HOLMES BEACH – The Holmes Beach Police Department has a new tool that can not only turn heads, but also save lives.
On the Island, it’s not uncommon to see a Ferrari or Rolls Royce passing by in traffic, but drivers are doing a double-take when they see a fully marked military Hummer that looks like a regular police SUV went to the gym and hit the weights. The vehicle is the latest addition to the Holmes Beach Police Department’s fleet, and it’s not just for show.
“We didn’t need any taxpayer money to get this Hummer on the road. When the vehicle came to us it was a mess. This thing had a big plant growing in the back, it was dirty, it had obviously been outside for years,” Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said. “We took it and washed it, sandblasted it, had the interior Rhino-coated, painted it, added the graphics and all the detail work.”
The Holmes Beach Hummer is fully equipped with emergency lights, sirens and even military armor. HBPD officers also added a custom metal flag on the hood of the “Stormtrooper.” – Jason Schaffer | Sun
The Hummer was nicknamed “Stormtrooper” after one of Holmes Beach’s dispatchers said the white vehicle looked like a stormtrooper from Star Wars. The vehicle was acquired through the 1033 program, which allows participating police departments to buy military surplus equipment, including vehicles such as the Hummer.
“We are a part of the 1033 program. We signed up as a city to make sure we’re in compliance with what the government says we need to be,” said Tokajer. “After the storm Irma came through and we had to do a couple of high water rescues, we had three of our trucks that sat up pretty high damaged due to water. Since we have to save people, we began looking for a Hummer.”
Tokajer wasn’t just looking for any Hummer, he wanted one with an intake snorkel that sticks up from the engine about 3 feet. This allows the engine to take in air and run completely submerged in water. The Hummer also has an exhaust pipe that rises more than 3 feet from the rear of the vehicle, preventing it from stalling out in water that can rise above the windshield.
Holmes Beach police officers worked hard to transform a military surplus vehicle into a working rescue machine. – Jason Schaffer | Sun
“I’m always looking for ways to improve the equipment for the department that doesn’t cost the taxpayers any money,” Tokajer said, adding that the Hummer was set to cost $500 initially, but since it needed a little more work than advertised, the $500 was dropped and the only initial fee was the cost to have it towed to Holmes Beach.
Tokajer said his officers did most of the work on the vehicle installing lights, paint, new parts and more. The total cost to restore the 1999 Hummer to like-new condition was only $2,000 due to the extra effort by the officers. The $2,000 came from the department’s maintenance budget, leaving taxpayers to pay nothing. He said the damage that regular police vehicles may not incur in a high water situation thanks to the Hummer could save money in the long run.
Tokajer said there is more equipment his department is currently working to secure through grants that will not require taxpayer dollars, including a boat and some new radios. He estimates the department has gotten over $1 million in funding from other sources that did not put a burden on the taxpayers over the past nine years.
ANNA MARIA – The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three mariners from a 70-foot commercial fishing vessel that took on water and ran aground Friday evening in rough seas two miles west of Anna Maria Island.
The fishermen are “OK,” according to boat owner Joe Versaggi, of Tampa-based Versaggi Shrimp Corp. But pieces of the Warrior, along with some fuel, continued to wash up on Anna Maria Island’s beaches this afternoon, floating south past Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach and reaching Longboat Key.
While the Coast Guard reported earlier today that the hull of the vessel appeared intact, some of the 7,000 gallons of diesel fuel was reported leaking.
“The United States Coast Guard informed me this evening that after their last flyover, the vessel’s fuel tank appears to still be secure. It is their opinion that the fuel we have on our beach is possibly from remnants from the vessel’s bilge,” Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said. A salvage boat is expected to reach the site on Sunday morning between 8-10 a.m. to remove the hull, engine and fuel tanks, he said.
Cortez commercial fisherman Mike Fannon cleaned up some boat debris washing into the Rod and Reel Pier in Anna Maria this morning, after seeing the Warrior in the Gulf of Mexico off Anna Maria Island on Friday and noting that “it was too close to the reef,” Capt. Kathe Fannon said. Debris was washing up on Beer Can Island (Greer Island) at the north end of Longboat Key around 2 p.m. today, she added.
Fuel and oil from the accident could impact bird populations on the Island, including terns and laughing gulls, said Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Director Suzi Fox.
It’s too early for shorebirds to begin nesting, and sea turtle nesting season is over until May 1, but some local sea turtles could be affected, as could the seagrass they feed in, she said.
According to the Coast Guard press release, “A Coast Guard Station Cortez 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crew arrived at 7:50 p.m. to the 70-foot commercial fishing vessel Warrior, took the three crew members off the vessel and transferred them to a dock in Cortez with no medical concerns.”
This section of the commercial fishing vessel Warrior washed ashore on the sand in Holmes Beach. – Sarah Parsons | Submitted
According to the press release, “Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a call on VHF-Channel 16 from the Warrior operator reporting they had 2 feet of water on board and pumps were unable to keep up with the flooding. A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Clearwater also responded. The Coast Guard will continue to monitor the vessel for possible pollution.”
The vessel examination sticker is affixed to a window of the fishing vessel debris that washed ashore in Holmes Beach. – Sarah Parsons | Submitted
The Coast Guard press release includes a few seconds of video footage that shows the Coast Guard vessel approaching the Warrior in distress.
This shipwreck debris was spotted offshore of Bean Point Saturday morning. – Kristin Swain | Sun
Debris field and cleanup efforts
The abandoned Warrior later broke apart and much of the ship’s debris washed ashore along the northern tip of Anna Maria Island at Bean Point.
This morning, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy and Public Works Manager Dean Jones investigated the debris field and initiated the city’s cleanup response.
Anna Maria Public Works Manager Dean Jones and Mayor Dan Murphy toured the debris field Saturday morning. – Kristin Swain | Sun
“It’s a shrimp boat out of Tampa, owned by the Versaggi Shrimp Corporation out of Tampa,” Murphy said, adding the shrimp company’s insurer will be asked to pay for the cleanup efforts.
The debris field includes wooden planks, green plastic bags and more. – Kristin Swain | Sun
“They’re going to have to pay for it. I’ve informed the Coast Guard and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). We started taking the debris out. We got a hold of the county and the county’s bringing in reinforcements to help us pull up the debris. I couldn’t allow that debris to sit there. There’s about a mile-and-a-half to 2 miles of debris on the beach. There’s timbers, rusty nails and bolts and more. It’s a public safety hazard,” Murphy said.
“The beach isn’t closed, but we’d like people to stay away because it’s dangerous with all the debris and diesel fuel. The diesel fuel spill starts at Bean Point and ends at Cypress. The debris field starts at Bean Point and goes all the way down to the entrance to the city at White Avenue,” Murphy said.
Murphy said the Coast Guard and DEP are monitoring the fuel spill.
“FDEP is on board for the fuel spill and they’re supposed to get back to me with their advice. We’ve got two big containers that we’re putting at the end of Magnolia Avenue to collect the debris we’re picking up on the beach,” Murphy said.
When contacted at approximately 1 p.m. this afternoon, Joe Versaggi confirmed the Warrior was part of the Versaggi Shrimp Corporation’s Tampa-based fishing fleet.
“It was our boat. We’re trying to get a dive crew and a salvage crew out there now,” Versaggi said.
This large piece of shipwreck debris washed ashore at Bean Point. – Kristin Swain | Sun
When asked about the Warrior’s crew, Versaggi said, “They’re all OK.”
Versaggi said he spoke to Murphy about the cleanup efforts.
“I told him to call the insurance adjuster,” Versaggi said.
When contacted a few minutes later, Murphy said, “I talked to their insurance adjuster and they’re going to compensate us for all our work. That is not a problem. I am saving the debris for Mr. Versaggi because he wants to inspect it.”
When contacted earlier this morning, Jones commented on the debris field and the pending cleanup efforts.
“It’s bad. It basically broke apart from what we can tell. There’s fuel up on Bean Point. You can smell diesel fuel. There’s all these green bags out there on the beach. There’s wood everywhere with nails in it. There’s baskets, cartons and other debris. We called everyone from Public Works to be here as quickly as possible.”
This is some of the debris that washed ashore at Bean Point. – Charlie Trygg | Submitted
