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VOL 18 No. 46
‘We’re still open’
August 29, 2018
The long table dinner on the beach was supplied by area restaurants, many of them Gulffront, that have lost customers to the red tide outbreak. BY TOM VAUGHT SUN STAFF WRITER | tvaught@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA – The beach behind the Sandbar restaurant was busier Sunday evening than it has been since the recent outbreak of red tide, with more than 160 people turning out for a dinner on the sand, courtesy of a group of local restaurants whose message is, “We’re still open.” The red tide has hit Island businesses hard, from food
TOM VAUGHT | SUN
The long table dinner on the beach was supplied by area restaurants, many of them Gulffront, that have lost customers to the red tide outbreak. service to vacation accommodations, as vacationers and mainlanders avoided the smell and sight of dead, rotting sea life and irrita-
tion from the single-cell organism known as Kerenia brevis. The weather cooperated Sunday as the diners moved
from the reception inside the Sandbar to the tables that sat near the shore. There was a storm in the distance, but the air was
fresh, the beach was clean, and the Gulf waters were clear. SEE TABLE, PAGE 35
‘Nets to Neighbors’ next phase of red tide cleanup APTIM’s services have been discontinued and a “Nets to Neighbors” campaign was launched. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
BRADENTON – After one week, Manatee County has ended its contracted canal and waterway cleanup efforts with APTIM and is transitioning to a voluntary “Nets to Neighbors” cleanup and maintenance campaign. The cleanup services provided by APTIM were costing the county
INSIDE NEWS 4 OPINION 6 SUN SURVEY 7 OUTDOORS 20-21 PET EVAC GUIDE 23 RESTAURANTS 27 REAL ESTATE 28-33 CLASSIFIEDS 29
approximately $25,000 per day. This announcement was made a county press conference on Monday afternoon. “As of today, the contractor operations ended and the purpose of today’s meeting it to announce the county’s plans moving forward to a neighborhood and volunteerbased solution,” Commissioner Steve Jonsson said, noting that nearly 241 tons of red tide debris had been removed from county parks, beaches and canals. “We’re transitioning to a program where we will provide nets and buckets to the neighborhood sites that have dumpsters. You
THE CREW at
Minnie’s records a video about red tide blues. 3
Anna Maria Island, Florida
and your neighbors can assist by picking up residual fish,” County Administrator Ed Hunzeker said. Hunzeker said 50 dumpsters have been or will be placed countywide as part of the red tide cleanup and maintenance efforts. Parks & Grounds Operations Manager Carmine DeMilio said most of the red tide debris dumpsters would be emptied daily and some would be emptied upon request. Hunzeker was asked what happens if the recently-cleaned canals become filled with dead fish again. “If that happens we’ll be pre-
MANATEE COUNTY | SUBMITTED
These nets and buckets are now being used as part of the county’s red tide cleanup efforts.
SEE CLEANUP, PAGE 35
ANNA MARIA readies for new pier construction proposals. 4 THE Bradenton Beach day dock
remains in limbo. 11 The Island’s award-winning weekly newspaper www.amisun.com