BEACH BEAT

OBITUARIES

Atsushi Arai

Holmes Beach resident Atsushi Arai passed away on June 14, 2022. He was 94 years old.

Atsushi was born in 1928 in Taiwan, which was part of Japan at that time. He was the youngest of 13 children. At the end of World War II, his family had to evacuate to Japan, which caused a major interruption in their lives.

However, this early experience of establishing lasting ties in a foreign country shaped Atsushi’s entire life. His chosen field of work was the business of import-export, which gave him plenty of opportunities to meet people from different countries. As part of his work, he was “posted” in Burma and Hong Kong in the early 60s. Then, from 1970 to 1997, he lived in Hong Kong, first as the branch manager of Sun Trading, then later as the managing director of his own company.

He met his wife, Martha, while both were working for the American Army base in Camp Kobe in occupied Japan. They married in 1953 and their daughter, Asako, was born in 1959.

After Hong Kong, his “international” life continued as he and Martha immigrated to the United States. They established roots in Holmes Beach, Florida and have lived here since 1997.

Atsushi was a generous and kind man, an avid Tampa Bay Rays fan and an enthusiastic Sudoku player. Throughout all the foreign residences, there was a common thread in his life that was based in the traditional values of his home country, Japan.

He is survived by his wife, Martha; his daughter, Asako; and his son-in-law, Aron.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at 4 p.m. at Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory, 43rd Street Chapel, 604 43rd St. W., Bradenton, Florida 34209. Condolences may be made to: www.brownandsonsfuneral.com.

Irma Yatros

Irma Linda (Schrader) Yatros, 87, of Holmes Beach, Florida, passed away peacefully on June 7, 2022. Irma was born in Batesville, Indiana on June 29, 1934, to Reuben and Mary Schrader. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Indiana. She met and married John E. Yatros in Frankfurt, Germany in 1961. They moved to Barbourville, Kentucky in 1965. In 1993 they purchased a home in Holmes Beach, making it their permanent home in 2004.

Irma was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. John Yatros (2005). She is survived by her daughter Mimi (Greg) Kelly and grandchildren Megan (Omel) Perchatsch and Patrick (Jessica) Kelly, all of Louisville, Kentucky; and son Dr. Gy (Maria) Yatros and grandson Nicholas Yatros of Holmes Beach.

Irma will be laid to rest next to her husband in the Schrader family plot in Huntersville, Indiana. The family will have a private memorial service in Holmes Beach later this summer. Expressions of sympathy may be made to Tidewell Hospice.

BEACH BEAT

BRADENTON BEACH

6/5, 12:21 a.m., battery, 120 Bridge St. Two officers were dispatched to a fight at the Drift In Bar, and due to being outnumbered by the large rowdy crowd, asked for assistance from Holmes Beach police. A victim was found bloody and stated he had been jumped by three males he did not know. The victim said one of the men hit him in the eye with a rock but refused treatment from EMTs. The suspects were described as being bikers by witnesses, but identities were not known to anyone on the scene. No arrests have been made, and the incident remains under investigation. 6/11, 10 p.m., resisting without violence, 113 11th St. S. The officer responded in reference to a female trespassing who had been previously told to leave. She refused to give her name, and began acting as if she was using an unknown substance. While the property owner was on the way to see if a property crime had been committed, the female suspect took off running. The officer called for assistance, and when backup arrived, they located the woman in the back yard of the property. The suspect resisted being handcuffed and began kicking and screaming, resulting in officers having to use pepper spray to gain control. The struggle to detain the suspect continued, but she was taken into custody where she was decontaminated for the pepper spray at the police station, then taken to Manatee County Jail.

HOLMES BEACH

6/7, 11 a.m., petit theft, 5347 Gulf Drive. The officer responded to Fun and More Rentals after a store employee stated a man asked to test ride a bicycle. The man left the store in an unknown direction and did not return. The employee did not ask for any information from the suspect before releasing the bicycle to him.

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 oun a 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 941.730.1294 | Lynn@Edgewaterami.c www.EdgewaterRealEstateInc.com om

Coast Guard rescues three boaters

The U.S. Coast Guard Station Cortez’s Search and Rescue crew saved three boaters on June 17, responding to a Digital Selective Calling Alert on VHF Channel 16 that a vessel was taking on water. The crew quickly located the vessel about 25 nautical miles west of Egmont Key, rescuing three survivors minutes before the vessel capsized.

SUBMITTED

Register now for fishing camp

It’s officially summer and camp is underway for children and teens at The Center of Anna Maria Island. One of the nonprofit’s specialty camps is fishing camp, which begins on Monday, June 27. During the camp, kids entering kindergarten through sixth grade will spend four days learning to fish, tie knots, bait a hook, cast and reel in their big catch while making new friends. Every participant is required to bring their own fishing pole. The camp runs through Thursday, June 30 from 9 a.m. to noon daily and the cost is $90 for Center members or $105 for nonmembers. To register, call The Center at 941-778-1908 or email customerservice@centerami.org.

Senior Adventures trips planned for July

Trips for seniors continue with The Center of Anna Maria Island and Senior Adventures. Van transportation from The Center is provided for area seniors for each day trip. The cost is $5 and pre-registration is advised but not required. Each trip is limited to 14 people. On Friday, July 1 at 10 a.m., the group will travel to the Red Barn Flea Market in Bradenton. On Wednesday, July 13, Senior Adventures will travel to Jungle Gardens in Sarasota. The van leaves The Center at 10 a.m. and entrance to the park is not included in the cost of transportation. The final trip of the month is on Wednesday, July 20 when the group will leave at 9 a.m. to journey to Solomon’s Castle. To reserve a spot, call The Center at 941-778-1908. The Center is located at 407 Magnolia Ave. in Anna Maria.

PARKING: City to stop monopoly of beach access parking

FROM PAGE 1 drownings and other emergency situations. Cosby said he’s going to rope off a portion of the street-end for emergency responders regardless of what the commission decides to do with the public parking. Cosby said that will probably result in the loss of four parking spaces.

Mayor John Chappie and Building Official Steve Gilbert noted Section 5835 of the city’s code of ordinances prohibits parking any vehicle at or within 100 feet of a city-owned street-end or terminus along the Gulf of Mexico or Sarasota Bay unless it’s properly marked as city-provided parking.

After stressing the importance of protecting public access to the beaches, Chappie said, “We’ve got to take control of this situation. It is a problem because we’ve had complaints.”

Cosby said a properly designated public parking area requires parking bumpers and signs that designate those spaces for public use. He said the designated public spaces would then be available on a first-come, first-served basis which would not exclude resort guests, noting that overnight parking is not allowed in city-owned parking areas.

Gilbert said he’s not aware of any agreement between the resort and the city that allows for guest-only parking. Gilbert and Commissioner Ralph Cole noted it would take a four-fifths supra-majority vote of the commission and the majority support of the city’s registered voters for the city to vacate that city-owned property to the resort owners – an action Cosby said city voters would never support.

Commissioner Jan Vosburgh expressed concerns about negatively impacting the resort owner.

“Why would we want to do that?” she asked.

“Because it’s public property,” Cosby replied. “If you want to keep the willynilly parking, knock yourselves out. When I get complaints, I’m going to tell them to come here and talk to you. I can’t tell them that I am allowing somebody to break the law.”

Commissioner Jake Spooner agreed that a private business should not have the exclusive use of public property, but he’s not in favor of eliminating those beach parking spaces either. Spooner said the resort managers would likely remove the guest-only parking signs if asked.

Cosby and Gilbert said it might be possible to configure the public parking in a manner that allows the resort to install two privately-owned, resortonly parallel parking spaces near the smaller building to the south.

Based on Cosby and Gilbert’s advice, the commission directed them and Public Works Director Tom Woodard to develop a plan for a designated public parking area at the 23rd Street North street-end, and to bring that plan back to the commission for additional discussion and approval.

JOE HENDRICKS | SUN As of last week, several signs were in place that improperly claimed the beach access parking area was for resort guests only.

JOE HENDRICKS | SUN The Seabreeze at Anna Maria Inn resort cannot restrict the public from using the beach access parking area at the west end of 23rd Street North.

SUNSHINE: Law compliance questioned GARAGE: Gloves come off in discussion

FROM PAGE 1 link to the 2022 Government-in-the-Sunshine manual.

In her June 8 response to Tank, Commissioner Misty Servia wrote: “Mr. Tank. Thank you for the email. I hope they were not discussing county business, as that would be a criminal offense.”

In his two-word response to Servia, Tank wrote: “They were.”

As the county’s District 3 commissioner, Van Ostenbridge was elected by constituents from Anna Maria Island, the northern portion of Longboat Key, Cortez and west Bradenton. Van Ostenbridge was contacted by The Sun on June 16, and asked about Tank’s Sunshine Law compliance concerns.

Van Ostenbridge said he and Baugh discussed politics and politicians but did not discuss official county business.

“The Sunshine Law was not violated because I did not discuss anything the board could potentially vote on. I respect Mr. Tank for reaching out to me out of concern. I did respond to him as well and I assured him we didn’t discuss anything we’d vote on,” Van Ostenbridge said.

When contacted by The Sun that same day, Baugh declined comment.

“Nothing to comment about,” she wrote in her message to The Sun.

Baugh remains the subject of an ongoing Ethics Commission investigation regarding her role in organizing a controversial COVID-19 pop-up vaccine clinic only for those living in zip codes specific to the Lakewood Ranch area she represents as the county’s District 5 commissioner.

On June 17, The Sun emailed Tank and asked him if he would clarify which specific county issues Van Ostenbridge and Baugh discussed during their lunch outing.

In response, Tank wrote, “I don’t see the upside in going into what the commissioners were talking about, other than what I’ve said and written. It wasn’t ‘just politics.’ Since Mr. Van Ostenbridge denies that, all that will result is a lot of ‘he said, he said’ back and forth.”

In his email response to The Sun, Tank also noted, “Mr. Van Ostenbridge and the county FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) people have not produced all of the emails about the conversation.”

On June 14, The Sun requested from the county all email correspondence from any county commissioner as well as Hopes and Clague regarding Tank’s Sunshine Law compliance concerns. At week’s end, the county had not yet provided those requested public records. Earlier this month, the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court Inspector General’s office notified the county that the Inspector General’s office was reviewing how the current county administration responds to public records requests.

FROM PAGE 9 property values in the city increasing over 200% in the current fiscal year and Holmes Beach accounting for 37% of all bed tax funds collected by the county, it’s not in county leaders’ best interests to threaten withholding funding to the city.

“You want to protect the golden goose,” she said.

After the meeting, Titsworth posted a video response to Van Ostenbridge’s comments on the city’s YouTube channel restating her position.

“I too am sorry the commissioner chose to not listen to our response to his threats,” Commissioner Terry Schaefer said. “It’s sad how this county commission is run, putting a gun to our heads.” He went on to say that he feels that with all the tax dollars going to the county from Holmes Beach, the city is getting “a very poor return on our investment.”

In the past 10 years, more than $30 million has been funneled to the county through tourist tax dollars, Schaefer said, adding he believes the city has only received about $141,000 of those funds back for parks projects. He said he’s not in favor of parking garages in the city and felt that allowing them would only serve to help the county solve its issues created by overmarketing of Anna Maria Island and its beaches.

Commissioner Carol Soustek said she wants to see long-term traffic and mobility solutions to address issues and help residents and beachgoers coming from county commissioners rather than threats. She said that she doesn’t think adding more places to park would solve the problems facing city and county residents, primarily traffic congestion, public safety and failing infrastructure.

During his comments, Van Ostenbridge said that he was planning to put together a plan to present to city commissioners over the summer for a parking garage to be constructed at the county-owned Manatee Beach.

While the prohibition of parking garages was on the city work session agenda, parking garages are currently not an allowable use in the city, nor is paid parking. To allow a parking garage to be constructed at the beach would require an ordinance change, site plan approval and potentially an increase of the current height limit in Holmes Beach. The height limit now would only allow for a three-story structure.

Despite Van Ostenbridge’s comments, Titsworth noted that the discussion had been placed on the agenda not because of the potential for a parking garage at the public beach but because the property owner of the former Wells Fargo Bank location at the corner of Marina and Gulf drives was seeking city staff guidance to determine what uses could be allowed on the property. She said no formal proposal for the site had been given to city staff, which committed to looking at potential ideas for the site and other nearby vacant commercial properties for future commission discussion.

32 THE SUN SPORTS JUNE 22, 2022

Youth beat the heat with indoor soccer

BY MONICA SIMPSON

SPECIAL TO THE SUN

ANNA MARIA – With the weather heating up going into the summer, the youth indoor soccer action is heating up the hardcourt at the Island’s community center.

Island area kids will not be playing traditional center indoor soccer this season. Instead, the young ballers will play a modified version of micro soccer intended to give the players more opportunities for touches on the ball in the fast-paced sport.

Unlike the original micro soccer, The Center’s league will continue to bang the boards with the soccer ball, a key skill in indoor soccer, elevating the fan excitement.

Testing out a new league configuration, two youth indoor soccer leagues will play this summer in recreational competition: U9 and U13. In general, the U9 league will include players 9 and younger, while the U13 league will roster youth between 10 and 13 years of age.

Despite the league name changes, The Center’s goal with the recreational youth sports leagues remains to help ensure all children are playing in the league that best fits their age and level of play.

In the first official game of the season, Solid Rock Construction beat Blalock Walters 5-1 in the new U9 league. Playing seven-minute quarters in three-on-three action, Solid Rock put three points on the scoreboard thanks to the offensive skills of Tess Bolognone, Mckenna Darak and Aidan Guess.

Each of their single goals contributed to the team’s first win of the season. The team effort was fortified by two goals by Solid Rock Construction’s Matthew Darak, who also had two assists in the game.

On the other side of the ball, Parker Svoboda, for Blalock Walters, scored the team’s only goal in the season opener. Teammate Gavin Angel precisely fed the soccer ball to Svoboda, making the goal possible.

With a strong lineup, Angel and Svoboda are joined by Olive Bannick, Evita Moyer, Olivia Wyatt, Brendan Gerrish, Camden Rudacille and Owen Purcell. The season is early and Blalock Walters knows the win is in reach.

The Solid Rock Construction team goes into week two with a 1-0-0 record. Turner Worth, Isaac Roadman, Eli Roadman and Obie Roadman round out the squad with five more regular season games to play.

Adding a twist to the game, both leagues will be playing without goalies this season, making overall defensive play critical.

In the second U9 game, Bridgetender Inn lost to Ugly Grouper 6-3. Landon Leach and Beau Sanson each had a hat trick for Ugly Grouper.

Bridgetender Inn’s Paul ten Haaf was high scorer, making two goals to keep his team in the game. Madeline Kimmons added a goal to the scoreboard as her team played hard until the final game whistle.

The final two games played last Tuesday night brought U13 teams to the indoor pitch. Moss Builders lost their first game of the season against Shady Lady by one goal.

The single goals by Mason Moss and Elisabeth ten Haaf just were not enough against the three goals by Shady Lady’s Jack Zaccagnino, Jesse Zaccagnino and Alex Monserrate.

High-scoring action proved to be just the way to end a night of indoor soccer at The Center. Scoring 8 points, team Progressive Cabinetry outscored team Freckled Fin for the victory.

With five goals, Barrett Raina started week one on the top of the leaderboard for points scored. Raina’s teammates Walker and Jason Wyatt each had solo goals, as well as Alonso Valle, to keep the point spread comfortable for the Progressive Cabinetry squad.

Showing they will be contenders this season, Freckled Fin scored four goals in the game. David Zupa got past the Progressive defense for two goals. The McRaes, Chandler and Tucker, each tucked a shot in for two additional Progressive Cabinetry points.

The road to the playoffs is promising for all of the teams playing indoor soccer at The Center this summer. The U9 finals are scheduled for Tuesday, July 26 at 6 p.m., while the U13 championship game schedule has yet to be determined.

MONICA SIMPSON | SUN Mckenna Darak controls the offensive play for Solid Rock Construction while Olive Bannick, Mary Tess Bolognone and Parker Svoboda for team Blalock Walters move into strong defensive position to make the stop.

SUN SCOREBOARD JUNE 14 YOUTH INDOOR SOCCER U9 DIVISION Solid Rock Construction 5 Blalock Walters 1

Ugly Grouper Bridgetender Inn

U13 DIVISION Moss Builders Shady Lady

Progressive Cabinetry 8 Freckled Fin 4