NEWS

4THE SUN ISLAND NEWS

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SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

IN BRIEF

Pier cleanup next week

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Pepsi Stronger Together and Force Blue are hosting a marine debris cleanup at the Anna Maria City Pier on Thursday, Sept. 9 in celebration of the NFL season kickoff.

“We know what a treasure our marine ecosystems are and that it is so important to conserve them for future generations to enjoy,” FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said. “We believe partnerships like this can and will make a difference.”

Volunteers can get more information at https:// forceblueteam.org/volunteer-opportunities.

Bayfest is back and looking for sponsors

There still are sponsorship opportunities for the 20th Annual Bayfest celebration, which returns this year on Saturday, Oct. 16 to Pine Avenue in Anna Maria.

According to the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, the sponsorships are a great way to promote local business as well as raise money for Chamber scholarships and initiatives. They also are critical in helping to cover the rising costs of holding the annual festival.

Bayfest is easily the largest, most well-attended festival of the year, drawing tens of thousands to turn out for the live music, food and drinks, kids activities, arts and crafts and an antique car show featuring more than 100 classic muscle cars and hotrods. Contact the Chamber at annamariaislandchamber.org to become a sponsor.

JOE HENDRICKS | SUN Accompanied by his grandma, Dorothy Dumbaugh, 3-yearold Zachary Johnstone, of Sarasota, got a spelling game as his Christmas in August gift.

Moose Christmas in August

Bearing gifts for the youngsters, Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer made a summer stop at the Anna Maria Island Moose Lodge #2188 in Bradenton Beach Saturday morning. Their visit was part of the Moose lodge’s Christmas in August children’s event.

“We tried to do something different this year to keep things going and bring people back during the COVID situation. We’re just getting the families out and together and having a good time,” Moose Lodge administrator Byron Dalton said. The ponds at Piney Point, center, contain phosphate process water and other pollutants.

PROTECTINGFLORIDATOGETHER.GOV | SUBMITTED

Piney Point under new management

A receiver is appointed to take over Piney Point from owner HRK Holdings under the supervision of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

BY CINDY LANE

SUN STAFF WRITER | clane@amisun.com

PALMETTO – Piney Point is now under the management of an independent third-party receiver who will oversee the closure of the former phosphate plant, which has posed environmental problems for decades.

Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Edward Nicholas issued an emergency order on Aug. 25 appointing Herbert Donica, a business lawyer and partner of the Tampa-based Donica Law Firm, as receiver of the site at 13300 U.S. Hwy. 41 N. Under the order, Donica is responsible for maintaining, managing and closing Piney Point “as efficiently and expeditiously as possible.” The order grants Donica judicial immunity from liability, including personal injury and property damage.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) sued Piney Point owner HRK Holdings LLC last month requesting an emergency hearing to appoint a receiver. The emergency was the possibility that summer rains could overflow a storage pond containing water contaminated by phosphate processing, dredge material from Port Manatee and nitrogen and phosphorus, which act as fertilizer for toxic red tide.

Scientists have noted a link between red tide-related fish kills and respiratory irritation in and around Tampa Bay - including around Anna Maria Island – since FDEP approved the discharge of 215 million gallons of contaminated water into Tampa Bay in March and April to avoid the potential collapse of a compromised gypsum stack that contained more than twice that amount of polluted water.

FDEP officials have revised their estimate that Piney Point will get at least another 10 inches of rain by the end of September, saying in a release on Aug. 30 that 8 inches of rain is now expected. The current storage capacity for additional rainfall at the site is about 11 inches. Totals are changing with rainfall amounts and water management activities at the site, according to FDEP, which includes trucking water off site to the Manatee County Southeast Water Reclamation Facility to lower water levels. FDEP reports that 163 trucks have hauled 1,033,220 gallons of contaminated water offsite, leaving 259 million gallons as of Aug. 30.

The state agency also is working with a contractor to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from the water in case another discharge becomes necessary. Since the April discharge, the water has been treated to remove about 200 tons of nitrogen and 150 tons of phosphorus.

FDEP is a co-defendant with HRK Holdings LLC in a lawsuit filed on June 24 by five environmental groups, including ManaSota-88 and Sarasotabased Suncoast Waterkeeper, seeking to hold both responsible for negligence in managing the site. No hearing has yet been set in the case.

Anna Maria budget to include stormwater fee hike

The city plans to spend $1.3 million on stormwater and drainage projects and maintenance during the coming fiscal year.

BY JOE HENDRICKS

SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA – The Anna Maria mayor and city commission have concluded their preliminary planning discussions for the city’s proposed 2021-22 fiscal year budget.

The discussions concluded on Thursday, Aug. 26. The proposed budget will be finalized and adopted during public hearings on Thursday, Sept. 9 and Thursday, Sept. 23.

The 2021-22 budget is based on maintaining the current 2.05 millage rate. Due to increased property values, maintaining the current millage rate will generate about $2.96 million in ad valorem property taxes for the city in the coming fiscal year. That marks an increase of $358,582 compared to the $2.6 million in ad valorem tax revenues received during the current fiscal year.

The proposed budget presented by Mayor Dan Murphy projects the city will receive slightly more than $8.81 million in total revenue during the coming fiscal year – with an additional $2.21 million in additional fund balances, reserves and net assets.

Murphy said the city’s unallocated contingency funds are projected to total $695,415, and those unallocated can be used, if needed, throughout the new fiscal year.

STORMWATER FEE INCREASE

During Thursday’s budget meeting, the commission unanimously approved Murphy’s previously proposed stormwater fee increase. The approved increase will result in Anna Maria property owners paying an additional $1 for every 100 square feet of property they own. Commissioner Mark Short noted this will result in the owners of a 5,000 square foot lot seeing their annual stormwater fee increase by an additional $50.

The increase from $1 to $2 per 100 square feet of property will produce an estimated $164,000 in additional stormwater fee revenues to be used for drainage improvements and maintenance.

“It’s a tax increase, make no mistake about it,” Murphy said. “The plus side of that increase is it can only be used for stormwater. Stormwater truly is the biggest issue we have in this city. It’s a major cause of complaints and they’re all justified.”

Using a variety of funding sources, including grants, the city plans to spend about $998,000 on new stormwater and drainage projects in the coming fiscal year and an additional $331,000 for the maintenance of existing stormwater and drainage systems.

ANTICIPATED EXPENDITURES

The proposed budget projects slightly more than $11 million in total anticipated expenditures during the coming fiscal year.

As has been the case in recent years, when the new fiscal year begins, city employees will receive a 4% wage increase that consists of a 2% salary or hourly increase and a separate 2% lump sum payment to follow six months later.

Murphy expects the city to incur up to a 15% increase in insurance costs, but he noted City Clerk and Treasurer LeAnne Addy is looking at other insurance carriers in hopes of lowering those costs.

Using a variety of internal and external funding sources, Murphy estimated the city could have as much as $1.2 million to put toward the yet-to-be-determined safety and traffic flow improvements associated with the ongoing Reimagining Pine Avenue discussions.

The budget proposes spending approximately $780,000 on road and street paving in the coming fiscal year.

“It’s a lot more paving than we’ve ever done in the past,” Murphy said of that anticipated expenditure.

Murphy projects the city spending about $64,000 in the coming year to pay for utilities and maintenance expenses associated with the Mote Marine Educational Outreach Center, which will be installed at the end of the City Pier and operated mostly at Mote Marine’s expense.

Anticipated capital improvements expenditures include $250,000 to dredge the Lake La Vista jetty and canal, $75,000 for sea level rise planning, engineering and design services, $32,500 to install new hurricane windows at city hall and $50,000 for a survey of the city’s historical buildings and other historical resources.

Murphy said the city will pursue two funding appropriations from the Florida Legislature during the coming fiscal year. One appropriation would provide funds to develop a permanent solution that would alleviate the need for the city-funded dredging of Lake La Vista inlet every two or three years. A second appropriation will seek state funds to assist with the Reimagining Pine Avenue project.