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Jeffrey Mark Cappello
Jeffrey Mark Cappello, 47, passed away suddenly on July 5, 2021. Jeff was born in Cherry Hill, N.J., but spent most of his childhood and teen years living in Palatine, Ill. Jeff graduated high school from Saint John’s Military Academy in Delafield, Wisc. From there, he attended Iowa State University before moving to Bradenton, Fla. During his professional career, Jeff worked as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo. Jeff excelled at both sales and finance. Jeff was a very outgoing person who made instant and lasting friendships. He could meet you for the first time, and you would think that you have been friends since childhood. Jeff valued family and friends as he was always ready to help when needed. Jeff had a gift of storytelling and found a way to make you smile regardless of what was happening in your life. He was also an avid sports fan who regularly attended hockey and football games. Jeff’s favorite teams were the Tampa Bay Bucs, the Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff is survived by his two children, Nicholas Cappello and Emily Cappello of Bradenton, Fla; father, Roger Cappello, of Holmes Beach, Fla., and brother, Craig Cappello, of Bradenton, Fla. Jeff was predeceased by his loving mother, Patricia Cappello of Bradenton, Fla. A Memorial gathering will be at a later date. Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd St. Chapel in Bradenton, Fla., is in charge of the arrangements. Condolences may be made to www. brownandsonsfuneral.com.
BEACH BEAT
HOLMES BEACH
7/8, 7:35 p.m., possession of alcohol under 21 and resist/obstruct/oppose officer without violence, 5300 Holmes Blvd. Officers responded to a call of three juveniles drinking liquor from a bottle. One suspect was ordered to sit down while officers poured out the contents of the bottle but he refused and shouted obscenities at officers. Legal guardians arrived and took custody of suspects in lieu of arrest. 7/10, 12:53 a.m., trespass warning, 4000 Gulf Drive. The officer observed a man in a wheelchair at the outside dining area of the AMI Beach Cafe. When the officer advised the man that the area was closed and he was trespassing, he said he had intended to sleep there. The man was issued a trespass warning and transported to 75th and Manatee Avenue. 7/10, 4:05 a.m., city ordinance violation/camping, 3300 Gulf Drive. Using a thermal monocular, officers observed a man sleeping on the beach. When approached, the man stated he was homeless and had nowhere else to go. Officers advised the man that he could not stay on the beach and gave him a ride to 75th Street at his request. 7/12, 2:36 a.m., city ordinance violation/camping, 3900 Sixth Ave. Officers approached a man asleep at the entrance of Regions Bank. The man said he was passing through and planned to walk back to Kentucky. The man was given a notice to appear, informed of his court date and left the area without incident. 7/13, 12:17 a.m., City ordinance violation/alcohol, 4000 Gulf Drive. While issuing a parking ticket to a vehicle parked at 4000 Gulf Drive after hours, officer began checking the beach with night vision goggles. Two subjects were observed having sex on the beach, and in possession of an open bottle of alcohol. Subjects were issued a ticket for consuming alcohol on the beach.
SAVE THE MANATEE CLUB | SUBMITTED Area conservation groups asked Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday to declare a state of emergency due to ongoing red tide and fish kills in and around Tampa Bay. Red tide appeared in the bay shortly after the March and April discharge of 215 million gallons of nutrient-rich wastewater containing nitrogen and phosphorus from a Piney Point phosphogypsum stack in Manatee County. The nutrients act as fertilizer for the toxic red tide algae. Dead marine life discovered since the discharge has included manatees, a threatened species that – only halfway into the year – has already surpassed its highest death toll of any year in this century.
Perico Bay Club—As Good As It Gets!!
Business As Usual…..Just A Li le Differently. If you’re looking to buy or sell in Perico Bay Club, or know someone who is, please give me a call!
Give me a call today if yo oGive me a call today if you’u re looking ge lookine re to Buy or Sell on Anna Maria Isla yBuy or Sell on Anna M Maria Isla MariaMari nd d or the surroundi a ng area!
anIsla ounding aoun a!ding g ng area ea Lynn Zemmer 941 41-1 730 30-0 1294 94 9 941.209.1542 I Lynn@Edgewaterami.com
www.EdgewaterRealEstateInc.com 106 Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach, FL 34217 * As of July 9, 2021 Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Holmes Beach’s Florida state lobbying efforts will be condensed into one law firm for the 2021-22 fiscal year. Commissioners voted unanimously July 15 to accept a proposal from David Ramba, of the Ramba Law Group, to provide all lobbyist services to the city from Aug. 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022 for the sum of $3,000 per month. Previously, the Ramba Law Group had only handled the city’s appropriations funding asks in Tallahassee with legislative lobbyist services provided by Dean Mead Attorneys at Law. Mayor Judy Titsworth said that while the attorneys at Dean Mead have provided good service to the city over the past few years, the new Ramba contract will save the city $30,000-40,000 per year in lobbyist service fees.
Top real estate producers for June 2021
A PARADISE Sue Carroll - Listing & Selling
AN ISLAND PLACE REALTY Tanya McCormick - Listing Billi Gartman - Selling
DUNCAN REAL ESTATE Darcie Duncan – Listing & Selling
EDGEWATER REAL ESTATE Lynn Zemmer - Listing & Selling
FRAN MAXON Sharon & Tim Villars - Listing Stephanie Bell - Selling ISLAND REAL ESTATE Josh Bernet - Listing Kathleen White and Erin Leathem - Selling
MIKE NORMAN Marianne Norman Ellis – Listing & Selling
REMAX ALLIANCE GROUP Cindy Quinn - Listing Christine Kourik - Selling
SALTY MERMAID REAL ESTATE Diana Sinisi – Listing & Selling
SATO REAL ESTATE Jason Sato – Listing & Selling
WAGNER REAL ESTATE Miguel Rosa – Listing & Selling
Duncan Real Estate stronger than ever after 20 years
Owner Darcie Duncan looks forward to another 20 years of business on Anna Maria Island.
BY JOE HENDRICKS
SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA – Duncan Real Estate owner Darcie Duncan celebrated her company’s 20th anniversary last week.
In addition to being her birthday, Tuesday, July 13 marked 20 years since the energetic redhead purchased her office building at 310 Pine Ave.
“I incorporated in the spring, but I bought the building on my birthday: July 13, 2001. I use today as my actual date. It makes you feel official when you own the dirt,” Duncan said when interviewed at her office on her birthday.
“When I bought this building, nobody wanted to touch Pine Avenue. I knew someday this street would blossom and I knew I could not open a business without owning the dirt. I got my mortgage at a spring training game, shaking hands with the mortgage holder. I bought the building on a handshake,” she said.
At the time, Duncan already had 11 years of experience as a real estate broker.
“The industry was at a pivotal point and changing with technology and the Internet. I felt I needed to go out on my own because I was ready to change with it. I’ve sold real estate on the Island for 31 years now,” she said.
Duncan Real Estate has 20 employees, but it started as a solo act.
“I was all by myself, then I had one person come in and help and I grew from there. I had the front office and that was it.”
Duncan has learned a lot in 20 years.
“Learning to surround myself with the right people really helped my career. I had to learn about leadership and how to embrace that. I learned to treat people how I would want to be treated. You have to be a good listener and be available for your team. You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. My team is awesome and I love them. I have good managers that help me manage. We work together and we collaborate. The culture of my company is teamwork,” Duncan said.
“My customers make me better too. My company is built on those relationships. I’m doing generational business and that’s something you can’t put a price tag on. I’ve also had a wonderful support system of friends and colleagues and mentors throughout my life.”
Duncan has also learned the importance of getting away from work: “I love to go fishing. That’s my passion. I love to get together with friends and get out on my boat. That’s my happy place. I’m starting to travel more by RV and seeing more of the country.”
CHANGING MARKETS
Duncan has watched the Anna Maria Island real estate market evolve.
“Back when I started, the houses were not as upscale. The demands of the buyer 20 years ago are totally different than today. Back then, a 3,000-squarefoot house was incredible. Today, that’s the average size for new construction. Twenty years ago, they were just ground-level block houses. Over the years we’ve seen that change because of FEMA and other factors.
“Things were simpler and more basic back then. Now it’s all the bells and whistles – the pool, high end kitchens, home offices and yoga and wellness spaces. You just didn’t have that 20 years ago,” Duncan said.
The vacation rental industry has also changed.
“In 2001, the Island wasn’t as developed and vacation rentals weren’t weekly rentals. They were monthly rentals and snowbirds. In the summer, it was our in-state people coming to their summer homes. The vacation rental industry was nothing like it is today, and we didn’t have half as many homes to rent,” Duncan said.
Regarding the current market, Duncan said, “It’s the best it’s ever been. As far as sales, we’re on track for a record breaking year. With rentals, we’re seeing it slow a little as normal for August through October, but it’s still busier than past years and our winter bookings are looking strong.” When asked about her success, Duncan said, “There is no secret. It’s hard work. You get up every day and you do the best you can. When something knocks you down, you get up and find a different way to deal with it. I never thought I would be sitting here today saying my company is 20 years old. I’m really proud, and I’m proud of my team.
Looking ahead, Duncan said, “I could see myself being in the business 20 years from now. To say I had 50 years under my belt would be spectacular – and learning that life/work balance will help me obtain that.”
JOE HENDRICKS | SUN Duncan Real Estate owner Darcie Duncan has evolved with the Island’s changing real estate and vacation rental markets.
KRISTIN SWAIN | SUN A sign posted on the staircase to access the residential units at 3400 Sixth Ave. warns that the building is unsafe and that anyone who enters does so at their own risk.
STRUCTURE: New problems in Holmes Beach
FROM PAGE 1 building at 3402 Sixth Ave. is not experiencing any issues, though he said condominium association officials plan to have it checked just to make sure.
The four-plex was constructed in 1984 according to Manatee County Property Appraiser records.
Code Compliance Officer Kim Charron said the issues with the balconies were reported to the department by a rental agent who was told by a repairman that there was something suspicious going on with the balcony at one of the units. The matter was then turned over to the city’s building department.
If Sixth Avenue sounds familiar, it’s because the north end of the street is where a balcony collapsed at a residential home in late June.
That home at 4106 Sixth Ave. is still awaiting repairs, though Schwartz said no issues have come up concerning the structure of other homes in the area with a similar build.
The Sun submitted a public records request to learn the name of the contractor who built the home, as well as the building at 3400 Sixth Ave. As of press time for The Sun, the city had not released the requested records.
With structural issues at residential properties making some homeowners nervous, Schwartz said he recommends that anyone who has concerns or who spots a potential issue in their home, business or rental property contact the city’s building department for an inspection. He said it’s better to catch potential issues before they become safety hazards.
FROM PAGE 1 sonville, North Carolina,” said Janelle Smith, who is visiting Bradenton Beach with her husband and two children. “We come here every year and remember how bad it was in 2018, but we need our Anna Maria Island fix; it’s our home away from home. We hope it doesn’t stink, but we’re willing to take the risk.”
“Nobody wants to see a bunch of dead fish and spend a stinky day at the beach, but from what I’ve seen this place is almost magic,” said Tina Scott, who is visiting Holmes Beach from Jacksonville with her family. “The hurricanes seem to run from the Island like they owe it money, and you have serious red tide south and north of here, but this is some of the clearest water we have ever seen and there isn’t a single dead fish or nasty smell anywhere we have been on the Island.”
Scott is correct, there is serious red tide in Siesta Key and Longboat Key, and Tampa Bay is also experiencing a real problem. So far, Anna Maria Island has been spared the worst of it, but that is already changing, with the first Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report of high concentrations at Longboat Pass Friday.
“We went parasailing yesterday and while we were a couple hundred feet in the air cruising past Coquina Beach, we saw a huge patch of brown gunk in the water a little farther out to sea than we were,” said Jaqui Jensen of Pittsburgh, adding that she would cancel a future trip if she knew red tide was present. “When we got back on the boat, we asked our guide what it was and he said it was the red tide algae bloom. When you see it from the air, you realize just how huge it is.” NOT YOUR USUAL DAY TRIPPERS
While not many tourists seem to be leaving AMI due to the red tide, an unforeseen effect has taken place. Some visitors to Siesta Key and Longboat Key have kept their condos and hotel rooms there, but are making day trips to Anna Maria Island to enjoy the beaches free of the problems associated with red tide.
“My son and I are staying in Longboat Key, but it stinks and you start coughing as soon as you get to the beach,” said Sean Martin of Cincinnati Ohio, who added he had never heard of red tide until they watched the local news on TV and realized the cause of their beach problems. “We drove up here after talking to a guy that works at the convenience store we stopped at last night and he said to head to Coquina Beach. There’s plenty of parking and the beach doesn’t have a smell or a single dead fish that we could see.”
With record crowds visiting the Island this summer, another unforeseen effect of the red tide could be possible overcrowding of Island beaches if Anna Maria Island stays relatively red tide-free while surrounding beaches suffer more. This could cause the already heavy beach traffic and parking issues to escalate, but there is no guarantee the problem won’t hit here in force.
“It seems like everybody is confident that this thing will not affect the Island, but there is absolutely no reason to believe that,” said Anna Maria resident Doug Fisher, who has lived on the Island for seven years. “It got us a few years ago really bad, and I think there is very little chance that we will magically be spared this mess. Pinellas County is a mess, Sarasota is a mess and we are right in between. Why in the world would we think we won’t get nailed by this?”
Fisher is also concerned that if the Island doesn’t see the worst of the red tide, tourists from Siesta Key, Longboat Key and even the Tampa Bay area will flock to the Island for some red tide relief.
“I don’t know which is worse, dead fish or a four-hour wait for a pizza,” added Fisher, who is torn over adding visitors to an already overcrowded summer while dealing with the physical effects of red tide.
Whether it’s the Piney Point wastewater discharge, natural circumstances or a combination, red tide is certainly present in Gulf waters. How long it will last, what areas will be affected, how it will impact the economy, what that impact will be and how it will affect tourism are still questions that can’t be answered.
But it appears that it takes a lot to keep a potential visitor from coming to the Island if they have their heart set on it. After more than a year of a pandemic, many think it’s worth the risk, and it will take more than a hurricane or some dead fish to stop that dream vacation.
Janelle Smith Visitor
RED TIDE: Reaches Manatee waters
FROM PAGE 1 algae bloom, which was first observed in Tampa Bay near the Port Manatee discharge site.
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.
Consuming shellfish exposed to red tide can cause neurotoxic shellfish poisoning. Health officials also warn against swimming near dead fish, and advise keeping pets away from dead fish and seafoam, which can contain high concentrations of algae. Pets are not allowed on Anna Maria Island’s beaches, but are allowed on the Palma Sola Causeway on Manatee Avenue.
