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THE SUN
ISLAND NEWS
IN BRIEF
Solution for local phone trouble: Dial the area code Have you recently dialed a local seven-digit phone number only to get a recording that your call cannot be completed as dialed and instructing you to hang up and dial the area code first? Making local phone calls now requires dialing the threedigit local area code before the seven-digit phone number, even if the area code you’re calling is the same as your own. Why? There are 82 area codes in 35 states and one U.S. territory that currently use 988 as their local exchange – the first three numbers of a seven-digit phone number – causing conflicts for people dialing the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline three-digit emergency number, 988. Ten-digit dialing is gradually being required in those states. The transition began last October and hit the Island in February, with the process expected to be completed nationwide by July 16, when dialing 988 followed by any numbers will route calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Anna Maria Island’s area code is 941.
Chamber golf tournament has tee times There’s still time to enter the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce’s 23rd annual golf tournament to benefit the chamber’s scholarship fund. This year’s tournament will take place Friday, May 13 at IMG Academy Golf Club in Bradenton. The cost is $500 per team or $135 per golfer. Golfer registration includes golf, lunch, gift bag, greens fees, cart fee, prizes, beer and beverages on course and dinner. If you would like to come for dinner but not play, the cost is $40 per person. There are also sponsorship opportunities available; contact the chamber for sponsorship options. For more information and to register, call the chamber at 941-778-1541 or email info@ amichamber.org.
Annie Silver invites you to dinner The Annie Silver Community Center in Bradenton Beach invites you to have dinner Wednesday, March 23 from 5-7 p.m. Big Dog BBQ will cater the dinner, which will feature your choice of ribs or chicken with three sides and a dessert for $10. There is no need to purchase anything in advance; just stop by the center and either dine in or carry out. Weekly bingo is also back at Annie Silver every Thursday at 6 p.m. The next board meeting is Monday, March 14 at 4 p.m. and members of the community are welcome to attend. Annie Silver is located at 103 23rd St. N.
Structural evaluations on commission agenda The Bradenton Beach City Commission has a light agenda for its Thursday, March 3 meeting that will begin at 6 p.m. with general public comment. The commission will then be asked to adopt the single-item consent agenda that requests the approval of a $2,310 invoice from LTA Engineers. Under new business, the commission will discuss a request from Manatee County Mosquito Control. The commission will also discuss structural evaluations of the aging city buildings. Under attorney business, the commission will be asked to approve a contract with Colliers Engineering & Design.
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MARCH 2, 2022
Hunters Point construction continues despite dock challenge
The permit issued for the proposed dock installations along the western side of the Hunters Point property is being challenged. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
CORTEZ – Construction has begun on two homes along the canal of the Hunters Point Resort & Marina property, but the developer says that docks are not planned for those homes. Last July, MHC Cortez Village LLC, owners of the nearby Cortez Village Marina and boat storage facility, challenged a dock permit issued by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWWMD) to Hunters Point. MHC filed a petition for an administrative hearing naming developer Marshall Gobuty’s Cortez Road Investments and Finance Inc. ownership group and SWFWMD as respondents. “The approval of the permit and the ultimate construction of the proposed new dock(s) will significantly increase and impair vessel traffic in the navigable canal, while further decreasing the narrow navigable fairway width,” the petition states. “Other than the first four homes on the west side that do not have docks, the homes on the west and northwest sides of the property are all under the petition and can’t be started,” Gobuty said. “The interior and the east side is where our homes will go up over the next 12 months. We don’t see a resolution on the west and northwest sides until early 2023.” In December, Hunters Point Vice President of Development Ashley Klearman sent a letter to buyers who had purchased homes to be constructed in the Hunters Point community. “MHC is arguing the proposed docks hinder the navigation of the canal, even though the proposed docks have been designed to provide as minimal an intrusion into the canal as possible and are in full compliance with all local, state, and federal rules and regulations. It is our legal team’s position that this petition is without merit and that SWFWMD correctly issued the permit,” Klearman stated in her letter.
In December, construction began on the first Hunters Point home, along the eastern edge of the property. Gobuty said then that the administrative challenge could delay the construction of some homes. When contacted last week, Gobuty said the previously delayed administrative hearing is now scheduled for June 14 and 15. The development plans approved by Manatee County allow for the construction of 86 net-zero energy use homes that will be equipped with solar panels and storage batteries. The development plans include a small marina and 47 docks to be constructed along the navigation canals adjacent to the Hunters Point property on three sides.
It is our legal team’s position that this petition is without merit and that SWFWMD correctly issued the permit.” Ashley Klearman, Hunters Point vice president of development
JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
New homes are now being built alongside the navigation canal that borders the western edge of the Hunters Point property.
JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
Construction has begun on two Hunters Point homes located alongside the western portion of the navigation canal that borders the property.
