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VOL 22 No. 33
May 25, 2022
Greetings from AMI CINDY LANE | SUN
A pair of manatees welcomes the Cozzens family visiting from Wyoming, a first for boys Carter and Cable, at the canal at 64th Street and Marina Drive in Holmes Beach.
Beachgoers unite, sue for access Residents and beachgoers gathered on the sand at 78th Street to discuss the closure of a beach access. BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
HOLMES BEACH – With beachgoers filing a lawsuit on May 20 against the property owners on 78th Street who closed a beach access, the Real Island Podcast team took to the airwaves Sunday in hopes of helping both sides find an amicable solution. Podcast hosts Abigail Nunn, Dick Gordon and Brian Blaine hosted a special live broadcast from the beach at 78th Street, just in front of the now-closed access path, to give people on both sides of the issue a platform to have their concerns addressed. Though no solutions to the dispute are on the horizon, area residents and representatives of the property owners got to air their
INSIDE NEWS EDITORIAL CARTOON OUTDOORS REAL ESTATE SPORTS CROSSWORD CLASSIFIEDS
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grievances in a neutral environment. Matthew Carmon, whose family owns 103 and 105 78th St., said his mother, Linda, purchased her home because of its proximity to a beach access point. With his mother on full-time oxygen therapy, Carmon said the closure of the path has greatly reduced her ability to enjoy the beach and that walking to another street to get to the sand isn’t an option for her. Linda Carmon is one of three named plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the property owners at 100 and 101 78th St. which alleges that neighbors and the public have a right to use the path. The other plaintiffs are 107 78th Street Investments LLC and Minh N. Vu. The issue arose in late April when a long-used path to the beach at the end of the street was closed to public use without notice. Residents who had been using the path for beach access were met by no trespassing signs and an off-duty Holmes SEE 78TH ST, PAGE 40
French Country Terrine.
Anna Maria Island, Florida
The Aqua property is being developed along the Sarasota Bay shoreline. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
MANATEE COUNTY – Mangroves on the Aqua property along Sarasota Bay were recently trimmed in compliance with state-issued permits, but the trimming notification process was not fully compliant, according to a Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) report. “As you will read in this report, the mangroves appeared to be healthy and trimmed within the permit limits – i.e. mangrove height is greater than 12 feet, trimming did not result in more than 25% of the foliage being removed and trimming did not induce tree mortality,” FDEP Press Secretary Al-
exandra Kuchta wrote in a May 17 email to The Sun regarding the department’s investigation of mangrove trimming at the property. “However, no pre- or post-photographs or pre- or post-trimming notifications were provided to the department, which are required by the mangrove trimming plan,” Kuchta’s email stated. “DEP has requested this information from the company so we can complete our regulatory review.” Medallion Home is developing the Aqua property owned by Long Bar Pointe LLLP. The property is located in unincorporated Manatee County between El Conquistador Parkway and Sarasota Bay. Formerly known as Long Bar Pointe and Aqua by the Bay, the development includes numerous single-family homes and multi-unit residential buildings. SEE MANGROVE, PAGE 14
PREPARE FOR hurricane sea-
EAT LIKE A PARISIAN with
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FDEP releases Aqua mangrove trimming report
son with The Sun’s guide. 30-33 MEMORIAL DAY beach parking options, strategies. 3
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