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VOL 21 No. 43
August 4, 2021
Feds issue red tide warning for AMI, county Red tide persists in Manatee and several surrounding counties, causing respiratory irritation and fish kills. BY CINDY LANE SUN STAFF WRITER | clane@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a red tide respiratory warning for Manatee County, including Anna Maria Island.
Impacts are patchy, and vary with currents and wind direction, the report notes. Red tide produces a neurotoxin called brevetoxin that can cause respiratory irritation, coughing, and more serious illness for people with severe or chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema or COPD, according to the Florida Department of Health. Health officials recommend that people experiencing symptoms stay away from the water, go inside to an air-conditioned space, or wear masks, especially during onshore winds.
Red tide-related respiratory irritation was reported in Manatee County at Coquina Beach July 22-29 and at Manatee Beach July 23-27 and July 29, as well as in Sarasota, Pinellas and Lee counties, according to Friday’s Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission weekly report. Manatee County registered high levels of red tide in water samples at the Terra Ceia Point on July 22. SEE RED TIDE, PAGE 24
CINDY LANE | SUN
Manatee County has increased its response to recent red tide-related fish kills by assigning more tractor drivers to clean Anna Maria Island’s beaches.
County administrator addresses third COVID-19 staff fatality COVID-19 cases in Manatee County are peaking once again. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
MANATEE COUNTY – A third county employee has died of COVID-19 related symptoms and 41 county employees have tested positive for COVID-19 since early May, according to County Administrator Scott Hopes. None of the three workers who died were vaccinated, according to the county.
INSIDE NEWS CALENDAR OUTDOORS POLICE REPORTS REAL ESTATE SPORTS CROSSWORD
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“We’ve had a total of 41 positive cases” from May 3 to July 30, Hopes said during a press conference he held Friday afternoon outside the county administration building in downtown Bradenton. “We’ve had a total of 105 exposures we’ve identified through contact tracing and we’ve had three deaths. Five of our positive cases in the past couple of weeks have been in fully vaccinated individuals,” Hopes said. According to the COVID-19 summary report Hopes referenced, three positive SEE COVID, PAGE 9
Beach Bistro owner: Eat elsewhere if you’re not vaccinated The Beach Bistro in Holmes Beach is asking those not vaccinated for COVID-19 to dine somewhere else. BY JASON SCHAFFER SUN CORRESPONDENT | jschaffer@amisun.com
HOLMES BEACH - While the debate over masks and vaccinations heats up due to the Delta variant of COVID-19, one Island business owner says he doesn’t want unvaccinated customers walking through the doors. That’s the new policy at the nationally-renowned Beach Bistro and The Doctor’s Office cocktail lounge.
Owner Sean Murphy has gone to great lengths to keep staff and customers safe. The Beach Bistro was the first establishment in the U.S. to acquire state-of-the-art air purification units developed in Denmark that were specifically designed to destroy airborne viruses, he said. “I called my cousin who is an anesthesiologist and works in a sterile environment. I told him I needed to purify the air in my restaurant, how do I do that?” said Murphy, who also owns The Doctor’s Office and the temporarily-closed Eat Here restaurant in Holmes Beach. “My cousin SEE BISTRO, PAGE 26
GOLF CARTS, low-
THE FIRST day of school at AME
speed vehicles subject of new Holmes Beach moratorium. 25
is almost here. 3
Anna Maria Island, Florida
CITY COMMISSION buzzing
over noise regulations. 5
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