OUTDOORS

22 THE SUN OUTDOORS MAY 18, 2022

Clean Water Act case benefits anglers

Reel Time

RUSTY CHINNIS

Suncoast Waterkeeper and partner environmental groups Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, Manasota-88 and Our Children’s Earth Foundation have once again given local anglers cause for some badlyneeded optimism. This past week the settlement of a Clean Water Act lawsuit against the city of Bradenton was announced.

Suncoast Waterkeeper initiated the lawsuit last year in response to repeated sewage spills into the Manatee River and local waterways. Local guides like Captain Justin Moore suspected that those releases may have exacerbated the historic lyngbya we’ve experienced over the past three years.

“Bradenton’s wastewater system and water infrastructure were woefully outdated as they are in too many communities throughout Florida,” said the Suncoast Waterkeeper board’s environmental attorney, member and founder Justin Bloom. “The historic lack of investment in infrastructure harms the health of our communities and waterways. This settlement guarantees that the city of Bradenton will make muchneeded upgrades in their wastewater and sewage treatment system.”

The groups documented that the city had spilled over 160 million gallons of partially treated sewage into the Manatee River, bypassing the city’s treatment plant over the past five years. During that time frame, the city discharged millions more gallons of reclaimed and raw sewage from its aging sewage system, which is plagued by structural deficiencies.

“Citizen suits are critical for addressing pollution problems that would otherwise be ignored," said Annie Beaman of Our Children's Earth. "In Bradenton (and many other Florida cities), government officials have been kicking the can down the road for too long. Clean water is a priority and, in coming to the table to settle, the city of Bradenton has demonstrated that it is willing to prioritize water quality. If we invest in clean water now, we will avoid much higher costs to people and the environment in the future.”

The settlement sets firm deadlines for improvements to the city’s sewage treatment plant, including increasing pumping and treatment capacity and upgrading disinfection capabilities. The city will also have to address issues in the collection system, including assessing the condition of pipes, finding leaks and ensuring the availability of backup power. Along with all these changes will be an update to the city’s capacity, management, operation and maintenance programs for its sewage collection system.

“The public has a right to know what is flowing into our waterways and how municipalities are managing their wastewater systems," said Glenn Compton of ManaSota-88. "Reporting has been lacking. This settlement lays out protocols for how the city needs to report spills and diversions and also requires the development of a website that will provide the public with up-to-date information on water quality and incidents.”

Bradenton also will be required to invest at least $220,000 in projects to improve local waters and/or estuarine habitats.

“The city’s approach to the lawsuit was collaborative and highly productive," said Justin Tramble, executive director of Tampa Bay Waterkeeper. "The parties worked together to understand the issues and negotiate solutions, resulting in the detailed work requirements reflected in the settlement. The city is clearly committed to focusing on fixing its sewage infrastructure issues as soon as possible.”

The Bradenton settlement is a part of an ongoing effort by environmental advocacy groups to protect waterways through legal action. The successful Clean Water Act cases the Waterkeeper groups, led by Bloom, have initiated against St. Petersburg, Gulfport and Largo have been one of the few bright spots for Florida’s environment.

SCWK’s work with Sarasota County, where a settlement was negotiated without filing suit, looms large. Once again, the parties were able to focus their time, energy and resources on resolving the claims and fixing the failed sewage system, rather than litigating. Like many municipalities in Florida, the county's collection system needed upgrades and repairs.

The most significant failure, which was the focus of that case, was the reclaimed water system from the county's largest sewage treatment plant. For nearly a decade, the effluent from the plant flowed over the storage pond into Phillippi Creek and into Sarasota Bay, bringing nearly a billion gallons of wastewater with high concentrations of nitrogen into an estuary that was seeing increased algae blooms and seagrass losses associated with excess nutrients. The spills were hidden from the public and other stakeholders that were working hard to improve water quality in Sarasota Bay. This case was resolved with a commitment, under a federal court order with oversight and monitoring, to upgrade the collection system and stop the spills. Sarasota County recently broke ground on $215 million in upgrades as a result of this case and to date, there have been no new spills from the storage pond.

The waterkeeper groups and their partners' work has made a difference in water quality and helped the fishery resource as well. As good as these wins were for anglers, much remains to be done. Join in this effective movement online.

RUSTY CHINNIS | SUN Island tour businesses are often the first to feel the effects of nitrogen-rich waters.

PINE AVE: City receives one bid for project

FROM PAGE 1 and the city’s contracted engineering firm need to further analyze the proposal before presenting it to the city commission to accept, modify or reject.

The commission could choose to discard the C-Squared proposal and issue new RFPs that seek separate bid proposals for the sidewalks, crosswalks and streetlights, Murphy said. He doesn’t yet know which approach might work best for the city. He said he would provide the commission with a more detailed analysis and copies of the C-Squared proposal at the commission’s next meeting. The sealed bid proposal received from C-Squared has not yet been made available to the public or the media.

C-Squared recently entered into a multimillion-dollar contract with the city of Holmes Beach for its city center project, he said. During public comment, it was noted C-Squared previously completed a brick paver parking lot project and a crosswalk replacement project for the city of Bradenton Beach.

Murphy said the Woodruff & Sons construction company is currently installing new stormwater infiltration trenches along Pine Avenue as part of the city’s ongoing efforts to improve drainage and reduce localized flooding throughout the city.

JOE HENDRICKS | SUN City officials want to install new sidewalks, crosswalks and lighting along Pine Avenue to improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and others.

PARKING: New illegal trend grows

FROM PAGE 1

The penalty for illegal or double parking along the beach parking lots, as well as parking in grassy areas along Gulf Drive at Coquina Beach, is $75.

“I really don’t care; there are no spots available and they’re not towing, so we’ll just pay the ticket,” said Tom, who requested his last name not be used. Tom and his wife were on the Island for a three-day weekend May 14-16, visiting from Orlando.

Diaz also said the department had to tow several cars on Mother’s Day that were parked in the trolley turn-around area at Coquina Beach, an area that has clearly posted signs stating that cars aren’t even allowed to turn around there, much less park.

There are several options for beachgoers to avoid tickets and tows, yet still enjoy a day at the beach. The Anna Maria Island Trolley makes regular stops both north and southbound along Gulf Drive. The Old Town Tram, a golf cart shuttle, and the Monkey Bus can both be reached by phone for an arranged pickup.

JASON SCHAFFER | SUN Cars were illegally parked along Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach for the second consecutive weekend on May 14.

compared to March 2021

Anna Maria Bradenton Beach Holmes Beach Manatee County Total* 16% 21% 33% 33%

*(Anna Maria Island, Bradenton, Longboat Key, unincorporated Manatee County, Palmetto)

Manatee County’s 5% resort tax, or tourist tax, is collected from owners of accommodations rented for six months or less who charge the tax to their renters, in most cases, tourists. About 50% of the tax proceeds are allocated to Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau tourism marketing efforts, with 20% allocated to beach renourishment. The tax also partially funds tourism-related attractions such as the Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria piers. Amounts shown were collected in March and paid to the Manatee County Tax Collector’s Office in April. Manatee County totals include Anna Maria Island cities, Bradenton, the portion of Longboat Key within Manatee County, unincorporated Manatee County and Palmetto. To anonymously report a rental owner who may not be paying the tax, call 941-741-4809 or visit http://www.taxcollector. com/tdt-evader.cfm.

Source: Manatee County Tax Collector

7 Is Your Lucky Number

Live Music on our Patio Anna Maria'sFavorite Hang Out

Island Players wrap season with hilarious whodunnit

The Island Players wrapped their 73rd season with Sam Bobrick’s “The Psychic,” a hilarious whodunnit directed by James Thaggard.

BY JASON SCHAFFER

SUN CORRESPONDENT | jschaffer@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA - The Island Players wrapped up their 73rd season this week with the final performance of their fifth play of the season, Sam Bobrick’s “The Psychic.”

Directed by James Thaggard and stage-managed by Denise Handley, this hilarious whodunnit keeps the audience laughing out loud, while at the same time trying to figure out who is killing off characters one by one.

A drab basement apartment in New York is home to struggling mystery writer Adam Webster (William Ashburn), who tries to pass himself off as a psychic for some quick cash. But when Adam issues a surprisingly genuine prediction to his beautiful first customer, Laura Benson (Jennifer Kwiatkowski), a string of inquisitive characters soon start showing up at his door, including Laura’s larcenous husband, Roy (Rick Kopp), Roy’s sex-obsessed mistress, Rita (Jennifer Caldwell), Rita’s mobster lover, Johnny Bubbles (Michael Sacco) and cultivated homicide detective Norris Coslow (Mark Shoemaker), all of whom factor into the evolving murder mystery that becomes Adam’s life.

“This is my 20th production as a director for The Island Players and I have performed in 25 plays here; I love this theater,” said director James Thaggard, who does a great job of keeping the audience guessing who the killer is while dropping subtle clues throughout the production. The fact that only one character changes costumes throughout the entire play is a hint to the final plot twist that is not easy to spot before the big reveal.

Before the start of the final performance of the season, Thaggard announced the five plays that will make up the 74th season, which will begin Sept. 15 and run through May 14, 2023. They are: • Cliffhanger by James Yaffe (directed by Mike Lusk), Sept. 15-25 • I Ought to be in Pictures by Neil Simon (directed by Kelly Wynn Woodland), Nov. 3-13 • The Odd Couple (female version) by Neil Simon (directed by Preston Boyd), Jan. 12-29, 2023 • The 39 Steps by Patrick Harlow (directed by Heiko Knipfelberg), March 9-26, 2023 • How the Other Half Loves by Alan Ayckbourn (directed by James Thaggard), May 4-14, 2023

For box office information, audition dates and times and any other Island Players information, visit www.theislandplayers.org.

The Island Players thanks everyone who has volunteered their time behind the scenes, and all of the support from sponsors who make everything possible.

JASON SCHAFFER | SUN From left, Jennifer Kwiatkowski (Laura Benson), William Ashburn (Adam Webster), Michael Sacco (Johnny Bubbles) and Mark Shoemaker (Detective Coslow) in a scene from “The Psychic.”