like it will likely go over 6%. This is pushing 3% more than it was a year earlier, accounting for many buyers to be hitting the pause button on home purchases.

Keep in mind that 6% is not a terrible interest rate and should not in and of itself keep buyers from purchasing a home if they can qualify. Nevertheless, sellers are starting to think they may have missed their best opportunity to sell by waiting too long. The reality is that there is a slight downward movement in sale prices and the days of bidding wars and sellers getting over asking price are likely over. This doesn’t mean that sellers are still not making a lot of profit on homes they have owned for even three years, it’s just a little more competitive and adjustments to their marketing plan need to be addressed.

All of this said, Florida so far seems to be inoculated from any serious price reductions. There is a slight downturn in median selling price, but not as much as other areas of the country. Tampa was ranked ninth overall in July based on data received from Florida Atlantic University. The average home selling in Tampa was 58.5% more than the expected price. Fort Myers came in third and Lakeland was seventh. In addition, every city in Florida increased slightly from June to July.

However, Lei Wedge, a professor of finance at the University of South Florida College of Business, said she believes Tampa real estate prices have already peaked. She points out that statistical models often lag behind what is actually happening in the market. Not every financial guru agrees with this, and points to the large influx of buyers from out of state who will prevent prices from dropping as radically as we’re seeing in other parts of the country.

The other potential problem for buyers looking for mortgages in a changing market are where the appraisals will come in. The appraisers and the lenders who hire them are very careful with their final appraisal, which the mortgage amount may be based on. In an escalating market, it is sometimes hard for appraisers to project what the value of the house is without sales comps to support their numbers. In a declining market, it could work to the buyer’s advantage, depending on how the appraisers view and project the market. Either way, appraising is an art, not a science, and appraisers almost always stand by their appraisal numbers, particularly for buyers who are putting down the minimum amount of cash.

Missing the wave isn’t always a bad thing. It gives you a chance to reposition yourself and get ready for the next one. It’s impossible to predict mother nature or the real estate waves.

Hurricane season’s second half could be unusually active

Hurricane season’s second half could be unusually active

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Environment, Outdoors.

CORTEZ – Halfway through a quiet hurricane season, it’s too soon to relax, as experts are still predicting above-normal 2022 Atlantic hurricane activity.

Atmospheric and oceanic conditions still favor an above-normal 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) annual mid-season update, issued this month by the Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. The hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

A timely rotating exhibit currently at the Florida Maritime Museum (FMM) titled “Caught in the Storm: 100 Years of Florida Hurricanes” revisits some of the worst coastal storms to impact the state – several of which hit locally.

An unnamed hurricane in October 1921 covered the Gulf coast in water from Fort Myers to Tarpon Springs, causing devastation to the Cortez waterfront.

“In Cortez, fishermen watched their industry be nearly swept away. The storm’s waves left behind mounds of debris tangled in nets where fish camps and docks once stood,” according to the FMM exhibit. “Left without markets to sell to, the fishermen created their own, some of which still remain on Cortez’s waterfront.”

The Cortez Public School, which still stands at 119th Street West and Cortez Road and is now the Florida Maritime Museum, is the highest point in Cortez and was used as a shelter during that storm, which had an 11-foot storm surge.

In October 1944, a major unnamed hurricane known unofficially as the Cuba-Florida Hurricane “struck the Bradenton/Sarasota area causing trees to fall across the road taking out power lines and disrupting all communications between the Keys and the mainland.”

Hurricane Alma in June 1966 was another storm highlighted in the exhibit, with the following recollection from Cortez resident August Antilla, “…by nightfall Ellen and I had purchased $12 worth of cheeses, cold cuts and candy, and we were looking forward to our cozy hurricane party, just the two of us. The radio was blaring continually… ‘Evacuate, Anna Maria Island. The tide will be 7 to 11 feet above normal.’ ”

The largest hurricane evacuation in U.S. history happened just five years ago in September, 2017 with 6.5 million people fleeing their homes in anticipation of Hurricane Irma. Hurricane track predictions included a “cone of uncertainty” with Irma; that cone covered the entire Florida peninsula. In an abundance of caution, many counties issued mandatory evacuation orders.

So far this year, the season has seen three named storms – Alex, Bonnie and Colin – and no hurricanes in the Atlantic. An average hurricane season produces 14 named storms, of which seven become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.

NOAA forecasters have slightly decreased the likelihood of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season to 60% from the May prediction of 65%, but more than 60% of hurricanes that make landfall do so after the peak of the season in September.

“We’re just getting into the peak months of August through October for hurricane development, and we anticipate that more storms are on the way,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said.

“I urge everyone to remain vigilant as we enter the peak months of hurricane season,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said.

For more information, check out The Sun’s Hurricane Guide.

Castles in the Sand

Is Florida the new New York?

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

What’s happened in the last two years with the rise of COVID-19 has changed our culture, our housing and our geography so much that it’s hard to wrap your brain around it.

Everything we do has the cloud of the pandemic over it in small and big ways. But eventually, those changes will fade and some of the cultural changes will also start to fade. What then?

The way I view it through my real estate-soaked brain is that remote work has been the number one factor in the shifting real estate market. The fortunate people who had jobs that could be performed remotely were encouraged, and in some cases mandated, by their employers to leave the office. Many of these white-collar workers moved out of major metropolitan hubs and into small towns or small cities, increasing the population substantially. According to an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank, people migrating from high-cost, large metro areas to small cities, towns and rural areas was about 15% higher during the four quarters ending in March compared with the average for the three-year period preceding the pandemic.

All of this increase in population based on remote work also reshuffled the housing markets. Home values went up, new businesses were started, school enrollments increased and workers who said they would never leave major cities suddenly found themselves filling the bird feeders in the morning instead of waiting in line for their coffee.

We all know that Florida has been one of the major beneficiaries of this reshuffling, with real estate values increasing to unprecedented levels. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of Florida increased by over 200,000 new residents between July 2020 to July 2021 and, of course, this does not include what the increase has been since July of last year.

Unincorporated Manatee County, Bradenton and the three towns on Anna Maria Island were always considered small towns. There is no doubt that right in our own backyards we can see the benefit of remote work and how it has impacted our real estate market.

Now it’s time to look at the July Manatee County real estate statistics recorded by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee. I’m sorry I’m a little late with this report, which came out while I was away.

The median sale price for single-family homes was $521,000, up 21.2% from last year. The average sale price was $689,490, up 21.7%. New listings were up 49.8% and closed sales were down 22.2%.

The condo median sale price was $354,500, up 41.8% from last year, and the average sale price was $409,848, up 32.3%. New listings were up 11.3% and closed sales were down 20.9%

Both single-family and condos had a median time to contract of nine days.

We’re still seeing double-digit increases in sale prices with condos jumping ahead of single-family homes. But the real story is the increase in inventory and the decrease in sales. The supply and demand ratios are shifting, so watch those sale prices eventually take a hit.

Being someone who was born and worked most of my adult life in New York City, I can’t believe that the major cities are dead. Cities offer culture and energy that is hard to find outside of that environment. They don’t, however, offer beaches, mountains or small-town life.

How long will this new lifestyle last – who knows? I can’t help thinking that eventually, you start thinking there’s more to life than filling the bird feeder.

Coquina Beach Market on county commission agenda

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Community News, Manatee County.

BRADENTON BEACH – County officials announced earlier this month that they would take control of the Coquina Beach Market, but some commissioners are saying, “Not so fast.”

Commissioner Carol Whitmore brought up the topic of the county running the beach market at a commission land use meeting on Aug. 18.

“I think this needs to be decided by the board if we’re going to do this,” Whitmore said. “I don’t believe in the board interfering with the private sector in this. I don’t want to run a flea market.”

Manatee County Information Director Bill Logan announced in a press release that oversight for the market would shift to Manatee County and that the county would take over the beach market from Nancy Ambrose, its director for the past decade.

Whitmore asked for the board to put the issue on the agenda for a future work session.

“This shouldn’t be going out for bids without our board talking about this,” Whitmore said. “I think we need to have public comment.”

Commissioner Misty Servia supported Whitmore’s request to put the topic on a future session.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to go to a work session because this is a policy matter that should have been brought to this board to discuss but we find ourselves in a situation where we’re backpedaling trying to correct a situation,” Servia said.

Chairman Kevin Van Ostenbridge said he would place the discussion on the agenda for the regular meeting to be held on Tuesday, Sept. 13.

“I don’t believe government should compete with private business,” Whitmore told The Sun on Aug. 19. “This (county running the market) sets up all kinds of liability issues. There’s a lot of risk involved.”

Whitmore said the county does not have the authority to take over the market and the commission is the only entity that can make decisions in that regard.

“Her (Ambrose’s) contract was approved by the board and only the board has the right to terminate it,” Whitmore said.

County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said since Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes was not present at the land use meeting, a discussion about the market would be in poor taste due to his absence.

“I don’t think the administrator understands his role,” Whitmore said. “His role is to follow board policy – it is not to set policy.”

In the meantime, Ambrose has said she is looking for new venues for the market. She has garnered support through the “Where’s the Market?” Facebook page.

COVID-19 level remains high, new vaccine coming

COVID-19 level remains high, new vaccine coming

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Health.

MANATEE COUNTY – For the tenth consecutive week, the COVID-19 Community Level remains high countywide.

COVID-19 Community Levels help individuals and communities decide which prevention actions to take based on the latest information. When the Community Level is high, health officials recommend that anyone at high risk of getting very sick wear a high-quality mask or respirator when indoors in public. Anyone having household or social contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick is urged to consider self-testing to detect infection before contact and consider wearing a high-quality mask when indoors with them.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many people in the United States have some protection, or immunity, against COVID-19 due to vaccination, previous infection, or both. This immunity, combined with the availability of tests and treatments, has greatly reduced the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 for many people.

However, health officials warn that vaccines and previous infections may not provide adequate protection against newer strains of the virus, BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants.

At least 73.1% of Manatee County residents have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 62.9% of county residents vaccinated twice; 46.3% have chosen to get at least one booster shot.

Despite being fully vaccinated, many are still testing positive.

“My wife and I have both had all four shots, but we both tested positive in July,” said Jim Haas, who is visiting Bradenton Beach from Virginia. “We wore masks on the plane, but I wouldn’t need both hands to count how many people besides us had them on.”

Currently, masks are not required for air travel in the United States, and there are no mask mandates in the state of Florida, including schools. Recommendations by the CDC and Florida health officials should be taken seriously, but are not law.

To combat the new subvariants, the U.S. is planning a fall booster campaign with new shots amid concerns about another wave of infection. Public health officials hope the new shots will provide more durable protection against infection and mild illness.

Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, have asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize new booster shots that target the subvariants for people 12 and older. The current vaccines are FDA approved for anyone six months of age or older.

The new shots must be approved by the FDA before they can be released to the public, and currently it is unclear whether the FDA’s independent vaccine advisory committee will meet to review more data on the shots before the agency authorizes them. As of yet, no date has been given for exactly when they will be available, but officials say when they are, they should be at local pharmacies and the process will be the same as it was for the original vaccines.

Reel Time: Mangroves – Critical habitats

Reel Time: Mangroves – Critical habitats

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Environment, Outdoors, Reel Time.

To local fishers, the importance of mangroves is evident. Intertwined with the twisted roots, there’s a web of life that’s inextricably bound to the snook, redfish, trout, flounder, grouper and a plethora of other gamefish that they seek. What can be less apparent to those that make a living elsewhere is the importance of mangroves as a critical source of food and protection for fish and people.

These ancient coastal forests provide an abundance of food for manatees, dolphins and sea turtles as well as sustenance and nesting areas for critically endangered seabirds. All these links in the chain of life provide the ineffable sense of beauty and wonder that continue to attract people to this region. They also protect and sustain a vibrant economy in ways that might not be as apparent.

What’s less well understood, and just beginning to be appreciated, is the protection mangroves provide against powerful hurricanes and rising waters that longtime residents have seen firsthand. With all that mangroves provide for us and our quality of life, it would seem they would be revered and protected at all costs.

Unfortunately, just the opposite seems to be the case.

When local fishing guides began to question me about what they considered extensive mangrove trimming along the Sarasota Bay shoreline, I went to investigate. What
I observed shocked and angered me. That was April 4 of this year, and I flew a drone and walked the shoreline to document what I witnessed. There were numerous large mature mangroves that had been cut, were denuded of leaves and appeared dead. There also was a large amount of cut debris in the water, including branches that were of greater diameter and longer than allowed under Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) guidelines.

When I reached out to FDEP in April to file a complaint, I was informed that Karen Willey, a local environmental advocate and business owner, had filed a protest two months earlier in February 2022. When I questioned Willey, she said she had been reading the Washington Post and had seen an ad for Aqua by the Bay that featured an image looking west with an unobstructed view of Sarasota Bay she had never seen before.

When I called FDEP to inquire why no actions had been taken, the response I received indicated that they had sent a letter to the permit holder about the complaint and had not heard back from them. They also stated that they couldn’t get on the property to inspect without permission from the property owner. After raising the issue with Florida state Rep. Will Robinson, Sen. Jim Boyd and the Manatee County Commission, an inspection was done which claimed that the conditions of the permit had been met.

Astonished, I sent an email challenging the FDEP inspection report with images showing my concerns.

At her request, I sent GPS-tagged images to Hannah Westervelt, FDEP Compliance Assurance Manager, and received a reply indicating that inspectors were being sent back to the site to investigate.

Subsequently, Westervelt contacted me to say that two inspections were conducted that confirmed our concerns. The permit holder was given until Aug. 12 to reply to the letter and we are currently waiting for the response.

It’s unfortunate and ill-advised that state regulators are not performing their duty in a timely manner to protect the citizens and businesses of Florida, present and future. But it wouldn’t be fair to lay the blame only with the FDEP. People I have spoken to who deal with state regulators on a regular basis fault prior Gov. Rick Scott with eviscerating the FDEP and spawning a mass exodus of the brightest and most committed regulators.

The people I spoke to at the agency, including Westervelt, were responsive to my questions and concerns and ultimately addressed the issue. My guess is the agency is struggling with a limited budget and staff. That’s where we the voters come in. It’s incumbent on the citizens of Florida and Manatee County to elect officials with a proven record of protecting our most important and vulnerable resources.

How this is resolved is still to be seen, but rest assured that groups like Suncoast Waterkeeper will make sure it doesn’t become just a cost of doing business for the developer. I don’t have a crystal ball but I’m guessing that future developers, builders and your children and grandchildren will judge us for the decisions we make and actions we take.

Water taxi plan to be presented to county commissioners

Water taxi plan headed to county commissioners

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

ANNA MARIA – Elliott Falcione hopes to present Manatee County Commissioners with a proposed water taxi plan on Tuesday, Sept. 13.

Falcione, the director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, made that announcement when appearing before the Anna Maria City Commission on Aug. 11.

Without naming the water taxi company to potentially be contracted by the county, Falcione said the county has an experienced, Florida-based water taxi company in mind. If county commissioners approve the proposed water taxi plan, service between downtown Bradenton and Anna Maria Island could begin as early as February.

Water taxi proposal headed to county commission in September

Elliott Falcione provided Anna Maria Commissioners with a water taxi update on Aug. 11. – Joe Hendricks | SunFalcione said the county might request additional water taxi service during peak visitation periods and major holidays, and service might eventually be expanded

to five or seven days per week. He also said service might one day be expanded to include Longboat Key, Sarasota and/or Palmetto, where an eight-story hotel is currently being built near the convention center.

Falcione told the Anna Maria Commission the estimated trip from downtown Bradenton to the Anna Maria City Pier would take about 30 minutes, and another 20 minutes to travel from the City Pier to the Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach.

Commissioner Mark Short estimated a round trip from downtown Bradenton and back would take about two hours and result in each boat making approximately four round trips per day.

Short said it’s important that the county-run Island trolley system be able
to accommodate the additional ridership created when dozens of water taxi passengers arrive at the City Pier and require additional ground transport to their desired destinations elsewhere on the Island.

Falcione said the water taxi fare might be in the $8-$10 range but those details are still being worked out. Falcione said Manatee County will subsidize some of the costs associated with the privately contracted water taxi service and those financial details are being handled by County Administrator Scott Hopes.

In reference to previous suggestions made by Mayor Dan Murphy and Commissioner Jon Crane, Falcione said restaurant, lodging and other service industry employees would be able to ride the water taxis for free, with some proof of employment needed.

Crane said it’s great that service workers would ride for free, but he’s concerned about the water taxis only running three days a week. He suggested expanding the days of service before expanding service to additional locations.

Falcione acknowledged that a water taxi service that runs three days a week and ends at 9:30 p.m. will not fully meet the transportation needs of the Island’s service industry employees – some of whom work until 11 p.m. or later.

Murphy said he loves the idea of service workers riding for free because they make up a significant percentage of those who travel by car from the mainland to the Island.

“One of the primary concerns of our residents, and our commissioners as
well, is that a water taxi should reduce congestion. It should have a positive impact on what’s coming across that bridge. If you can make it advantageous for them (the employees), I think you’ll really bring a great benefit to this Island,” Murphy said.

Commissioner Robert Kingan said service workers will also need free parking to make the service viable for them.

Falcione said county staff is working on that and there’s a parking garage in downtown Bradenton within walking distance of the Bradenton day dock.

Water taxi proposal headed to county commission in September
The county-contracted water taxis are expected to resemble the boat shown in this photo provided by Elliott Falcione. – Manatee County | Submitted

When acknowledging the water taxis will also be used by tourists to travel between Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach, Falcione said, “There’s going to be people from Iowa or Indiana that just want to do it for entertainment purposes.”

Reiterating a point he’s made during previous discussions, Falcione said past research indicates 60% of the visitors who stayed in three downtown Bradenton hotels took day trips to Anna Maria Island during their visits.

Commission Chair Carol Carter
asked if the water taxi service would be marketed to visitors coming from nearby Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Falcione said that Convention and Visitors Bureau Marketing and Communications Director Kolby Gayson has already been tasked with making visitors and locals aware of the water taxi service and any associated parking accommodations.

Falcione sought and received informal city commission consensus authorizing the mayor to draft an interlocal agreement for the county’s use of the City Pier as a water taxi stop. Murphy said he would provide the city commission with a draft agreement for preliminary discussion on Thursday, Aug. 25.

Beach market shakeup disturbing

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

I am appalled and disturbed that Manatee County abruptly ended – and without due cause or notice – Nancy Ambrose’s job running the Coquina Beach Market.

For over 10 years, she worked hard building up a business and helping many small artisans to sell their various items. As Commissioner Carol Whitmore said, Nancy Ambrose did this without any help from the county.
Now a greedy Manatee County official has taken it upon himself to steal away someone’s hard-earned business. This is wrong! There is no need required or requested for the Convention and Visitors Bureau to take this away!
I thank Nancy for her dedication and building up small businesses in the area. I detest county takeovers when it was selfish and unasked for and apparently for their profit. County Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan’s comment of “no further comment on the contract termination” shows no transparency in his views. It’s just wrong!

Natalie Thrasher
Bradenton, Holmes Beach, Anna Maria

Ambrose explores new venues for market

Ambrose explores new venues for market

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

BRADENTON BEACH – Since the Aug. 2 announcement that Manatee County would take over the Coquina Beach Market from Nancy Ambrose, its director for the past decade, she has been looking for new venues.

Ambrose told The Sun that she is exploring the permitting process for one or more new venues for the market and said there are several good possibilities.

“This all happened so fast,” she said. “My concern is always the vendors having a place to go. When this happened, I almost felt like I let them down. I would say right now there is probably more than one place that we’re looking at.”

Ambrose declined to say where she was looking, but said that her search was not limited to Manatee County.

“The market will probably be at more than one place,” she said. “There’s one

in particular that I’m very excited about.”

“I’m done with the county as far as the beach market,” she said. “My reports are in to the county, I’ve destroyed my signs and business cards. I had 30 days, but I got it all done.”

Ambrose had expressed astonishment that her franchise license agreement for use of the beach parking lot had been terminated, thus ending her longtime management of the market.

“I was completely shocked when I received the coldest termination without cause letter out of the blue yesterday,” she wrote on Aug. 2 on her Facebook page. “I spent the day trying to figure it out and was so worried about the vendors.”

An Aug. 2 press release from Manatee County Information Director Bill Logan stated in part, “Artisans and other vendors will be back along the Coquina Beach South promenade, once again, when the 2022-23 season opens in November as oversight for the market shifts to Manatee County.”

On Aug. 5, Logan declined to give a reason for Ambrose’s termination and said by email, “I do not have any further information why the contract was terminated.”

“In a perfect world, I at 64 would retire as my husband retired in May and we would get the Thor Vegas or Atlas and travel with our dogs – that we dream about,” she wrote. “However instead of relaxing now – I must work on finding other venues as I honestly feel that some of our vendor family will not have a home in November.”

“We have fabulous vendors,” she said. “It has a family vibe and that makes it a special place. People can feel that.”

Ambrose’s supporters have come out in force on social media. The Facebook page, “Where is the Market?” has garnered 1,200 members – many of whom are vendors who have worked with Ambrose and are expressing loyalty. For example, “941 Beach Vibes” will NOT be vendors at the Coquina Beach Market, we will be following Nancy,” is posted there.

Ambrose said she started the Beach Market as vendors at her previous Bridge Street market were not allowed back when she left as manager.

“I am afraid that I will see the same thing now – that the vendors who helped build and make the Beach Market at Coquina Beach so special will not be back,” she wrote. “I fear for this on so many levels. So, I have no other decision than to start anew and help the vendors… I am mama bear to my vendors – you do not mess around with them.”

County organizing new market

County leaders are working to create a “more engaging and enjoyable experience” when the Coquina Beach Market reopens in November, Logan wrote in an Aug. 11 press release.

He declined to speculate as to what some of those changes could be, saying, “Everything is being looked at in order to make it a better event.”

“Every aspect of the market is being studied, from location to hours and dates of operation to enhancing vendor and guest opportunities,” Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes said. “We want to integrate this into the beach experience.”

The new director has not yet been chosen, Logan said.

“There are discussions as to who will be in charge of the market, but no person has been appointed or named yet,” he said.

More than 150 vendors have responded to initial survey requests, expressing their interest in continuing to work with the new management team, according to Logan.

Vendors for the county beach market may apply at coquinamarketvendors@ mymanatee.org.

Piney Point stormwater to be discharged into Tampa Bay

Stormwater released this week from Piney Point

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Environment, Featured, Outdoors.

PALMETTO – Stormwater collected over several months in a pond on top of a phosphogypsum waste stack at Piney Point is being released this week into Tampa Bay at Port Manatee, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

The “dewatering,” another step toward the final closure of the idled phosphate plant, began on Aug. 12 and will amount to about 4.5 million gallons, spokesperson Alexandra Kuhta said.

“This is the first pond to be closed and contains strictly rainwater,” she said. “Ultimately all (ponds) will be closed on the site.”

The stormwater is separate from the 262 million gallons of phosphate process wastewater still on site, which is contained in separate lined compartments and is managed separately, according to an FDEP press release.

A leak in one of the gypsum stacks in March 2021 resulted in FDEP approving the dumping of 215 million gallons of contaminated process water into Tampa Bay to prevent flooding of homes and businesses in the event of the stack’s collapse. The discharged water spread throughout Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay, transporting nitrogen and phosphorus that worsened a bloom of the toxic algae red tide that lasted from April to November, causing fish kills and respiratory irritation.

The stormwater is less problematic, according to FDEP.

“DEP and the court-appointed receiver have independently tested the water, and current water sampling results indicate the concentrations of total nitrogen range from 2.3 to 3.5 mg/L.

At this level, the nutrient loading to the bay is expected to be less than 0.1%
of the federally adopted annual Total Maximum Daily Load for Lower Tampa Bay,” according to the press release.

The stormwater pond will be modified so that it will no longer accumulate rainwater, eliminating the need for future stormwater releases, according to the agency.

Court-appointed receiver and Tampa-based attorney Herb Donica recommended a phased approach to closing the ponds, which are less than two miles from Tampa Bay, near two state aquatic preserves.

The Piney Point site will be closed by December 2024, according to a plan approved by the FDEP on March 30.

Manatee County takes over Coquina Beach Market

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

BRADENTON BEACH – Manatee County officials have announced that the county tourism agency is taking over the Coquina Beach Market from longtime director Nancy Ambrose.

Manatee County Information Director Bill Logan sent an email to commissioners on Aug. 1 announcing the takeover, issuing a press release on Aug. 2 that the market would be “taking a break” until November.

“Artisans and other vendors will be back along the Coquina Beach South promenade, once again, when the 2022-23 season opens in November as oversight for the market shifts to Manatee County,” according to the press release.

“This is a county asset,” Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes said in the release. “Bringing the market under the guidance and coordination of our Convention and Visitors Bureau will ensure it continues to engage some of our area’s premier artisans while allowing visitors outstanding buying opportunities.”

In a Facebook post on the Beach Market’s Facebook page, the organizer of the market for the past decade, Nancy Ambrose, expressed her disbelief.

Ambrose said that a letter from county purchasing official Jacob Erickson notified her that her franchise license agreement for use of the beach parking lot was terminated.

“I was completely shocked when I received the coldest termination without cause letter out of the blue yesterday,” Ambrose wrote. “I spent the day trying to figure it out and was so worried about the vendors. I contacted Jacob Erickson, the Purchasing Official that wrote the letter and he informed me he had no idea if the market would continue as he was just directed by the administration to write the termination letter.

“There was no thank you for your years of service, no good luck – just 30-day written notice of termination – that the agreement will terminate at 11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 31, 2022. In an email Dr. Hopes references me as the prior contractor,” Ambrose’s post continued.

When The Sun asked Logan for a reason on Aug. 5 for Ambrose’s termination he replied by email, “I do not have any further information on why the contract was terminated – only that it was.”

Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore responded to Logan’s announcement, emailing several county officials and others on Aug. 1.

“Don’t you think we have more pressing business than this?” she wrote, adding that Logan does not have the authority to “grow a department.”

“This does not draw tourism, it’s something local county and visitors of (the) island visit,” Whitmore wrote.

Ambrose said in a Facebook post that the county has never contributed funds to the beach market. Whitmore confirmed that no county funds have so far been contributed to the beach market with Manatee Clerk of the Circuit Court Angel Colonneso by email.

No-Swim Advisories lifted at Manatee Beaches

No-swim advisories lifted at Manatee beaches

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Beach, Featured, Outdoors.

MANATEE COUNTY – It’s safe to go back in the water.

The no-swim advisories that have been in place since July 26 were lifted Wednesday morning for Bayfront Park north, Manatee Beach north, Coquina Beach north and the south side of the Palma Sola Causeway. Lifting the advisories means that bacteria counts have dropped to acceptable levels and that the public can once again safely enter these waters.

“The flag system has nothing to do with bacteria in the water.” – Christopher Tittel, Florida Department of Health communications director

As a participant in the Healthy Beaches Program, the Department of Health-Manatee collects water samples at select beaches each week. The samples are then sent to labs to determine whether or not levels of enteric (fecal) bacteria – which can cause disease, infections or rashes – are acceptable based on EPA standards. If levels are unacceptable, a no-swim advisory is issued; the advisory is lifted once the levels read as acceptable.

According to Florida Department of Health Communications Director Christopher Tittel, the cause of the bacteria was rain and runoff that washed animal feces into the water. Recent heavy storms have churned up the sand beneath the surface; this mixed with extremely warm water is believed to aid in the elevated levels.

DOH-Manatee received test results from samples taken at all four beaches on July 26 that show an elevated level of enteric bacteria.

On Tuesday, Aug. 2 at Manatee Beach there appeared to be some confusion about water safety as many beachgoers were in the water. Some cited the green flag, indicating low hazard, flying above the lifeguard station. The flag system is a warning system for rip currents or stinging marine life.

“The flag system has nothing to do with bacteria in the water,” Tittel said.

At Manatee Beach, the Department of Health advisory was posted at the base of the lifeguard station. The sign said in part, “High bacteria levels swimming not recommended.  Increased risk of illness at this time.”

Additional information about the Healthy Beaches program can be found by calling 941-714-7593, or by visiting the Florida Department of Health’s website at www.FloridaHealth.gov and selecting Beach Water Quality under the Environmental Health tab of the navigation bar.