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Bradenton Beach: Year in Review

Bradenton Beach: Year in Review

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

PALM TREES

Bradenton Beach: Year in Review
Coconut palm trees were delivered to Bridge Street in May for planting. – Leslie Lake | Sun

In a partnership between the City of Bradenton Beach and developer Shawn Kaleta, 80 coconut palm trees were planted along Bridge Street on April 23. At an April 3 Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meeting, the board approved the partnership in which Kaleta accepted responsibility for maintenance of the trees and indemnified the city against liability for damage caused by falling coconuts. The agreement was signed by Kaleta and Mayor John Chappie on May 28. Since the planting of the palm trees, at least five have fallen during storms and have been removed by the city.

PINES TRAILER PARK

Bradenton Beach: Year in Review
The Pines Trailer Park was flooded by Hurricane Helene. Many residents are being allowed to rebuild. – Leslie Lake | Sun

Following water intrusion into the mobile homes at Pines Trailer Park from Hurricane Helene on Sept. 26, residents were told at an Oct. 17 city commission meeting that FEMA guidelines related to any hurricane-related water covering their floors deem the properties to have major damage. That damage assessment triggered a city floodplain ordinance requiring the mobile homes to be elevated in compliance with city code. In-person inspections by the city building official, however, determined that any storm damage repairs to 83 of the 86 the mobile homes would cost less than 50% of the pre-storm structure value, in compliance with the FEMA 50% rule. In early December, city Building Official Darin Cushing notified residents that they would be allowed to repair their structures with the proper permits. The city waived permit fees until April 30.

HURRICANE DAMAGE IN CORTEZ

Bradenton Beach: Year in Review
Gov. Ron DeSantis and FEMA Executive Director Kevin Guthrie meet with Star Fish Co. owner Karen Bell to view hurricane damage in Cortez. – Leslie Lake | Sun

Gov. Ron DeSantis, along with state and federal officials, including FEMA Executive Director Kevin Guthrie, visited Star Fish Co. in Cortez on Oct. 11 to discuss state-wide hurricane clean-up efforts and to survey local hurricane damage.

A community supply distribution hub for all Cortez residents was in place at the Sunny Shores Park clubhouse. The hub opened shortly after Hurricane Helene and ended in December.

Sunny Shores Trailer Park got electrical power restored in October with the help of Hydro One, a Canadian-based electricity transmission and distribution provider. Working as part of a Florida Power and Light Emergency Response Team, the crews made their way through piles of debris to install electrical equipment.

The 12th Annual Cortez Stone Crab and Music Festival, scheduled for Nov. 9-10, was canceled due to the impacts of back-to-back hurricanes. The festival typically draws more than 5,000 attendees to Cortez and features live music, crafts and local seafood.

NET CAMP

Following a six-year legal battle between Raymond “Junior” Guthrie and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) over the existence of a net camp stilt structure in Sarasota Bay, the agency prevailed in May and Guthrie was ordered to dismantle and remove the building. FDEP claimed the net camp was built on state submerged lands and Guthrie countered that the structure he rebuilt in 2017 was replacing a historic structure that had been in his family for decades. Net camps were wooden shacks used by fishermen to hang fishing nets to dry. According to historic photos, there were dozens of net camps on the bay off Cortez. One net camp adjacent to Guthrie’s remained, but was destroyed in September by Hurricane Helene.

BRADENTON BEACH GOVERNMENT

CRA board member David Bell resigned from the board following the March 6 meeting. Bell, a CRA member for five years, wrote in his resignation letter that there has been too much focus on parking versus circulation, accessibility, safety, environmental issues and aesthetics.

Deborah Scaccianoce was sworn in on March 21 as Ward 1 commissioner. She filled the vacant seat left by former Commissioner Jake Spooner. Spooner resigned in December 2023 citing his opposition to the state’s financial disclosure requirement.

City commissioners voted on Sept. 5 to modify the makeup of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) board from a seven-member to a five-member board. The five-member board will consist of commissioners and act as a governing body as opposed to the prior board makeup as a recommending body.

The Bradenton Beach City Commission voted unanimously on Sept. 19 in favor of naming Police Chief John Cosby permanent director of public works. Cosby had served in the role temporarily following the May departure of former Public Works Director Tom Woodard.

Bradenton Beach resident and retired engineer Scott Bear was sworn in as city commissioner for Ward 2 on Nov. 18. Bear, who ran unopposed, filled the seat formerly held by city commissioner Marilyn Maro.

SAND SIFTING

In a large-scale beach restoration project to replace sand pushed across Gulf Drive during back-to-back hurricanes, tons of beach-grade sand are being sifted, cleaned and returned to beaches at the Coquina Beach processing site. Construction-grade darker sand, such as is found in parking lots, is being transported to the eastern part of the county for future use in road building and infrastructure projects. Manatee County is operating the project and expects to be reimbursed by FEMA debris funds.

PAID PARKING LOTS

The Pines Trailer Park parking lot at 201 First St. N. was converted to a public paid parking lot on Dec. 5. The lot was used by approximately half of the 86 Pines homeowners at a cost of $750 per year and provided the only parking facility for them. Pines Park Investors LLC owns the parking lot and the mobile home park.

One of four paid parking lots owned by Shawn Kaleta was brought into compliance by the city’s 2019 deadline by adhering to several stipulations. The applicants chose to close the remaining three lots at 102 Third St. N., 206 Bay Drive N. and 207 Church Ave. All requirements for the paid parking lot at 101 Bridge St. were met.

HURRICANE CONDEMNATIONS

A 1930 Gulf Drive bungalow was demolished on Oct. 23 after storm surge from Hurricane Helene pushed the 739 square foot home to the end of 12th Street South before coming to a stop and sustaining significant damage along the way.

The City of Bradenton Beach released a list of 25 condemned properties due to hurricane damage. At a Dec. 4 city commission special emergency meeting, Public Works Director and Police Chief John Cosby told commissioners that the homeowners are responsible for the demolition and removal of the condemned buildings.

A condemnation notice on Gash Caudill’s Gulf Drive home was rescinded following an in-person inspection by City Building Official Darin Cushing.

SEA TURTLES, SHOREBIRDS

A nesting sea turtle wandered onto Gulf Drive on June 19 and was struck and killed by a vehicle. The turtle had nested in nearby sand dunes and was likely disoriented by streetlights illuminating a crosswalk, according to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella.

A least tern colony began nesting in Bradenton Beach the week of May 6. Their numbers grew to include 45 birds, with 20 of them sitting on eggs, along with five new hatchlings. Rainfall during the week of June 10 raised concerns about the colony’s survival. At that time many of the eggs had been incubating for more than 25 days and were expected to be close to hatching. Not only did the colony survive the storms, but throughout the weekend five chicks could be seen peering out from under their parents, according to Mazzarella.

Sea turtle nesting season came to an early end due to the remaining nests being washed out by Hurricane Helene. Anna Maria Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring’s largest fundraiser, Turtle Watch Wednesday, was canceled in 2024 due to hurricane damage on the Island.

HURRICANE RECOVERY

Bradenton Beach celebrated hurricane recovery and reopening of businesses on Dec. 7 with a Christmas on Bridge Street celebration. Following the storm surge from Hurricane Helene on Sept. 26, many parts of the city were covered with more than 4 feet of sand pushed up from local beaches. A concerted cleanup effort with FDOT and public works crews removing sand and debris from local roads allowed the celebration to take place.

Petition seeks governor review of 50/50 rule

Petition seeks governor review of 50/50 rule

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

CORTEZ – Residents of Sunny Shores want help from Gov. Ron DeSantis to keep their homes.

Citing community stability and economic burdens, an online petition drive is ongoing for residents of Sunny Shores asking DeSantis to consider a review and exception to the FEMA 50/50 rule.

Homes in the Sunny Shores community were flooded during Hurricane Helene’s storm surge and many were damaged further by the winds from Hurricane Milton. A number of those homes are now subject to the 50/50 rule which prohibits improvements to a structure exceeding 50% of its market value unless the entire structure is brought into compliance with current floodplain regulations. Those regulations include elevating the structure.

Sunny Shores consists of mobile homes along with single and multi-family properties. The land is owned by individual owners.

The petition was written by Jamie Reed who did not attend a Nov. 20 meeting in the Sunny Shores clubhouse. Betsy Plante explained the petition to residents.

“There is a precedent in Lee County where an exception was made, we were told, where the county made exceptions to the rule,” Plante said. “Jamie decided to put this petition on the Change.org website.”

The petition may only be signed online.

“Go to Change.org and search and type in Sunny Shores,” Plante said. “It says ‘petition to allow and review exceptions to the 50% rule for Sunny Shores.’ It doesn’t have to be just Sunny Shores people to sign this.”

She invited people to post the petition link on social media and share it.

Many residents questioned what they said were low FEMA values for their homes on the Manatee County Property Appraisal site, noting that those values may make compliance with the 50% rule difficult for some.

“The first place to start is this petition and get as many people as you can to sign the petition,” Plante said.

Plante, who is president and co-founder of The Blessing Bags Project, a non-profit dedicated to helping the homeless population, raised concerns about homelessness if residents are unable to stay in their Sunny Shores homes.

“I’m concerned about seniors and homelessness,” she said. “What’s going to happen if you put these people out of their homes?”

One resident suggested the group seek legal representation in addition to the petition.

“Would you like to try to get an attorney to come here just as a consult?” Plante said. “Blessing Bags Project will take care of the fee for a consult.”

The petition

“We, the undersigned residents and interested parties of Sunny Shores, respectfully petition for a review of the current application of FEMA’s 50% rule. While we recognize the importance of safety and resilience in floodplain management, we believe that strict enforcement of this rule places undue financial and emotional burdens on our community, particularly in the wake of the recent hurricanes,” the petition introduction states. “We urge state leaders to consider exceptions or adjustments to repair and restore our homes in a way that is both economically feasible and sustainable.”

The petition sites five reasons for the request.

“1.      Economic Burden on Homeowners:

Requiring substantial modifications to meet current flood standards when repair costs reach 50% of a property’s structure value can create significant financial hardship for homeowners. Many residents in Sunny Shores, particularly those on fixed incomes, simply cannot afford the high costs of full compliance. This can force families to abandon homes they’ve lived in for many years, disrupting the fabric of our community.

  1.      Precedent for Exceptions:

In past hurricane recoveries, Florida communities have been allowed flexibility in enforcing this 50% rule, helping residents rebuild quickly and affordably. We believe similar considerations should be given to Sunny Shores, allowing our community to restore homes without unnecessary financial strain.

  1.      Expedited Recovery:

Exceptions for the 50% rule would enable our community to recover more rapidly from storm-related damage. Allowing repairs without extensive modifications can speed up the rebuilding process, reduce displacement, and help stabilize property values.

  1.      Community Stability and Livelihood:

Our community is strong when its residents are supported in their ability to stay and rebuild. By allowing exceptions to the 50% rule, Sunny Shores can maintain its local identity, support its economy, and ensure that long-time residents are not forced out due to unaffordable mandates.

Our Request:

We respectfully request that state and local officials work with FEMA to review the 50% rule as it applies to Sunny Shores. Specifically, we ask for flexibility or special consideration in cases where strict enforcement of this rule would impose severe economic hardship, especially for properties with significant historic and/or sentimental value. Such exceptions would allow us to protect our community’s character and give residents the opportunity to rebuild affordably.

We, the undersigned, urge you to support a review of the FEMA 50% rule for Sunny Shores and to work toward a fair and compassionate approach to floodplain management in our community.”

To sign the petition, visit Change.org.

New information for Cortez mobile home owners

New information for Cortez mobile home owners

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

CORTEZ – Many residents in local mobile home parks received substantial damage assessments from Manatee County following water intrusion from Hurricane Helene’s storm surge. Those residents attended a Nov. 6 meeting with Manatee County, FEMA and Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) officials for answers about the next steps in the recovery process.

More than 100 Cortez mobile homeowners attended the informational meeting held at the Bridge Church to hear a presentation by officials outlining FEMA guidelines, including the 50% rule; county ordinances and its participation in, and adherence to, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as well as timeframes for inspections and disaster assistance contacts.

“This past month has been difficult for everybody,” Manatee County Building Official and Floodplain Manager Bill Palmer said in opening remarks. “A lot of people lost their homes and a lot of houses were abandoned. Everybody wants to repair their homes and get back as quick as possible and get their lives back as normal as possible.”

Discussion on regulations

“Manatee County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) so, when you rebuild or do repairs to homes, we must have guidelines on how you can rebuild. There are regulations so we want to make sure you have all the knowledge to move forward and be able to rebuild or decide which direction you want to go in,” Palmer said.

Palmer said there has been some misinformation circulated about the process.

“I’ve seen things that say we’re going to go in and condemn all the mobile home parks,” he said. “That’s just not true. We’re not going to do that.”

Manatee County Floodplain Manager Cheryl Bagby explained floodplain regulations.

“There are federal, state and local regulations that state if a home is damaged 50% of the value of the structure, or if it is improved 50% value of the structure, then the entire structure must be brought to current floodplain compliance,” she said. “This is commonly known as the FEMA 50% rule. What that means is if you sustain damage and the cost to bring your home back meets or exceeds 50% of the value of the structure, then the entire structure has to come up to current flood compliance, which includes elevating the structure.”

Bagby said the county’s disaster assessment team has gone out to the communities for an initial damage assessment.

“A lot of times they were unable to get inside. They took a look at the buildings and they did a data collection of how much observed damage there was to the building. They took that data and brought it back to us and we’re going to calculate that to see how substantially damaged that is,” she said.

She said Sunny Shores, Paradise Bay and Cortez Park are all located in a floodplain and all are subject to the 50% rule.

Bagby said the county receives the mobile home’s value from the Manatee County Property Appraiser.

“If you go on the property appraiser website, type in your address, it is currently labeled FEMA market value,” she said. “It’s not a value from FEMA, it’s a value that has been calculated for the structure. If you meet or exceed 50% of that the entire structure has to come into compliance.”

Bagby said homeowners have the right to hire a private appraiser to assess the pre-damage value of the home.

“We will take the higher of the two,” she said.  “It should be reproduction value minus physical deterioration.”

Renovation, permits

Bagby said homeowners may remove damaged building materials but an application is required to make repairs.

“Even if you’re in a mobile home, there’s still an application to build back,” she said. “Take out that drywall, take out those contaminated materials, that’s okay. But before you build back you have to submit an application so we know whether or not you need to elevate your home. Don’t go spending money, because you might have something that ultimately has to be elevated and cost you a lot more.”

Homeowners wishing to do repairs to the mobile home must apply to the county for a storm mobile home review.

“You’ll need to submit paperwork with costs,” Bagby said. “If you’re under the 50% we’re going to sign off, say go ahead, you’re approved for repairs. If you’re over 50% we’ll tell you what your options are from there.”

She noted that because mobile homes are not subject to the Florida Building Code, people may think they don’t need permits to make repairs.

“It is, however, subject to floodplain regulations,” Bagby said. “Therefore that 50% rule still applies.”

For most storm damage repairs, permit fees are being waived.

“When you apply you need a contract or a cost breakdown. If you’re doing it yourself we need the material cost so we can get an accurate assessment of what this is going to cost,” Bagby said. “We need documentation validating the values. Labor is counted. For homeowners, it’s $30 an hour for labor. You have to assign a value to donated materials.”

She said with the 50% rule there is a one-year cumulative value. If any permits were pulled within and closed within the last year, or are older and still open, those values count toward the 50% value of the structure.

“The whole point of elevating is so you don’t have to go through this again, so you are protected against these storms because they are happening stronger and more frequently,” Bagby said.

FEMA and Small Business Administration (SBA) representatives attended the meeting via Zoom.

“Manatee County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program,” Tammy Hanson with FEMA Flood Plain Management said. “When the community joined the program, they agreed to adopt and enforce floodplain management requirements. What that allows is the ability for flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.”

One of the things she said is misunderstood is that FEMA or the state is coming in to do assessments. That is not the case.

“That is not how the program works,” Hanson said. “There are federal, state and local requirements. It’s through the enforcement of local regulations where the determinations of damage assessment are made.”

 Timeframe for inspections

“Our team is very short-staffed right now,” Bagby said. “We have a lot of applications coming in, plus we’re out in the community doing this disaster recovery work. Make sure any application you do submit, have it clearly state hurricane or storm damage so that it gets prioritized. The turnaround time for storm damage is a few days.”

Disaster assistance: FEMA and SBA

“The individual and household programs (IHP) provide assistance to eligible individuals and households who have uninsured, or underinsured necessary expenses that are a result of the disaster,” FEMA representative Millie Diaz said. “The IHP is not a substitute for insurance and cannot compensate all those losses.”

IHP has two specific provisions, one is for housing assistance and the other is for needs assistance,

“We also have displacement assistance for those who cannot return to their house and childcare assistance,” Diaz said.

Deadlines for assistance applications are Nov. 12 for Hurricane Debby, Nov. 27 for Hurricane Helene and Dec. 11 for Hurricane Milton.

Here are some helpful contact numbers:

FEMA disaster assistance – 800-621-3362

FEMA community services program – 833-514-2940

Disaster unemployment assistance – 800-385-3920 or www.Floridajobs.org

Crisis counseling – 800-985-5990

Small Business Administration – www.lending.sba.gov or 800-659-2955

A second meeting

To assist in answering questions about individual circumstances, a second meeting is being planned for Wednesday, Nov. 13 to include the following break-out areas:

FEMA:

  • DSA: Disaster Survivor Assistance
  • Individual Assistance
  • SBA: Small Business
  • Hazard Mitigation/Floodplain Management
  • NFIP (insurance)

Manatee County:

  • Zoning, 1 person
  • Floodplain Management
  • Building Official
  • Code Enforcement

Details about a time and location for the Nov. 13 meeting are to be determined.

Supply distribution continues at Sunny Shores

Supply distribution continues at Sunny Shores

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

CORTEZ – A community supply distribution hub for all Cortez residents at the Sunny Shores Park clubhouse opened up shortly after Hurricane Helene and will be in place as long as  possible.

“We want to give hope to people. The other day when I was leaving here, someone said to me, ‘Are you leaving this week too?’ They were referring to the Red Cross,” coordinator Betsy Plante said. “I said, we’re going to be here as long as we can be here.”

Many homes in Cortez were flooded during Hurricane Helene’s storm surge and some sustained further damage from Hurricane Milton.

The distribution center contains donated food and household items and is open every day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with lunch served between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The hub services residents of Paradise Bay, Sarasota Bay, Cortez Village and Cortez Park.

“We have to keep it positive because now is when the people need us,” Plante said. “There’s been a lot of support the past two weeks and you can see people getting back to normal. It’s communities like this is where they really need us right now and we’re going to be here.”

Supply distribution continues at Sunny Shores
The Cortez supply hub at Sunny Shores clubhouse is distributing household goods, cleaning supplies and food. – Leslie Lake | Sun

Plante is the president and co-founder of Bradenton-based Blessing Bags Project. The stated mission of that organization is to provide basic critical needs to homeless and less fortunate people.

“The Blessing Bags Project bought 25 air conditioners,” Plante said. “We’ve got tarps, big fans, air conditioners. We have small appliances, some dehumidifiers and grills.
I’ve done hurricane relief before and I started ordering all this stuff the day after the hurricane so we’d have it all in stock.”

Perry Webre from Houma, Louisiana heard about the hurricane damage in Cortez from a friend and made the 16-hour drive to Sunny Shores with a trailer full of donated food items.

“This is my vacation week from work,” Webre said. “I put an Amazon shopping list online and I posted a Walmart shopping list and people made donations. We brought prepared frozen meals.”

“One thing that is so great is, people are here that came for vacations and they’re all here volunteering,” Plante said.

Cortez offers food, supplies after hurricanes

Cortez offers food, supplies after hurricanes

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

CORTEZ – A distribution center of donated food and supplies has been set up in Cortez in front of the Star Fish Co.

According to Star Fish employees Dana and Nicole, supplies will continue to be distributed at least until Friday, and possibly longer. The two women helped distribute supplies to community members on Oct. 15.

For the time being, hours are noon to 4 p.m. at the supply distribution point.

“We’ve had people from all over bringing food and all kinds of supplies,” Dana said. “People have really come together to help.”

Beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 15, another distribution center will be set up at the Sunny Shores Clubhouse for Cortez residents.

“We will have supplies, snacks, water, etc.,” according to a What’s Happening Cortez Facebook post by Betsy Halliwell Plante. “We will open on Wednesday, Oct. 16 and daily hours will be from 11:30-2 only. Lunch will be provided from 11:30-1.”

Donations of cases of water and Gatorade are needed at both distribution points.

Canadian power crews work to restore electrical infrastructure in Sunny Shores

Sunny Shores receives electrical help from Canada

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

CORTEZ – Multiple crews from Hydro One, an Ontario Canada-based electricity transmission and distribution service provider, navigated their way through debris-filled streets in Sunny Shores to restore electrical infrastructure damaged by the recent hurricanes.

Working as part of Florida Power and Light’s Emergency Response Team the crews installed utility poles, lines and electrical equipment on Tuesday.

The Sunny Shores community was first flooded by Hurricane Helene’s storm surge and then many homes were further damaged by Hurricane Milton’s winds. Piles of household debris that was discarded after Hurricane Helene remains along the streets there.

Canadian power crews work to restore electrical infrastructure in Sunny Shores Tuesday- Leslie Lake | Sun

Canadian power crews work to restore electrical infrastructure in Sunny Shores Tuesday- Leslie Lake | Sun

Canadian power crews work to restore electrical infrastructure in Sunny Shores Tuesday- Leslie Lake

Canadian power crews work to restore electrical infrastructure in Sunny Shores Tuesday- Leslie Lake

Utility poles lined up for installation by Canadian Hydro One utility crews in Sunny Shores Tuesday- Leslie Lake | Sun

Utility poles lined up for installation by Canadian Hydro One utility crews in Sunny Shores Tuesday- Leslie Lake | Sun

Crews from Canadian power company Hydro One work on restoring electrical infrastructure to Sunny Shores- Leslie Lake | Sun

Crews from Canadian power company Hydro One work on restoring electrical infrastructure to Sunny Shores- Leslie Lake | Sun

Crews from Canada-based Hydro One work to restore electrical infrastructure in Sunny Shores Tuesday- Leslie Lake | Sun

Crews from Canada-based Hydro One work to restore electrical infrastructure in Sunny Shores Tuesday- Leslie Lake | Sun

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.