REAL ESTATE 2

Sebring appointed to Anna Maria Commission

Sharon Wisniewski

also applied to fill the vacant city commission seat.

BY JOE HENDRICKS

SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA – Doris “Deanie” Sebring is now an Anna Maria City Commissioner.

Anna Maria resident Sharon Wisniewski also applied to serve the two-year commission term vacated by Commissioner Amy Tripp when she moved to North Carolina earlier this year after qualifying to run unopposed in the November election.

Sebring’s appointment took place during the commission’s Thursday, Dec. 3 organizational meeting at which Commissioner Mark Short and Mayor Dan Murphy were first sworn into their new two-year terms in office after running unopposed. Commissioner Carol Carter was then appointed to serve as commission chair for another year, with Short serving as vice-chair.

Before the vacant commission seat was filled, Sebring and Wisniewski had five minutes each to address the commission.

JOE HENDRICKS | SUN Doris “Deanie” Sebring listed sidewalks, streets and local vacation rental regulation as some of her top priorities.

Going first, and accompanied by her diabetic-alert dog Humphrey, Sebring said she and her husband, Tripp, moved to Anna Maria four years ago.

“We chose to move here and build our forever home because we love the feel of the city, the quaintness of the small, hometown businesses and the feeling of being safe. I have no hidden agenda or political interests other than to serve the community,” she said.

“Anna Maria is a major tourist destination. While I knew that when I moved here, I also understand that we can’t let tourists’ interests overpower the interests of the people who call Anna Maria home. There has to be a healthy balance between tourism and businesses and the residents,” Sebring said.

Sebring said she supports the home rule rights the commission has thus far managed to preserve, despite the annual challenges from the state legislature.

“I feel it’s important to have local authority over rentals. You cannot effectively rule when you’re so far removed,” Sebring said.

“I also would like to continue the progress the city has made with regards to sidewalks. In a beach community that is mainly a walking town, I think sidewalks are a necessity. Not to mention, motorists are trying to dodge huge potholes and maneuver flooded streets. I’d like to find a way to make our streets safer for residents and our visitors and I do have ideas for that,” Sebring said.

Sebring said she grew up in Louisiana and helped run the family business. At the age of 18, she moved to California and began working in the accounting department of an automobile dealership that later named her general manager.

SEE SEBRING, PAGE 9