RESTAURANTS

HURRICANES: Does anybody care it’s hurricane season?

FROM PAGE 23 HISTORIC HURRICANE MISSES

Most recently, Hurricane Irma hit the area in September 2017. The storm was a Category 5 before it hit Cuba, and by the time it made its way to the Island, it had significantly weakened to a Category 2. While still a serious storm that leads to a mandatory evacuation of the Island, serious damage was not nearly what it could have been. The City Pier was damaged and had to be closed for extensive renovation and power outages were widespread, but for the most part, homes and businesses didn’t suffer serious damage.

In 2004, Hurricane Charlie also caused a lot of damage to Florida cities but spared the Bradenton area and the Island with winds that didn’t top 60 mph. 2004 also saw Ivan and Frances, two massive storms that came close but did not significantly impact AMI.

Despite the Island's good luck, watches and warnings should always be taken seriously, because the past does not predict the future. At some point the big storm will come; according to meteorologists, it is a virtual certainty. In the meantime, watching out for everyday storm-related dangers like lightning and flooding is always good practice. Crowds line the beachfront last week despite the approach of Hurricane Elsa.

JASON SCHAFFER | SUN

28 THE SUN SPORTS JULY 14, 2021

July 4 scramble a blast

Thirty Key Royale Club members and guests played an Independence Day scramble on Saturday, July 3. The winning team was Jeff and Sherry Drinkard and Dave and Kerry Sears. Using the Ambrose handicap scoring system, they shot a net score of 23. Second place belonged to the team of Dave and Debi Richardson and Jana Samuels and Steve Vasbinder with a score of 24.125

Winning the longest drive for the women was Debi Wohlers, while John Hackinson won for the men.

Steve Vasbinder won closest to the pin on Hole #8 at 20 feet. Winning for the men on Hole #5 was the team of Tom Nelson, Chris Nelson, Bill Shuman, and Bill DiMenna. Almost 50 people celebrated after the scramble with the traditional Independence Day cookout and beverages.

MONDAY, JULY 5 MODIFIED STAPLEFORD

First place tie between Herb Clauhs, Chuck Patrick and Terry Schaefer with a score of +2.

THURSDAY, JULY 8 SCRAMBLE

The team of Tom Nelson, Mike Riddick and Bill Shuman tied with the team of Ken Butler, Scott Mitchell, Chuck Patrick, and Deb Richardson at four under par.

SUBMITTED The first-place winners were Jeff and Sherry Drinkard and Kerry and Dave Sears.

TRASH: Murphy upset with disruptions

FROM PAGE 8 Pro has its own trash processing company and is not dependent on the landfill. The commission ultimately voted 4-1 to enter into another contract with Waste Management.

Murphy said there’s a clause in the Waste Management contract that allows the city to renegotiate if the city is dissatisfied with its performance.

“Maybe we can resolve it. My intent is we have in place a good emergency plan even when there’s a holiday which impacts the garbage pickup. There’s no excuse for what took place,” Murphy said.

If Murphy feels the need to renegotiate after his pending meeting with Waste Management representatives, he will seek that commission authorization on July 22.

Commissioner Jon Crane said he was frustrated because he couldn’t find one reliable source of information regarding the impacted collection dates, including the Waste Management website.

Commissioner Mark Short said he was out on Willow Avenue picking up bottles and cans that were floating in the water because the uncollected bottles and cans were placed in boxes rather than trash bags, trash cans, or recycle bins. Murphy said there were also failures with the side-yard pickups required of non-homesteaded residential properties.

WASTE MANAGEMENT RESPONSE

When contacted by The Sun on Friday, Waste Management regional spokesperson Dana McCormick said, “Due to the closure of the Manatee County landfill on Monday, July 5 in observance of Independence Day, Waste Management could not provide service to Anna Maria. Our scheduled make-up day was Tuesday. Then, due to the approach of Hurricane Elsa, Manatee County made the decision to close the landfill again on Tuesday. Therefore, Waste Management could not service Anna Maria on Tuesday. Our safety protocols do not allow garbage to remain in our trucks overnight.

“While our senior leadership was in frequent contact with the city of Anna Maria staff on service changes due to the closure of the Manatee County landfill, we understand our communications did not meet the city’s expectations and we will commit to do better in future storm events,” McCormick said.

“We provided service to our customers on Wednesday and Thursday upon the opening of the landfill and we’ll be back on our regular schedule next week. We look forward to our meeting with Mayor Dan Murphy,” she added.

ONLINE UPDATES

McCormick said during regular non-storm events, property owners can go to www.WM.com and enter their address to check on current or anticipated service disruptions.

“During a tropical storm or a hurricane, we have a special website in Florida: www.WMFloridaStorm.com,” McCormick said, noting the website did contain collection information related to Manatee County and Anna Maria’s service interruptions.

Regarding the possibility that many Anna Maria property owners may not have been aware of Waste Management’s storm website, McCormick said, “We will certainly make sure during the next potential storm that both the city and its residents are better informed of that website. If there was a miscue with the Anna Maria residents, we want to make sure that is corrected before the next storm.”

In response to McCormick’s responses, Murphy said, “No matter what Waste Management’s perception of their communication plan is, our streets had overflowing garbage cans for several days. They didn’t pick up trash after a holiday weekend and that’s what they get paid to do. The end result was totally unacceptable.”