BRADENTON – The 37-year-old mother of two little girls, Sara Danielle Holmes, was struck and killed in a crash by a suspected drunk driver on Cortez Road on the way home from her job at Swordfish Grill Saturday night, Nov. 2.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds for funeral expenses and for her two daughters. Donations may be made using the following link:
On Sunday, Swordfish Grill posted the following on its Facebook page:
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news that our beloved bartender, Sara, tragically lost her life after being struck by a drunk driver. Sara was so much more than a coworker — she was family. Her warm smile and kind spirit lit up our restaurant, bringing joy not only to our customers but to every member of our team.
Sara leaves behind two young little girls, who will now need all the support they can get. To honor her memory and help her family through this unimaginable time, we’re sharing a GoFundMe link to assist with her funeral costs and to help care for her little ones.
Please keep Sara’s family, friends, our staff, and all those who loved her in your thoughts. And let this be a heartbreaking reminder of the importance of never drinking and driving. We hope Sara’s story can help prevent another tragedy like this.”
According to a press release, the Bradenton Police Department’s Traffic Homicide Unit is investigating the fatal crash involving a suspected drunk driver.
According to investigators, at approximately 10:40 p.m. on Nov. 2 Cesar Navarrete, 25, was speeding westbound on Cortez Road in his Nissan Altima. Navarette ran a red light and slammed into the passenger side of a Chevrolet Equinox that was turning onto northbound 43rd Street West.
The passenger in the Equinox, Holmes, was transported to a nearby trauma center and succumbed to her injuries the morning of Nov. 3. The driver of the Equinox and Navarrete both received non-life-threatening injuries in the crash.
BPD arrested Navarrete on an outstanding warrant for driving with a suspended license. Investigators suspect Navarrete was impaired at the time of the crash and conducted a DUI investigation. Additional charges are pending the outcome of the investigation.
CORTEZ – The stone crab harvest season was celebrated under sunny skies at the two-day 11th Annual Cortez Stone Crab and Music Festival.
Held on Nov. 11-12 at the Swordfish Grill and Tiki Bar parking area, the festival typically draws more than 5,000 attendees with more than 2,000 pounds of stone crab consumed.
More than 2,000 pounds of stone crab claws are sold at the Cortez Stone Crab Festival each year. – Leslie Lake | SunThis youngster rode the shark at the Cortez Stone Crab and Music Festival. – Leslie Lake | Sun
Live music, local seafood, crafts and a kid’s zone were featured.
“The festival celebrates the heritage of Cortez and the kickoff to stone crab season,” said Adam Sears, general manager of Swordfish Grill.
This year’s theme was “Crack a Cold One” since stone crab claws are served cracked and cold.
The 11th Annual Cortez Stone Crab Festival theme was “Crack A Cold One.” – Leslie Lake | SunLance Plowman prepares coconuts for the Cortez Curse Rum Nuts drinks. – Leslie Lake | Sun
Stone crab season runs from Oct. 15 to May 1. Stone crabs are harvested for their claws and then returned to the water, where the claws will regenerate.
The festival was the brainchild of John Banyas, a fourth-generation fisherman from Cortez and owner of the Swordfish Grill, Cortez Kitchen, Cortez Bait and Seafood Inc., and N.E. Taylor Boatworks – named for Banyas’ grandfather.
Fresh stone crabs were the stars of the Cortez Stone Crab and Music Festival. – Joe Hendricks | SunJosh Calvert cracked and served the fresh stone crabs, as he’s done at every Cortez Stone Crab Festival since the festival began. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The Cortez Kitchen is closed for renovations and is expected to be open around the end of November, but during the festival, the space was used for festivalgoers to enjoy Rum Nuts coconut-filled rum drinks.
Cortez Kitchen is scheduled to reopen soon. The space was used at the Cortez Stone Crab Festival to serve Cortez Curse Rum Nuts rum coconut drinks. – Leslie Lake | SunJeff and Summer served “Rum Nuts” cocktails inside the renovated Cortez Kitchen. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Saturday’s music lineup on the festival main stage was Mikey Silbaugh of Concrete Edgar, Mushroom Soup, Uncle John’s Band and Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones. On the Swordfish Grill Tiki Deck, the Saturday music line-up was Ted Stevens, the Stockton Brothers and Tim Chandler.
RJ Howson played with Berry Oakley & Friends. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The festival’s main stage music lineup on Sunday was Ted Stevens and the Doo-Shots, Berry Oakley and Friends, Twinkle and Rock Soul Radio and Trever Bystrom’s RX featuring Zion Albert. On Sunday, playing at the Swordfish Grill Tiki Deck were Taylor Opie, the Billy Rice Trio and Steel Vibes.
Folks stood in line Sunday afternoon to get a serving of fresh stone crabs. – Joe Hendricks | SunA large tent provided attendees with a shaded area to eat, drink and listen to the live music. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
The festival has a charitable component. All proceeds from draft beer sales will benefit the non-profit Blessing Bags Project. The Bradenton-based organization is dedicated to providing basic critical needs to the homeless and less fortunate. Blessing Bags volunteers manned the draft beer area.
“Big Storm Brewery is graciously donating the beer trailer,” Sears said.
Parking was available at the FISH (Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage) Preserve, adjacent to the festival and was manned by FISH volunteers. Parking proceeds benefited the non-profit FISH.
Shoppers perused the arts and crafts offerings at the Cortez Stone Crab Festival. – Leslie Lake | SunArtist Mike Parrott displays his paintings for sale at the Cortez Stone Crab Festival. – Leslie Lake | Sun
Festival sponsors were Anna Maria Banana Boat Rides, A. Shadow Designs, Big Storm Brewery, Blenker Boat Works and Marina, Cortez Bait and Seafood, Florida Fishing Fleet, Fun Boat Tours, Visit Gulf Islands of Manatee County, N.E. Taylor Boatworks, The Suncoast Post, Sande Caplin and Associates, Swordfish Grill, The Anchor Inn, Wieffenbach and Reinhart Law, Wine Bow, Ameris Bank, Anderson Dock and Seawall, Duncan Real Estate, Junk-it-away, Spectrum Reach and Taylor High Pressure Washing
CORTEZ – The Blessing Bags Project, the Swordfish Grill and the Cortez and Bradenton communities have teamed up to assist with the hurricane recovery efforts taking place in Lake Charles, La.
Hurricane Laura made landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 27 and did significant damage to many Lake Charles homes and businesses. Residents are also dealing with the loss of electricity and water as well as supply shortages.
The supplies gathered by The Blessing Bags Project and the Swordfish Grill will be delivered Wednesday morning to the Waters Edge Gathering church in Lake Charles.
On Tuesday afternoon, Swordfish General Manager Bob Slicker and Managers Adam Sears and Tom Polch are leaving for Lake Charles towing a 6 x 12 trailer filled with donated supplies. The bed of Polch’s diesel pickup truck will also be filled with donated supplies.
The donated supplies include charcoal grills, charcoal, coolers, tents, hammers, tarps, flashlights, work gloves, toilet paper and paper towels, personal hygiene products, cleaning supplies and more.
Community members began dropping off donated supplies at the Swordfish Grill on Wednesday and those efforts concluded Saturday, with a few more supplies donated on Sunday.
“A bunch of people helped and the whole community stepped up with supplies,” Slicker said Sunday evening.
The Blessing Bags Project conducted an ongoing online fundraiser that has thus far raised approximately $1,700. Blessing Bags Project President Betsy Plante said that money was used to purchase grills, coolers, flashlights, personal hygiene products and other supplies that were later delivered to the Swordfish Grill.
Plante received $1,500 in additional cash donations from local churches and individuals. That money was used to purchase $50 Walmart gift cards to be delivered by Slicker, Sears and Polch.
The Blessing Bags Project also filled 250 backpacks with personal hygiene products and also boxed up school supplies to be delivered by the Swordfish Grill trio.
According to Slicker, Cortez Bait & Seafood Market Manager James “Wyre” Lee secured a pallet full of supplies donated by John Hargreaves, president of the Maintenance Too Paper Company in Bradenton that supplies paper products to the fish market.
Some of the weatherproof and waterproof supplies received from Hargreaves and others were then reorganized and placed on pallets that were loaded onto local resident Joe Cadmus’ flatbed truck. According to Plante, Cadmus delivered those supplies to the Waters Edge Gathering church at 2:45 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
“That was a Godsend for us, because we were able to put the heavier stuff on Joe’s truck. When he called, his was perfect because we were just trying to figure out what we were going to do about a bigger truck,” Slicker said.
These were among the first relief supplies delivered from Cortez to Lake Charles on Sunday. – Betsy Plante | Submitted
Slicker said he spoke with Cadmus Sunday evening.
“He said they don’t expect power for three weeks and most all the streets are closed with downed power lines. There’s no phone service. He said a block from the church it’s just foundations of houses and buildings. He said the people there feel left out because no one is talking about them. The average income for the people that live there is about $22,000 and they need help,” Slicker said.
Mr. Hannon, a Lake Charles resident and military veteran, sustained significant hurricane damage to his home. – Josh Quayhagen | Submitted
“If people go to The Blessing Bags Project website and give money we will continue to send gift cards to the church. There’s a Walmart close to town that’s still open. People are living in tents and the gift cards will help a lot,” Slicker said.
When asked why they’re doing this, Plante said, “This all started because a woman I know on Facebook, Kelli Stawecki, lives in Lake Charles and has a homeless ministry there – and now she’s homeless too because of the hurricane. The people there need help. They have no water, no electricity and they’re homeless.”
CORTEZ – Swordfish Grill General Manager Bob Slicker and Blessing Bags Project President Betsy Plante celebrated their birthdays by helping others in need.
The Swordfish Grill’s Wednesday, Aug. 12 Happy Hour Extravaganza served as an early birthday party and a fundraiser. Beside the outdoor stage where Tim Chandler performed stood a large box bearing Betsy’s name and another bearing Bob’s. Inside the boxes were more than 125 pairs of new shoes donated that night and over the past seven days.
“We had a competition for who could collect the most pairs of sneakers. Whoever gets the most sneakers gets a pie in the face, so Bob’s telling everybody to put them in my box,” Plante said.
Plante’s box contained the most donated shoes, but in a surprise twist it was Slicker who got a pie in the face courtesy of co-master of ceremonies and Facebook Live mixologist Lily “Beatrice” Banyas.
In a surprise move, Lily “Beatrice” Banyas delivered the pie to Bob Slicker’s face. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“Shoes are something the homeless always need and children grow out of so fast,” Plante said.
The adult shoes will be distributed to the homeless and the children’s shoes will be distributed to children later this year as Christmas gifts.
“Our mission is to provide basic critical needs to the homeless and less fortunate,” Plante said. “We have a lot of different people right now that need help because of COVID. We’re seeing people now who used to have jobs and were doing fine. We see families moving in together. I had a family call me that only had two cans of food – one can of beans and one can of SpaghettiOs, that’s all they had.”
One of The Blessing Bags Project’s signature activities is giving youngsters backpacks filled with needed goods, and a stuffed toy for comfort.
“We handed out backpacks today at the Hunger’s End food pantry. We usually do 35-40. Today we did 70 and ran out. A lot of people who never needed help now need help,” Plante said.
Patrons and employees of the Swordfish Grill donated more than 125 pairs of shoes to The Blessing Bags Project. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
For his birthday, Slicker also started a Facebook fundraiser that raised more than $6,400.
“We’re blessed to help The Blessing Bags Project with people donating shoes and money. It’s especially important this year because we had two fundraisers planned that we had to cancel – a golf tournament and our annual Giving Back concert. If you look at the donations, there are some very generous ones, but there’s also a lot of $10, $15 and $20 donations. That shows people care and that’s very heartwarming,” Slicker said.
Covered with whipped cream, Bob Slicker carried on with his Happy Hour Extravaganza hosting duties. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“I’ve done this in Rhode Island and in New Hampshire. The people in Bradenton, Manatee County and Sarasota County have the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen in my ministry work,” Plante said. “The Swordfish Grill is our biggest cheerleader and the people that come to the Swordfish Grill have been supporting us for years. Because of COVID, we had to cancel our two big fundraisers, but they came through on Facebook, raising more than $6,000.”
Blessed mobility
The giving didn’t stop there. Slicker also donated his used Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo to a Bradenton family who had gone more than a month without a car. Saturday morning, Slicker and Plante delivered the donated vehicle to Michelle and Adam Abelson and their sons Asher and Austin.
“We just happened to have a family whose car died and they have two little boys that need to get to school Monday,” Plante said.
“I’ve had my Jeep for the longest time. It’s a ‘97 with 200,000 miles on it. It still runs great and I didn’t feel right selling it. I wanted more for the car because it’s been so good to me. And I didn’t want to give a family a car with old tires on it, so my Swordfish Grill team collected money for the tires as a gift from them,” Slicker said.
Slicker’s new ride is a low mileage 2009 Honda Ridgeline.
When showing the Abelsons their new vehicle, Slicker said, “I think there’s a skateboard back there,” much to Asher’s delight.
On Saturday, Bob Slicker, right, donated his Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo to Michelle, Adam, Austin and Asher Abelson. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“Thank you so much. I cannot believe it. Nothing like this ever happens,” Michelle said. “It’s just in time for the start of school. God works in mysterious ways and we’ve been praying. If you’ve lived without a car, you know what it’s like trying to get groceries for a family, trying to get to the doctor’s and trying to get to school. This is going to make our lives so much easier.”
When asked where they’d go first, Michelle said, “We might take a ride out to the beach.”
Adam is a maintenance man at the apartment complex where they live and the boys attend school at Oneco Elementary.
“I’m just truly blessed to be provided with this vehicle,” Adam said. “It allows us to get my family to and from the store and my little ones to school. Being out of district, transportation to school was going to be one of the hardest things we had to deal with.”
Learn more about The Blessing Bags Project at the organization’s website.
CORTEZ – The Independence Day festivities will continue for an extra day when the Swordfish Grill hosts a legally-permitted fireworks display on Friday, July 5.
Swordfish Grill owner John Banyas obtained a public fireworks display permit from Manatee County on Tuesday and a second permit from the West Manatee Fire Rescue (WMFR) fire department on Wednesday.
Launching at 9 p.m., the permitted July 5 fireworks display will replace the non-permitted July 4 fireworks show that’s become a Cortez tradition in recent years.
On Wednesday, General Manager Bob Slicker said all the restaurant’s waterfront patio tables have already reserved for Friday evening, but there will still be standing-room-only space available.
There will also be seating inside the restaurant and sports bar, and it’ll be business as usual, except the kitchen will close at 8 p.m. so the kitchen staff can enjoy the fireworks.
“Our neighbors at the Cortez Kitchen will also be open and there may be some seats available there too,” Slicker said.
The fireworks will launch from an offshore barge and should also be visible from the Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach and along Bradenton Beach’s eastern shoreline.
Tip prompts investigation
Banyas obtained the fireworks permits in response to a June 12 investigation that began with WMFR Fire Inspector Rodney Kwiatkowski responding to two anonymous tips about fireworks being stored at a Cortez home on 124th Street owned by Banyas and rented to Slicker.
“We drove by and confirmed what appeared to be fireworks in an open garage. So, we got the appropriate people together went to the residence, introduced ourselves and asked if we could go in and see what we’re looking at.”
These fireworks were previously stored at Bob Slicker’s rented home in Cortez. – Rodney Kwiatkowski/WMFR | Submitted
Kwiatkowski said the response team included Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies and members of the county bomb squad. He said the bomb squad responded due to the large amount of fireworks being stored.
“There’s no citation. The only issue we had was with the storage being so close to all the residences. The storage was in violation of a county ordinance. They were asked to move them. They obliged and they were going to have them sent back to the company that delivered them. They were very cooperative,” Kwiatkowski said.
“We also let them know that we were available to facilitate the permitting process and walk them through it, which we did. We met with John Banyas, showed him what was required for a permitted fireworks display and pointed him in the direction of some licensed pyrotechnic companies,” Kwiatkowski said.
“We’ve been working with them and the county to help facilitate this. This is the way it’s supposed to work, and everybody wins in the end,” he added.
“I’ll go out during the day and do an inspection during set up to make sure the licensed ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) shooter is there on site. In the evening, we’ll have a dedicated fire engine crew there during the display,” Kwiatkowski said.
Kwiatkowski said it’s legal to possess fireworks in Florida if purchased for agricultural purposes such as scaring off birds or other animals, but it’s illegal to detonate explosive fireworks without a permit. He feels this loophole in Florida law creates confusion and is something WMFR officials hope to close in the future.
“I don’t believe Bob Slicker was intentionally trying to break the law. I think well-intentioned people, because of this law, are put in a position that is unfortunate,” Kwiatkowski said. “We want people to celebrate, but we need them do it in a way that is safe and legal.”
Permitted activity
“This fireworks show has been going on for five years,” Slicker said. “Me and a group of local fishermen and business owners have been doing this to help our community celebrate Cortez and Independence Day. We had the garage door open and we were doing everything out in the public, just as we have for the past five years.
“Until this, we never had a complaint about the fireworks show that has become a community event at no cost to anyone but those who volunteer their own money. This is the first time anybody told us we were doing something wrong. As soon as they did, we stopped and did everything asked of us. We had to move the fireworks and they’re now stored in a safe, secure and approved location,” Slicker said.
These are some of the fireworks that will be launched near the Swordfish Grill Friday night. Rodney Kwiatkowski/WMFR | Submitted
“The fire department, the sheriff’s deputies and the bomb squad were all very kind to us and the county commissioners also helped us. We really appreciate how helpful everyone was in walking us through the permitting process,” Slicker said.
“We actually have more than twice the amount of fireworks the other local paper said we had,” he added, noting that next year’s show will be permitted in time to return to its traditional July 4 date.
The Swordfish Grill will still feature plenty of July 4 activity this year.
“We’ll have our annual hot dog eating contest at 1 p.m. and Tim Chandler will be playing. It’ll be business as usual and you can see many other fireworks shows from our deck,” Slicker said.
CORTEZ – Ryan Young and Mike Divietro won the inaugural Nancy Franklin Flippin’ Mullet Open golf tournament that raised more than $16,000 for The Blessing Bags Project that assists homeless children and adults.
Swordfish Grill managers Katrina “Kat” Cox and Greg Koeper organized the tournament in honor of former bar manager Nancy Franklin, who passed away last year after battling cancer.
The two-person, best ball scramble was played Saturday, May 18, at the Pinebrook Ironwood Golf Club in Bradenton. After being paired together because their partners canceled, Young and Divietro collectively shot a 54 on the par 61 course.
“We’re very happy to win this tournament. Nancy Franklin was one of my good friends, and everybody that put on this tournament did a phenomenal job. The course was in great shape, and we’re happy we played as well as we did,” Young said during the afterparty and awards ceremony at the Swordfish Grill and Flippin’ Mullet Sports Bar in Cortez.
“The tournament was excellent, it’s a fun course and everybody had a good time. We knew Nancy and I met her mom today,” Divietro said.
Jerry Gore and Jim Keck shot a 57 to finish second. JoAnn Nevin won the women’s longest drive and closest to the pin contests. Jeff Marx won the men’s closest to the pin contest and Bob LeBlanc won the men’s longest drive contest.
As tournament play ended, Koeper said, “Everyone had a blast. It gives me chills.”
While making his way to the after-party, Swordfish Grill General Manager Bob Slicker said,
“It’s no surprise the tournament was a success because Kat and Greg were involved, and their love for Nancy showed through. It was sold out, and he had more sponsors than we could have hoped for. “On the third hole, people got to golf against me and Kat, and they gave extra money to do that. This tournament truly emphasizes Nancy’s heart. Everyone was happy to be here because of Nancy and The Blessing Bags Project, and we’ll do it again next year,” Slicker said.
Cox said she never organized a golf tournament before. “Everything came together, and it ran very smooth. Everybody said how much fun they had, and almost every golfer contributed above and beyond their entry fee. Before any 50-50 or raffle tickets were sold we raised over $12,000 with the sponsorships and entry fees. That’s pretty amazing – and all in Nancy Franklin’s name,” Cox said.
Gratitude expressed
During the after-party, Blessing Bags Project President Betsy Plante expressed her gratitude for the fundraising efforts. The organization serves the Bradenton-Sarasota area by providing homeless adults with bags filled with personal hygiene products and other necessities.
“We have special bags that we use for our children. They’re cloth bags that are hand-sewn by different organizations all over the country. Seabreeze Mobile Estates in Bradenton just did one hundred bags for us for Easter. In every child’s bag, we try to include an activity book, crayons, a toothbrush, toothpaste, hygiene products and a healthy snack. And every children’s bag gets a Beanie Baby tied to the bag so they have something to hug,” Plante said.
Slicker served as master of ceremonies for the after-party fundraising activities and awards ceremony. He thanked U.S. Foods and other unnamed vendors for providing the golfers with an excellent lunch buffet. He thanked the Pinebrook Ironwood Golf Club for allowing $60 of each $80 entry fee to benefit The Blessing Bags Project.
When thanking the tournament volunteers, Slicker noted Alyssa O’Brien and Jessica Williamson raised $265 selling Jell-O shots at the sixth hole. Franklin’s friend, Nora Davis, sold the Basket of Cheer and 50-50 tickets that contributed significantly to the fundraising efforts. And with Slicker serving as auctioneer, the live auction raised more than $1,000. As karma would have it, O’Brien won the cooler filled with liquor and beer. She also won the $550 50-50 drawing and donated $100 of her winnings to The Blessing Bags Project.
Nancy Franklin’s husband, Brian, and her mom, Sharon Boden, attended the after-party.
“Nancy was always charitable, and she loved The Blessing Bags Project. It’s a special day to have this many friends from Cortez, the Island and west Bradenton come out to honor Nancy’s legacy,” Brian Franklin said.
“I think this is beautiful. Nancy was always giving. When she was in kindergarten, she gave away all her books,” Boden said. As the party ended, Slicker addressed the crowd one last time. “Thank you so much for what you did today. On behalf of Nancy Franklin and your big hearts the real winner here today is The Blessing Bags Project.”
The Anna Maria Island Sun was a sponsor of this event.
CORTEZ – The life and legacy of Nancy Franklin will be celebrated with the inaugural Nancy Franklin Flippin’ Mullet Open Charity Golf Tournament on Saturday, May 18.
Franklin was the Swordfish Grill and Flippin’ Mullet Sports Bar bar manager when she passed away on April 15, 2018, after battling cancer.
Proceeds from the tournament and after-party will benefit The Blessing Bags Project that provides bags filled with comfort items, quilts, supplies and more to homeless and housing-challenged youths.
Nancy remembered
“We’re doing this to keep alive Nancy’s joy of giving,” Swordfish Grill General Manager Bob Slicker said. “She did so many good things for our community and it’s an honor to do this and make it something that will continue in Nancy’s honor. She was an important and loved member of our Cortez tribe.”
Nancy Franklin passed away last year but her legacy lives on. – Submitted | Facebook
Swordfish Grill manager Katrina “Kat” Cox said, “Nancy Franklin was a special kind of person. She could always put a smile on my face no matter what else was going on. Whether we were at work, tailgating in the parking lot or heading to a Lightning game it was sure to end with a smile on your face and your sides hurting from laughing. Her unique sense of humor was one of the things I loved most about her. She was a very caring person who would do anything she could to help a friend in need.
“She is largely responsible for the success of the Flippin’ Mullet Sports Bar. She organized bus trips, watch parties and other events – many of which raised money for her favorite local charity, The Blessing Bags Project. If there is one thing I learned from Nancy, it’s to live life to the fullest and enjoy the most out of every day. As Nancy would say, ‘It would be rude not to!” Cox said.
Swordfish Grill Manager Greg Koeper met Franklin nearly 30 years when she worked at the Lone Star Steakhouse in Bradenton.
“We developed a lifelong friendship and she came to work for me when I opened Grego’s Almost to the Beach Tavern. She then ended up being our bar manager at the Swordfish Grill and she established the Flippin’ Mullet as a sports bar and watch party location for Lightning games. She’s dearly missed,” Koeper said.
“Any day with Nancy was a memory in the making filled with love, laughter, camaraderie and shenanigans.”
– Nora Davis
Franklin’s friend Rose Lipke said, “I am so happy to see Nancy being honored this way and happy that it will continue in her honor as an annual event. She made all the fundraisers and charity events we did an absolute joy to be a part of. I miss her spirit, her kind heart, her wicked sense of humor and her no-nonsense demeanor. She is so very missed by so many.”
Franklin’s friend and former co-worker Nora Davis’ fond memories of Franklin include tailgating after festival set-ups, hanging out in the parking lot after work, ‘Sunday bubbles’ at the Bonefish Grill, bus trips to Lightning games and the Tom Petty concert they attended in 2017.
“Any day with Nancy was a memory in the making filled with love, laughter, camaraderie and shenanigans. No matter what you were going through or how bad you thought your day was going she could always put a smile on your face. I learned a lot from her and she touched my life in ways I could never explain. I miss her and she will always be a part of me, which makes me blessed,” Davis said.
Katrina “Kat” Cox, Nora Davis, Tori Lee and Nancy Franklin shared many good times together. – Submitted | Facebook
Swordfish Grill bartender Tori Lee said, “I always called Nancy ‘Mama-Nance’ because she was loving and caring but she’d beat your butt if you needed it. She was one of the coolest, laid-back ladies I’ve ever met. She taught me to not be so serious all the time and to just go with the flow – and also to order a pot of coffee when you stay at a hotel. I miss her every day.”
Tournament info
Teeing off with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m., the tournament will take place at the Pinebrook Ironwood Golf Club in Bradenton and include a longest drive contest, a closest to the pin contest and an opportunity to win a new car for shooting a hole in one.
The inaugural Nancy Franklin Flippin’ Mullet Open Charity Golf Tournament will be played on Saturday, May 18.
The entry fee for the two-person, best ball scramble is $80 per golfer and includes 18 holes of golf, cart fee, a goodies bag and lunch and an after-party at the Flippin’ Mullet. Non-golfers can attend the lunch and after-party for $25.
The after-party will include fundraising raffles and a silent auction. Hole sponsors and raffle and silent auction item donors are still sought.
To register for the tournament, sponsor a hole or donate items, email Cox at swordfishkat@gmail.com, call 941-525-0673 or stop by the Swordfish Grill at 4628 119th St. W. in Cortez. You can also contact Koeper in person or by phone at 941-447-5287.
The Anna Maria Island Sun is the media sponsor for this event.
CORTEZ – The Flippin’ Mullet Sports Bar at the Swordfish Grill in Cortez is hosting the inaugural Nancy Franklin Flippin’ Mullet Open Charity Golf Tournament on Saturday, May 18.
The tournament will be held at the Pinebrook Ironwood Golf Club in Bradenton and will tee off at 8:30 a.m.
The Anna Maria Island Sun is the tournament’s media sponsor.
The tournament is a tribute to former Swordfish Grill bar manager Nancy Franklin, who passed away on April 15, 2018, following a short battle with cancer.
“She was our bar manager, but she was a lifelong friend of ours,” said Swordfish Grill General Manager Bob Slicker.
Proceeds from the tournament held in Franklin’s honor and enduring memory will benefit The Blessing Bags Project that provides bags filled with comfort items, quilts, supplies and other items needed and desired by homeless and housing-challenged youngsters.
“Nancy was a big proponent of The Blessing Bags Project and she helped create the Flippin’ Mullet Sports Bar,” Slicker said.
The entry fee for the two-person, best ball scramble is $80 per golfer and includes 18 holes of golf, cart fee, a goody bag and lunch at the Flippin’ Mullet Sports Bar after-party. Nongolfers can also attend the lunch and after-party for $25.
Limited to 100 golfers, the tournament will include a longest drive contest, a closest to the pin contest and the opportunity for golfers to win a new car by shooting a hole in one at a designated hole.
The after-party will include raffles, a silent auction and other fundraising activities. Hole sponsors and raffle and silent auction donors are still being sought.
Golfers can register by contacting Swordfish Grill manager Katrina “Kat” Cox via email at swordfishkat@gmail.com, by phone at 941-525-0673 or in person at the Swordfish Grill and Flippin’ Mullet Sports Bar, 4628 119th St. W., Cortez. Golfers can also contact Swordfish Grill manager Greg Koeper in person or by calling 941-447-5287.
Hole sponsors and raffle/silent auction donors can use the same information to contact Cox and Koeper.
CORTEZ – Cortez resident Kenny Jeffries won the Fifth Annual Flippin’ Mullet Sports Bar Mullet Fishing Tournament at the Swordfish Grill in Cortez on Sunday, Nov. 18.
Jeffries was the overall tournament winner with a combined weight of 21.10 pounds for his five largest mullets. For this, he won a $100 Swordfish Grill gift card and $120 cash. He also won the largest fish award for his 4.88-pound mullet, which earned him another $100 Swordfish Grill gift card for catching the biggest fish.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Jeffries, a commercial fisherman from Cortez.
Jeffries fished with his friend, Brandon Ison.
In anticipation of mullet season soon kicking into high gear, Jeffries said, “We’re for the roe to grow in the fish so we can go out and get them.”
“Big Dan” Kennison finished second with a combined weight of 16.53 pounds of mullet. For this, he won a $50 gift card and a shirt.
The smallest fish of the day was 2.61 pounds, caught by Preston Rowden whose combined catch was 15.21 pounds. He won a hat and $20.
“It feels awesome that I’m even here, but next year I’m gonna take it all,” Rowden said.
The mullet were caught with cast nets.
The tournament was organized by Swordfish Grill manager Greg Koeper and bar manager Brandon Rolland.
Bobby Martin won the raffle prize that was a cooler filled with liquor bottles.
Some of the tournament proceeds will be donated to the local Fishing For Freedom chapter.
When addressing the crowd, General Manager Bob Slicker described mullet as a “super fish” because of its variety of uses. Patrons were treated to free samples of fried mullet, fried mullet roe and fried mullet gizzards during the awards ceremony.
After the contest, Slicker expounded on the virtues of mullet.
“It’s an exciting fish. People think mullet are bottom-feeders, but they aren’t, and they have gizzards, so they process their food much like a chicken does, which is unique for a fish. They sell the gizzards overseas and people love them,” he said. “Their meat is high in protein and they’re also looking at its medicinal uses.
“Mullet roe is selling in Italy for $110 to $180 an ounce. They smoke it and do a slight shaving at high-end restaurants. Mullet roe is so high in protein that you can’t eat a lot of it, but it’s a great, strong, smoky flavor, and it just takes a little bit. Cortezian mullet is known around the world as being the best.”
He said Cortez fisherman make $7 to $13 for a pound roe.
“We use the male fish as bait. We use the whole mullet and also sell it as chum,” Slicker added.
“It’s too early to tell” what impact the red tide might have on mullet season, he said. “It doesn’t look like there’s as many fish out there, but they’re as big as they’ve ever been. The ones that got trapped in the red tide died, but a lot of them moved. They’ve spotted the mullet in different spots where the red tide hasn’t been,” Slicker said.
Toy drive
The Swordfish Grill is currently doing a toy drive to assist those in the panhandle city of Port St. Joe who were impacted by Hurricane Michael.
“We brought up a bunch of donated items up there and found out they didn’t have Halloween candy so we got together and handed out 450 Halloween bags. When it comes to Christmas, we thought we’d continue the toy drive we started at the Stone Crab Festival. All month, if people bring toys here, we’ll get them up there,” he said.
CORTEZ – Vermont resident David Fisher dreamed of one day retiring and spending his winters with his wife Sue at their second home in west Bradenton. Those dreams were cut short on Aug. 17, when cancer claimed Dave’s life at the age of 59.
On Friday, Nov. 9, some of Dave’s Florida friends and loved ones will gather in his honor at the Swordfish Grill in Cortez. The befitting drink specials will be shots of Patron tequila and margaritas made with two shots of tequila and no salt – a drink known in North Hero, Vermont as a ‘David Fisher.’ Ted Stevens and the Doo-Shots will provide the live music.
Joining Sue in celebrating Dave’s love of Florida will be his aunt and uncle Ardy and Andy Cochran and his uncle Wayne Clark – fellow-Vermont natives who now live in west Bradenton. Longtime family friends and Michigan snowbirds Jackie and Randy Hansen will also be on hand.
Celebrating life
Dave and Sue were married for 36 years and have two adult daughters, Sarah and Dianna. The couple began vacationing here in the early 2000s after Dave’s mom, Marsha, bought a condominium in the Cortez Villas that would later become theirs.
While visiting three or four times a year, the couple would often start their day with friends and family members for Bloody Marys at the Bradenton Elks Lodge. This tied into their group motto: “You can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning.”
They’d later enjoy lunch or dinner, more drinks and maybe some live music at their favorite Cortez and Anna Maria Island establishments.
“He loved his Florida friends and family. It’s going to be totally different without him, but we will laugh and cry together as we remember him and the fun he had. His contagious laugh could be heard across the room and his smile was as bright as the Florida sun,” Sue said.
Dave spent most of his adult life working as a sales rep and regional sales manager for Burlington Drug and he brought his work to Florida with him, interacting with clients and sales reps from afar while vacationing. When Burlington Drug merged with the South Carolina-based J.M. Smith Drug Company in 2016, Dave continued as a regional sales manager.
“He worked so hard back home and he was able to relax more in Florida,” Sue said.
In his downtime, Dave loved to read. He was also an accomplished drone pilot and he brought some of his drones to Florida. He also loved to ride the Segway he’d ship down from Vermont.
Dave and Sue’s last trip to Florida was in January. At the time, Dave suspected something was wrong with his health and when they returned home their worst fears were confirmed.
In early August, Swordfish Grill General Manager Bob Slicker and a friend from Sarasota visited Dave and Sue in Vermont. That week, Dave enjoyed a lovely boat ride on Lake Champlain and despite his failing health he also drove through Vermont’s winding mountain roads for lunch and brewery visits in Stowe.
During Slicker’s last night in North Hero, Dave flew his drone for the last time and captured some beautiful aerial photos of the sunset. He passed away the following week.
CORTEZ – The Swordfish Grill, the Cortez Bait & Seafood Company, The Blessing Bags Project and the Service Industry Relief Festivities (SIRF) organization are teaming up to provide supplies to Floridians impacted by Hurricane Michael.
The relief efforts are set to begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 16, with two semi-trailers stationed in the plaza parking lot near the Cortez Fish Market (12110 Cortez Road W.) and Cortez Post Office.
The goal is to fill both trailers with donated backpacks filled with donated toys, baby supplies (diapers, baby wipes, etc.), personal hygiene products, first aid supplies, sunscreen, bug spray and other comfort items. Cash donations will also be accepted.
As he did last year after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, Swordfish Grill General Manager Bob Slicker is helping spearhead the local relief efforts.
“I was sitting there this morning sitting by myself, watching the news and crying and I thought I needed to do something,” Slicker said Monday morning.
Applying lessons learned last year, Slicker said the focus this year is on comfort items that are easier to stage, transport and distribute than the bulkier food, water and clothing that were among the many items collected last year.
The Bradenton/Sarasota-based Blessing Bags Project has a great deal of experience collecting, filling and distributing backpacks to those in need locally, and one Monday afternoon Director Betsy Plante told Slicker 300 backpacks had already been donated to the hurricane relief efforts, but more are needed.
The donated backpacks and supplies will be delivered to Port St. Joe High School in Port St. Joe, where resident Jay Rish is helping to coordinate the distribution efforts. Rish is a friend of Robert DeMino, territory manager for U.S. Foods, the company that supplies the Swordfish Grill and several other local restaurants.
DeMino said Rish is a third-generation Port St. Joe resident and a prominent realtor and developer in the area. Port St. Joe is approximately 12 miles southeast of Mexico Beach, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Michael.
According to Slicker, Rish said there’s already plenty of food and water making its way to the area and the comfort items will be greatly appreciated.
“What we are collecting are the best possible things for now,” Slicker said.
Slicker expects it will take at least a couple of days, maybe a week, to fill the trailers provided by Cortez businessman John Banyas.
“We’ll do it as long as we need to,” Slicker said.
“If you would like to make a cash donation, we will have our good friend Simon Lord purchase supplies for us and get those supplies up there also,” Slicker added.
“I was sitting there this morning sitting by myself, watching the news and crying and I thought I needed to do something.” – Bob Slicker, Swordfish Grill General Manager
Financial donations will be processed through the recently-created, SIRF-affiliated 501(c)(3) non-profit Florida Restaurant Employee Red Tide Relief Fund. The fund was established to provide relief to Cortez and Anna Maria Island restaurant employees and others impacted in future years by red tide outbreaks, hurricanes and the annual slow season.
On Monday afternoon, SIRF set up a wish list at Amazon.com that allows folks to order relief supplies to be delivered to the Swordfish Grill and then loaded onto a trailer headed for Port St. Joe. Visit SIRF online at their recently-launched website.
Slicker said the relief efforts will continue during the 7th Annual Cortez Stone Crab & Music Festival on Saturday, Nov. 10 and Sunday, Nov. 11.
“It’s almost November and the holidays are approaching. Some of those families will not be able to buy toys for their children. Toys probably aren’t on anyone’s priority list, but that’s going to be part of our focus working with The Blessing Bags Project,” Slicker said. “If you come to the stone crab festival, bring a toy to get in. We will make the festival a hurricane relief toy drive.”
CORTEZ – Local restaurateurs, food and beverage industry professionals and others gathered at the Swordfish Grill last week to discuss the economic impacts of red tide.
The hour-long informal discussion on Tuesday, Aug. 14, included Swordfish Grill general manager Bob Slicker, manager Adam Sears and owner John Banyas, Anna Maria Oyster Bar president John Horne, Chiles Group CEO Robert Baugh, Bunny and Pirates’ owners Elizabeth Shore and Jeffrey O’Connell, Waterfront Restaurant owner Jason Suzor, Cortez Kitchen owner Joe Oelker, Darwin Brewing Company owner/general manager Matt Cornelius, US Foods territory managers Robert DeMino and Nicholas Horne, Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker, Congressman Vern Buchanan field representative MarDee Buchman and Sen. Bill Galvano aides Macey Moon and Kathy Galea.
The discussion occurred one day after Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order that provides $500,000 in Visit Florida emergency grant funds to be divided among seven counties to help promote tourism in southwest Florida.
A main topic of conversation concerned using social media to inform the public that the local businesses remain open. There was also talk of discouraging employees from posting pictures of dead fish and beachgoers wearing breathing masks because those images encourage patrons to visit mainland establishments instead.
Baugh said the decline in business is making it hard for some Chiles Group employees’ ability to pay their bills and Slicker said he’s been forced to reduce the number of employees scheduled per shift.
Banyas, who also owns Killer Bait and Cortez Bait & Seafood, said he’s seeing the upcoming mullet season floating by dead in the water. He also questioned whether the state would issue special permits that would allow local fishermen to harvest fish before the red tide kills them.
DeMino questioned why the state doesn’t treat Florida’s fishing industry with the same sense of urgency it places on the agricultural industry. He also questioned what role Mosaic, as the area’s largest phosphate producer, plays in the red tide crisis.
Slicker said the state’s elected officials need to be constantly reminded about red tide’s economic impacts and be pushed to find long-term solutions.
A clean, uncrowded stretch of sand awaits visitors who come to the beaches of Anna Maria. – Chantelle Lewin | Sun
Gatherings of support
Tuesday’s discussion prompted organized gatherings at the BeachHouse restaurant on Wednesday, the Swordfish Grill on Thursday, Bunny and Pirate on Friday, the Anna Maria Oyster Bar in Bradenton Beach on Sunday and Gecko’s Dry Dock in Longboat Key on Monday. A similar gathering was planned for The Waterfront Restaurant in Anna Maria on Tuesday, Aug. 21, from 4-8 p.m.
The purpose of the gatherings is to use social media to show folks that businesses remain open while the red tide appears to have subsided some since its arrival in early August.
The BeachHouse gathering included Visit Florida President Ken Lawson, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliot Falcione, county commissioners Carol Whitmore and Steve Jonsson and Solutions To Avoid Red Tide (START) Chairman Sandy Gilbert.
“I’m here to make sure we are marketing the area post-red tide and come up with a plan to use the $500,000 the governor allocated for post-red-tide marketing in the right way,” Lawson told The Sun. “We’re going to divvy up the money to the counties in the executive order. We have to communicate what’s open, what’s available and what we should do once we get rid of this red tide.”
Lawson and several others spoke while gathered on the BeachHouse patio.
“The most important area we need to focus on together is the public relations side of it,” Falcione said, stressing the need for accurate messaging by company spokespersons.
“This is an economic issue that’s impacting us, it’s not just some rotting fish in the bay,” Baugh said.
Horne suggested organizing a long table dining event on the beach and Slicker suggested it benefit START.
Jason Sato and Katie O’Connor, from Sato Real Estate, discussed the impact red tide is having on vacation rentals.
“Since Aug. 6, we’ve refunded almost $30,000 in reservation fees,” O’Connor said.
Gilbert said Sarasota Bay is much cleaner than it was 20 years ago, but that doesn’t make it immune to red tide.
He mentioned salinity, water temperatures and other water qualities that impact red tide.
“The only thing that varies is the nutrients. The scientists agree that the thing that really makes red tide come alive is the nutrients. What they don’t agree on is where they come from. We live between the two biggest dumps of nutrients in the world: The Mississippi River and the Caloosahatchee (River). Where do you think the water ends up? It ends up out there,” he said. pointing to the Gulf as he spoke.
