IN BRIEF

Sun earns five awards from FPA

The Anna Maria Island Sun is a finalist in five award categories in the 2023 Florida Press Association Weekly Newspaper Contest: Website Excellence (Kristin Swain), Agricultural and Environmental Reporting (Rusty Chinnis), Original Local Editorial Cartoon (Steve Borggren), Front Page Makeup (Ricardo Fonseca) and Reader-Generated Photo (Denise Lynn Power). Awards will be presented at the Florida Media Conference on July 20-21 at the Westin Resort in Sarasota.

Bradenton Beach seeks code enforcement officer

The city of Bradenton Beach remains without the services of a full-time code enforcement officer. On March 2, commissioners learned the city’s lone code enforcement officer, Ron Peterson, vacated his position in December and his successor had not yet been hired. When Mayor John Chappie referenced the research he’d done regarding the hiring of a new code enforcement officer, commissioners Jake Spooner and Jan Vosburgh said they weren’t aware that Peterson had resigned and that the city was without a code enforcement officer. Building Official Steve Gilbert supervises the city’s code enforcement officer. In January, Gilbert told The Sun he will serve as the acting code enforcement officer until Peterson’s successor is hired. During the March 2 meeting, Chappie said he recently consulted with someone at the city of Holmes Beach in an effort to learn more about how their code enforcement department operates and how it is funded. Chappie said he asked Gilbert and City Clerk Terri Sanclemente to provide him with the estimated annual cost of administering and enforcing the city’s transient public lodging establishment (vacation rental) ordinance.

Odie the screech owl visits Springfest

Odie the screech owl, known to many on Anna Maria Island, made a stop at the Springfest Festival of Fine Arts and Fine Crafts at City Field in Holmes Beach on March 18. Odie has an injured wing and is a permanent resident at Wildlife Inc. Education and Rehabilitation in Bradenton Beach. Odie has a big personality, and apparently two very sharp eyes for quality art. See Springfest coverage on Page 12.