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VOL 16 No. 37
July 13, 2016
First turtle nest hatches But nearby building lights are believed responsible for subsequent disorientation of hatchlings. BY CINDY LANE SUN STAFF WRITER | clane@amisun.com
HOLMES BEACH – The first loggerhead sea turtle nest of the season has hatched on Anna Maria Island, but the usual excitement was dampened by the fact that lights disoriented the hatchlings. How many made it to the Gulf of Mexico is unknown, said Suzi Fox, director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, saying that lights likely confused the hatchlings and that footprints made it impossible to follow all the tiny turtle tracks. The hatched nest was found behind the Nautilus Resort at 7100 Gulf Drive last week, a normal 55 days after it was laid, and was excavated on Monday evening, revealing the shells of 101 hatchlings. During excavations, volunteers piece together the eggshells left behind and count them, indicating how many turtles hatched. While some beachfront vacation rentals
CINDY LANE | SUN
Turtle Watch volunteers, above and right, excavated the first sea turtle nest of the season on Monday, but lights from nearby buildings had disoriented an unknown number of the hatchlings. During turtle season – May 1 to Oct. 31 – the law prohibits lights visible from the beach, top photo, from sundown to sunrise.
see turtles, page 20
Chelsea cuts it up with mayor Talk show host Chelsea Handler got some laughs at Mayor Bill Shearon’s expense. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
BRADENTON BEACH – Mayor Bill Shearon was among those disappointed by talk show host Chelsea Handler’s portrayal of him and the city he represents. Filmed at city hall in April, the segment featuring Handler’s
INSIDE NEWS OPINION Sun survey TURTLES outdoors sports TOWN CRIER REAL ESTATE
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interview with Shearon debuted on Netflix last Thursday as the latest episode of the “Chelsea” show that also featured country singer Blake Shelton and former Congressman Barney Frank. Netflix subscribers can access the interview at the 13:17 point of the July 7 episode. “When something messed up happens in an election there’s a 100 percent chance it happened in the state of Florida, like what happened with this little whoopsy-doozy of a man and how he
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Anna Maria Island, Florida
was elected mayor of Bradenton Beach,” Handler said when introducing the segment. When Handler mentioned Shearon’s guide dog, Reese, Shearon explained that he was Florida’s first legally blind mayor. “We’re proud of that,” he said. The five-minute piece focused primarily on the 2015 mayor’s race that ended in a 158-158 tie after the votes were counted and recounted. The winner was then determined
joe hendricks | sun
Bradenton Beach Mayor Bill Shearon made an appearance on last week’s “Chelsea” show.
see HANDLER, page 31
a visit TO CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY BRINGS BACK MEMORIES. 17
Ghost tours could get city into the spirit. 12
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