REAL ESTATE

28 THE SUN REAL ESTATE

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

Florida legislators work on condo inspections

At the risk of stating the obvious, we’re living in a very polarized political environment. Everyone in government, national and local, is going to their corner and waiting to make their next move; therefore, it’s gratifying to see cooperation among our elected officials.

Since June of last year, when the Champlain Towers South condos in Surfside collapsed, there have been nonstop conversations in Tallahassee, on Anna Maria Island and in other waterfront communities all over Florida about inspections and regulations on how to make our older waterfront condominium communities safer.

A couple of weeks ago, Florida legislators began work on updating the state’s condominium regulations by advancing a bill through the Florida Senate imposing inspections and stricter standards for buildings near the coastline. The bill, SB 1702, was unanimously approved by the Senate Community Affairs Committee as a baseline to attach to other condo-related reforms.

Briefly, the bill would establish a mandatory structural inspection program for multi-family residential buildings that are greater than three stories and larger than 3,400 square feet. This is estimated to affect as many as 2 million residential condos in Florida. At this point, I have not found an absolute clear yes or no answer as to whether three stories is two living levels above under-building parking or three living levels above under-building parking. This makes a real difference to condos on Anna Maria Island and in Cortez, where many are configured with two living levels above under-building parking.

The outline of the state’s proposal is based on Miami-Dade and Broward counties’ inspection regulations requiring buildings 30 years old or older to be inspected and then every 10 years thereafter. Inspections must be done by licensed architects or engineers and the cost paid by the condo association. It has also been suggested that there should be a requirement for minimum education for board members, which I personally think would be a very good idea.

One of the flaws is that based on state law, once the repairs are identified, there is nothing that requires condo associations to assess their residents to pay for the repairs. As we now know, Champlain Towers did have a 40-year recertification which identified major repairs. However, because of the estimated $15 million required in repairs, the condo board and residents took a long time to make a decision for the assessments, which probably contributed to the building failure even after repairs were underway.

As stated, there are an estimated 2 million residents in the state of Florida who reside in more than 912,000 condominium units that are 30 years or older. In addition, it is estimated that there are probably another 250,000 units in the state that are either 20 to 30 years old or more than 50 years old. It is true that non-waterfront condos may have fewer issues as they age, but nevertheless, this involves an enormous number of people and work on the part of the state.

Local incorporated cities like Holmes Beach are already taking some action as far as inspections. And maybe the best way to handle this is for the state to set guidelines to help cities and counties to perform their own inspections.

Don’t expect anything from the state any time soon. It is an ambitious plan with many moving parts. It’s just nice to see government at least trying to make a difference by working together.

Castles in the Sand

LOUISE BOLGER

SRQ has record-breaking start to 2022

Last month, 302,189 passengers traveled through the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), many headed to Anna Maria Island. This is an increase of 138% from the 126,704 travelers in January of 2021 and the most January air travelers in the history of SRQ.

“We continue to be pleasantly surprised by the number of passengers who choose SRQ, especially last month, with the many weather-related cancellations,” said Rick Piccolo, President and CEO of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. “In January, we had 282 flights canceled, primarily due to the multiple cold fronts moving across the United States. Flight schedules are returning to normal as we prepare for our peak months of March and April.”

SRQ is one of the fasting-growing airports in America. With new nonstop service to Akron-Canton, Ohio, on March 3 and Appleton, Wisc., on March 11, continued record-breaking growth is expected for months to come.

BEACH BEAT

BRADENTON BEACH

2/1, 1:25 p.m., assist other agency/ DUI, 1400 Gulf Drive S. The officer responded to a traffic crash involving a truck that hit a Jeep. Upon arrival, police saw a female standing outside of the driver’s side of the truck while the driver was still in the truck with the engine running. When the officer asked the driver if she was ok, she would not make eye contact, and as the officer ordered her to turn the truck off, she said she had to turn it around. After multiple attempts to get the woman to turn the vehicle off, he eventually was able to approach the truck and turn it off. At this point, the officer could smell alcohol inside the vehicle. Manatee County Sheriff’s Office was called in to do a sobriety test, which the woman failed. The driver was placed under arrest and charged with DUI and the vehicle was towed.

2/2, 1:46 p.m., assist other agency, 12700 Cortez Road W. Officers were dispatched to the Cortez Bridge to assist Longboat Key police with a subject who was resisting arrest. Upon arrival, the officers observed Longboat Key Police Chief Turner ordering the man to place his hands behind his back, but he would not comply. The man told the police to shoot him and was not responding to police commands. Due to the subject’s aggressive behavior and his 6’2” 350-pound stature, backup was called. Once he was secured in handcuffs, the man went limp when police tried to put him in the patrol car, so he was transported in the back of Bradenton Beach’s patrol truck. The subject was processed and his vehicle was towed from the bridge.

HOLMES BEACH

2/3, 11:02 a.m., grand theft, 4255 Gulf Drive. The officer was dispatched concerning the theft of an electric bicycle. The complainant said he went downstairs below his condo to his storage closet and his electric bike was missing. He said he last saw the bike about a week ago and it was valued at $6,000 and described as looking like a vintage Indian motorcycle. The officer found no sign of forced entry and said the door was most likely left unlocked. 2/5, 1:19 a.m., assist EMS, 513 83rd St. After being dispatched to a man falling out of a golf cart, the officer arrived to find a male subject bleeding heavily from his head and suffering multiple wounds on his arms and legs. The man said he was pretty drunk but he was fine and didn’t want to go to the hospital. The driver of the cart said he made some quick maneuvers for fun and that’s when the male subject drunkenly fell off the cart headfirst on the pavement. The driver appeared to be intoxicated as well, but since there were no other witnesses, no arrest was made. The man who fell from the cart was taken to Blake Memorial Hospital and no other action was taken.

2/6, 9:27 p.m., out of county warrant, 752 Manatee Ave. Officers were investigating a suspicious boat at Kingfish Boat Ramp when they discovered the boat belonged to a male suspect who had an active warrant out of Pasco County. An hour later, police observed two people walking toward the boat so they contacted the individuals. The man they contacted was the same listed in the warrant, so he was taken into custody and booked into the Manatee County Jail.

NEWS BRIEFS

Holmes Beach, Manatee County meeting date set

After a contentious year, Holmes Beach and Manatee County commissioners are coming face-toface in a public meeting to discuss ongoing issues and the relationship between the two governments. The meeting takes place March 1 at 9 a.m. in the Manatee/Osprey rooms on the fifth floor of the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W. in Bradenton. While no agenda had been released for the meeting as of press time for The Sun, topics expected to be discussed include beach parking, tourist development tax funding, red tide, planned improvements at the Kingfish boat ramp, increasing the amount of funding offered to the Holmes Beach Police Department for patrolling county-maintained properties in the city and the continued development in Manatee County and how it affects Anna Maria Island, among other topics.

Kingfish improvements take shape

Planned improvements at the Manatee County-maintained Kingfish boat ramp in Holmes Beach are taking shape as the design process continues. During a Feb. 9 Palma Sola Scenic Highway Corridor Management Entity meeting, County parks representative Liza Click said restrooms will be included in the new design plans, along with a grinder pump instead of a lift station, stormwater retention areas, new docks and additional boat launch lanes. Once the design phase is complete, the plans are expected to be made available for public input.

Donate blood at Roser

The OneBlood Big Red Bus is coming to Roser Memorial Community Church from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 20 and donors are needed. All donors will receive a OneBlood long-sleeved T-shirt and a $20 e-gift card. You also will receive a free wellness checkup including blood pressure, temperature, iron count, cholesterol screening and pulse rate. Walk-ups are welcome but reservations are suggested. To register, go online to oneblooddonor.org and use sponsor code 37502 or sponsor name Roser Memorial Community Church or call OneBlood at 1-888-936-6283. All donors must be age 16 or older and present photo identification to donate blood.

WATER TAXI: County pursuing service to AMI

FROM PAGE 1 Bradenton Area Convention and Visitor Bureau Director Elliott Falcione led the recent discussion, saying the county commission directed County Administrator Scott Hopes to initiate a water taxi system. Hopes then assigned those responsibilities to Falcione and Manatee County Public Works Director Chad Butzow, with Manatee County Transit Manager Bill Steele, MCAT Planning Manager Jonathan Roberson and others assisting with the efforts.

“It’s time to take advantage of the waterways in our beautiful community,” Falcione said.

Falcione said the goal is to have a water taxi pilot program operational by Memorial Day weekend and he’s already had preliminary discussions with all the mayors in Manatee County except Longboat Key.

“Each city’s going to have some suggestions, they’re going to have some concerns. I urge the cities to find balance. We have to swiftly and effectively come up with a plan as Bill Steele and the county go through an invitation to negotiate for procurement,” Falcione said. He noted that the procurement process will provide additional insight from water taxi operators regarding efficiency, frequency of the service and the initial landing spots.

He also said past surveys of Anna Maria Island beachgoers and hospitality workers indicate support for a water taxi system.

Speaking next, Steele said Roberson has been researching water taxi programs in other parts of the state and country. During his presentation, Steele referenced the Water Taxi Feasibility Study completed by the Metropolitan Planning Organization in 2005. He said that study is dated but still provides relevant conclusions regarding funding, service needs and key destinations.

Steele said it’s important for the areas served by water taxis to be connected to the ground transit system that includes MCAT buses and the free Island trolleys.

“Initially we need to go from downtown Bradenton to AMI. As this service progresses and gets more productive in terms of ridership, there are always opportunities to expand,” Steele said.

Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier said, “We may not be the first point of entry, but we’d like to be in the loop.”

Falcione agreed and said the Sarasota area could also play a future role in the water taxi system, with a potential landing spot at the county-owned Powel Crosley Estate near the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.

County Commissioner Misty Servia said she’s excited to see a water taxi program finally moving forward but she doesn’t want the downtown Bradenton businesses to lose their existing parking spaces to water taxi users.

Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown said a water taxi system would bring more visitors from Anna Maria Island to downtown Bradenton, which would benefit the downtown businesses.

Regarding downtown parking, Brown said, “Right now we have a parking garage with 400 spaces that I would say isn’t 25% utilized.”

Mayor John Chappie noted the Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) will soon expand the floating dock near the Bridge Street Pier, using matching funds provided by the county. That project will include perpendicular finger docks and a designated docking space for water taxis, ferries and other commercial vessels. Chappie said public restrooms and other amenities are already in place, including the Old Town Trams that transport visitors to their destinations within the greater Bridge Street area.

Butzow said securing the landing spots will be a major point of emphasis in the procurement process and the county seeks partnerships with public entities and private businesses for landing areas that provide walkability and access to buses, trolleys, trams and other means of ground transportation.

As of Friday, the requisition to draft an Invitation to Negotiate had been submitted and, once completed, will be posted at the Manatee County bids and proposals website page and the Periscope S2G government bidding website.

ANNA MARIA MAYOR’S INPUT

Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy did not attend the COG meeting but he addressed the proposed water taxi service during the city commission’s Thursday, Feb. 10 meeting.

Reiterating statements he’s made in the past, and has communicated to Falcione, Murphy said, “I am not in favor of a tourist taxi. I don’t think we need more parking congestion at the pier because we’re running a shuttle service, or restaurant shuttles going down the Island. A benefit would be a water taxi that is focused on employees coming to and from work from downtown Bradenton to the Island.”

Murphy said carpenters and others who work in trades that require tools and equipment are unlikely to use a water taxi for work purposes, but some hospitality, retail and service industry employees would likely use the service if it’s affordable, fast, convenient and reliable.

“I think it should be part of the county transit system and I believe it probably should be subsidized so it’s affordable,” Murphy said.

He noted the City Pier’s existing landing area can accommodate a water taxi, but the city commission will decide whether that use is allowed.

“This is really the most logical place to put it. I do believe it would be a benefit under these conditions but it’s going to be your call,” Murphy told the commission.

When contacted, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said she doesn’t envision a water taxi stop in that city and the county’s planned improvements to the Kingfish boat ramp don’t include a water taxi stop.

Cindy Jones-Burkeke

Realtor/Staging tCertified Residential Specialist mCindy@CJonesRE.com Direct: 941.773.9770

310 Pine Avenue • Anna Maria, FL 34216 teamduncan.com

SPEED LIMIT: Reduced in Holmes Beach

FROM PAGE 1

Commissioner Pat Morton said the traffic in Holmes Beach doesn’t stop after dark and he thinks it’s up to city leaders to bring some safety back to city streets regarding drivers.

By lowering the speed limit, lowspeed vehicles and golf carts are permitted to be driven on all city streets except Manatee Avenue and East Bay Drive, which are state roads, where the speed limit is set by the Florida Department of Transportation. Holmes Beach is the only Anna Maria Island city where golf carts are allowed to be driven. A golf cart is not required to be registered with the state and does not have a license plate.

Commissioner Carol Soustek said the different kinds of vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists and other users on city roads and sidewalks led her to believe that lowering the speed limit to 25 mph would help curb some of the safety issues on city streets.

“We’ve got to do something,” she said, adding that changing the speed limit wouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all solution but that she thinks it would give drivers more peace of mind on the road. If it doesn’t produce the desired results, Soustek said the decision could be revisited by commissioners in the future.