The Islander Newspaper E-Edition: Wednesday, March. 20, 2024

Astheworldterns 6

RoadWatch 2

DOT hosts forum on Longboat Pass Bridge options. 3

Q&A 032024 3

BB to appoint commissioner. 4

1992 islander.org

St. Pat puts on a flash of green

1st responders gear up for AMI spring break

By robert anderson Islander reporter

Meetings 5 6

2024 elections 5

10-30 YEARS AGO

Looking back. 7

GoodDeeds 8

State asks cities about dissolution. 8

Vacation rental bill before DeSantis. 9

Save the date. 10-11

Manatee County’s public schools go on spring break the week that ends with the Easter holiday — traditionally the height of tourist season.

Warren

So first-responders are gearing up for one of the busiest weeks of the year on Anna Maria Island.

Randy Warren, public information officer for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, said March 14 that deputies will be joined by a special response team and mounted patrols on the beaches.

Happenings

What’s up on aMI? 10-11

Kindergarten signup. 13

Gathering. 14

Also, MCSO motorcycle units will conduct speed enforcement on the island and its access points and marine patrol boats will be on the water in numbers greater than usual, Warren said.

“You will see added police presence, from the sheriff’s office and from the other local law enforcement agencies,” he said. “We all work together, and we all want to keep the island as enjoyable as possible.”

The MCSO is coordinating for the holiday week with Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach police departments, as well as boosting its regular MCSO patrols in Anna Maria.

churches plan for holy Week.

Obituaries 15

Spring events in pics.16

Players perform ‘communicating Doors.’ 17

Cops & Courts 18-19

champs crowned in youth football. 20

March fishing fluctuates with temps. 21

Whale’s tale. 22

NYT puzzle 22

CLASSIFIEDS. 24-25

Isl Biz: 26

Find The Islander archive dating to 1992 at ufdc.ufl.edu.

Whale dies at Venice Beach, 50 years ago a whale died at AMI a sperm whale off Venice Beach. The emaciated whale was discovered March 10. a multi-organization team responded for a rescue, but the whale did not survive. after a necropsy, the whale was towed into the Gulf of Mexico. “The hard work to bring the whale ashore to thoroughly examine and collect valuable biological information is vital to providing both a better understanding of and protection to this species that inhabits the Gulf of Mexico,” said Blair Mase, marine mammal stranding coordinator in the Southeast region for the National Oceanic and atmospheric administration. See more pics and whale stories, pages 22 and 23. Islander Photo:

a sperm whale strands on the aMI bayside in 1974. In “anna Maria Island 19401970,” the late historian carolyne Norwood wrote, “as the whale lay on its side, hardly moving in the water, its big eye seemed to be watching…” Islander Photo: Don Moore/courtesy

The Best News on anna Maria Island Since

TUrN TO SPRING BREAK, PaGE 2

Jacob Merrifield

aMIhS

The rowlett Middle academy Band brings the Irish spirit to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17.

Islander Photos: robert anderson

The anna Maria Island Privateers show off their green at the lead of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade from holmes Beach to anna Maria. More pics, page 12.

Longboat

12,

of Longboat Key, 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. Islander

RoadWatch

Eyes on the road

• Gulf Drive in Bradenton Beach : Manatee County is working on sewer lines along Gulf Drive South. Motorists can expect lane shifts on Gulf Drive and the closures of some side streets. Final paving of Ninth Street South and 10th Street South will begin the week of March 25. Construction on Seventh Street South is the week beginning March 18. For the latest, go to amiprojects.io.

In Bradenton Beach, police Chief John Cosby said March 13 that extra officers will be in place, especially over the holiday weekend.

• City center in Holmes Beach: Manatee County’s work on a force main project in the area of Holmes Boulevard, Marina Drive and side streets continues but is expected to wind up this spring. For the latest, go to amiprojects.io.

• Marina Drive in Holmes Beach: Work on sidewalks might require the closure of shoulders. For area information, go online to swflroads.com or dial 511

— Lisa Neff

The chief expressed concern about parking, as a county construction project has reduced the public parking lot at Cortez Beach by half.

However, a completed project at Coquina Beach created 100 spaces that were not available during last spring break.

“Even though there are a lot of spaces, it’s just the time of year that so many people come here, it’s impossible to accommodate them all,” Cosby said.

HBPD Chief Bill Tokajer said March 13 that license plate readers recorded more than 36,000 cars a day entering the city for the past seven days.

Still, Tokajer said beach parking was available.

“I was out the past two weekends monitoring the activity and the parking out there and we had hundreds

of available parking spaces,” he said, adding that a map of public spaces can be found on the city website, holmesbeachfl.org.

“We are going to have extra patrols out,” Tokajer said of the holiday week. “We are monitoring the traffic movement and monitoring parking. We are going to do like we do every year and keep it a family-friendly atmosphere.”

Tokajer said traffic will start early March 31 for the Easter service at Manatee Public Beach.

“There will be Easter sunrise service and we will give people grace for parking. If they are in a ‘no parking’ zone and they are at the beach for the service, we don’t write them a ticket,” he said.

Owners of those vehicles will have 30 minutes after the service to move them before HBPD starts ticketing.

“Use common sense and pack your patience. There’s going to be a lot of people out here on the beach,” Tokajer said.

As of press time March 18, Manatee County Beach Patrol officials did not respond to a March 13 call from The Islander.

The

Pass Bridge March

looking southeast from coquina Beach. The DOT welcomed the public to a bridge alternatives workshop March 14 at christ church

Photo: robert anderson

cosby Tokajer

DOT hosts forum, presents options for Longboat Pass Bridge

By robert anderson Islander reporter

People gathered at Christ Church of Longboat Key March 14 for a Florida Department of Transportation workshop on options for traversing Longboat Pass.

The meeting provided a platform for people to voice their opinions and concerns about three proposed replacement alternatives and a “no build” option for the Longboat Pass Bridge on State Road 789.

DOT program managers, consultants and elected officials engaged with people in the open forum.

The bridge, built in 1957 and repaired in 2005 and 2020, faces functional obsolescence and needs either replacement or rehab, according to the DOT.

The state proposes three new options for the 17-foot clearance bridge: a 23-foot drawbridge, a 35-foot drawbridge and a 78-foot-high fixed bridge.

All the new bridge designs have the same dimensions for travel lanes, shoulders and shared-use pathways that nearly double the bridge’s width from 37 feet, 5 inches to 76 feet, 8 inches.

Also in the review is a “no build” option.

However, many meeting attendees expressed the need for a new bridge.

Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier spoke to The Islander during the meeting: “Our local residents are not bashful about letting us know how they feel about things. We’ve got a good turnout here. People are active and interested.”

“It’s pretty clear that the bridge is about to outlive its lifespan,” Schneier added. “When I was first looking at the alternatives I gravitated to a new drawbridge.”

He said that due to the bridge’s role as an access to the Gulf of Mexico, a fixed span must be a 78-foothigh bridge.

Village resident Priscilla Von Ahnen quipped, “I am kind of anti-progress.” She was initially against a new bridge but said viewing the renderings helped to change her mind.

“The big one still looks too big, but I might go with the 36-foot version,” she said.

Longboat Commissioner BJ Bishop, however, is

ready to go high.

“If we are going to do this, we might as well go with the third (alternative), the 78-foot bridge,” Bishop said.

The high fixed-bridge design would eliminate the need for a drawbridge and its maintenance.

Consultant Bryan Brantley said construction for a new bridge would be to the west of the existing bridge, so traffic would continue to flow.

However, a new bridge would pass over wetlands at Beer Can Island lagoon, requiring mangrove mitigation.

Planner Abra Horne and project manager Patrick Bateman said the DOT five-year work program provides funding for the project development and environment study and design phases, but not construction.

The DOT will collect public comments until March 25 and present its preferred option next spring.

For more information, contact Patrick Bateman at 863-519-2792 or email patrick.bateman@dot.state. fl.us.

032024

By Lisa Neff

The Islander poll

Last week’s question

a judge ordered the removal of a treehouse built without a permit on the beachfront in holmes Beach. have you seen it?

56%. Yes, many times.

18%. Checked it out.

5%. Plan to get there before it’s gone.

22%. No, where is it?

This week’s question

a total solar eclipse is april 8. Will you observe?

A. Yes, traveling into the path of totality.

B. Yes, will see the local partial eclipse.

C. Kind of, will follow news coverage.

D. No, will just wait 20 years for the next one. To answer the poll, go online to islander.org.

Bryan Brantley of Scaler consulting Group explains proposed bridge designs to Longboat Key residents Lucia Uihlein, left, and Meridee Duddleston during a March 14 DOT workshop.

Islander Photo: robert anderson

BB prepares to select from 2 for new Ward 1 commissioner

By robert anderson Islander reporter

It’s time to fill the seat.

The deadline for applications to fill a Bradenton Beach city commission seat closed March 13.

Commissioners are expected to make their nominations to fill the Ward 1 seat during a March 21 meeting at city hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.

Bradenton Beach businessperson Jake Spooner vacated the seat in December 2023.

Spooner had served as commissioner from 2015 and was reelected without opposition in 2023. He cited the state’s newly expanded financial disclosure requirement as the reason for his resignation.

Applicants for the seat include:

• Debbie Scaccianoce, co-owner of Double Deez Chicago Style Hot Dogs, 3009 Gulf Drive N., Holmes Beach, and previously a records manager for Manatee County.

Scaccianoce, who has been a resident of Bradenton Beach for 11 years, spoke with The Islander March 16 about her desire to become a commissioner.

She said her family has a history of public service in Bradenton Beach.

“I kind of consider Bradenton Beach to be a family legacy. My family has had a presence on the island for over 45 years,” Scaccianoce said.

• Gary Michniewicz, originally from Chicago, bought a residence in Bradenton Beach in 2007 and moved permanently to the city in 2020.

Michniewicz Scaccianoce

She said her father was part of the city planning board in the early 1980s and her brother, Sam Speciale, served as police chief for 35 years.

“My family has lived in Ward 1 for over 45 years and I’ve always been interested in politics,” Scaccianoce said. “I’ve worked in government for over 37 years in my career and so that’s why I threw my hat in the ring.”

Scaccianoce said she has a unique perspective to bring to the commission as a resident who is a small business owner.

She said she enjoys relationship-building with the community.

“I love talking to people, the interaction I have with people,” she said. “ It’s a very close-knit community and I like that.”

He retired to Anna Maria Island from his position as a division director for Speedway LLC and is a former board member for the Knights of Columbus’ juvenile diabetes initiative in 2022.

“I have no ties to any businesses or anything. I just want to do good for the community,” Michniewicz told The Islander March 15.

He also said, “Leaders for a community have to deliver results for the community, take care of what’s occurring today and figure out what’s it going to look like 10, 20, 30 years down the road.”

The city charter states that if a majority decision on an appointment is not reached by the commission after two meetings, the city clerk will choose a successor by lot from the proposed nominees.

Commissioners receive a stipend of $400 a month.

The term will end in November 2025.

The commission meeting will be at noon Thursday, March 21, at city hall,107 Gulf Drive N.

Holmes Beach water committee spreads message

By ryan Paice Islander reporter

The city of Holmes Beach’s Clean Water Committee wants to remind people: improving and protecting water quality is a bipartisan issue.

The week of March 11 was busy for the CWC, beginning with a discussion with the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and ending with a presentation to the ManaSota League of Cities.

The CWC was established in 2021 to act as an advisory board for the city commission and focus on community activity, philanthropy and government action to improve water quality in the bays and Gulf of Mexico in the area.

The board met March 13 and invited BACVB executive director Elliott Falcione, but communications manager Keenan Singleton attended the meeting in his stead.

Singleton said Manatee County has heard the city’s concerns about water quality and is making an effort to improve the situation through initiatives such as the Love It Like A Local campaign and the Gulf Islands Ferry program.

He said the LTLAL campaign partnered with Colorado-based Leave No Trace to educate visitors about how to reduce their impact on the environment.

Adding to that, the GIF program has had a “major impact” by removing about 150 vehicles per day from

island roadways during its early days of operation, which the county plans to expand to five days a week, Wednesday-Sunday, according to Singleton.

Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer wrote in a March 16 text message to The Islander that the city’s license plate recognition system counted more than 36,000 vehicles entering and exiting the municipality every day over the past week.

“I want you guys to know that we are doing our part … to make sure that we are leaving our area not only as good as it currently is, but try to make it better,” Singleton said.

Nevertheless, CWC members called for additional support.

Coquina Beach Market

OPEN Wednesday, Mar 13th & 20th, Friday, Mar 22nd & Sunday, Mar 24th

OPEN Wednesday, March 20

10AM - 4PM

Friday, March 22 & Sunday, March 24 10 AM-4 PM

CLOSED Fri Mar 15th; Sun Mar 17th

Check our Face Book page for the daily vendor roster, weather cancellations or marked closure days.

www.coquinabeachmarket.org 941 -840-0789

https://www.facebook.com/CoquinaBeachMarket

Music 11AM - 2PM

Mike Sales on Wednesday

Chuck Davis on Friday

Zack Pomerleau (Sun 3/24)

CWC Chair Ron Huibers said the county distributes its bed tax revenue unfairly and has denied tourism funding to the city for work that would improve local water quality, such as money for a stormwater infiltration project along Gulf Drive.

Commission Chair Terry Schaefer, who was attending as CWC liaison, said the city contributed more than $40 million in resort tax funding to the county over recent years but has received less than $150,000 in tourism funding.

CWC member Marty Hicks argued that improving and protecting water quality is a tourism expense, since the island’s main draw is its beaches, and called for more county funding for the city moving forward.

Singleton said he agreed about the importance of island water quality and would relay their messages to Falcione.

Huibers and Schaefer also attended a March 14 ManaSota League of Cities meeting to introduce the CWC to Manatee and Sarasota officials.

At the meeting, Huibers made a presentation detailing the board and its mission to improve and protect local waters, its work and communications, current issues, as well as its goals for mitigating them.

Schaefer told The Islander March 14 that the presentation went “extremely well” and generated several questions and comments from the ManaSota League of Cities members.

“My impression was that the members … were very impressed with what they learned,” Schaefer said. “One even suggested that we make a presentation at the annual (statewide) League of Cities conference this August.”

“I feel real good about the presentation and the messages we were able to deliver today,” he added.

“There was some good dialogue. … We continue to move the needle,” Huibers told The Islander March 14. “The nice thing about focusing on water, with all the political turmoil we have, is that it’s a bipartisan issue. It doesn’t mean politics and it’s something we can all rally behind.”

The CWC will meet next at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 10, at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive.

Mike Pritchett, right, is sworn to serve March 13 by city clerk Stacey Johnston, left, on city’s clean water committee. Islander

Photo: ryan Paice

Anna Maria charter review nears completion

By ryan Paice

Islander reporter

Anna Maria’s Charter Review Committee is close to finishing its review.

CRC members scanned the rest of the city charter — from Article III, Legislative, Sec. 3.11, to Article IX, Charter Review, Sec. 9.05 — March 8 and created a list of potential changes.

That list includes:

• Revising Sec. 3.08, Procedure, to require special meetings to be called by the mayor, city commission chair or a majority of commissioners, instead of allowing any commissioner to call a meeting;

• Revising Sec. 3.09, Action requiring an ordinance, to require a supermajority vote by city commissioners and/or a voter referendum to convey and lease city-owned property;

• Rewording Sec. 4.02, Mayor: Qualifications, term of office, compensation, to better define residency;

• General cleanup of grammatical errors and elimination of unnecessarily gendered language throughout the document;

• Potential prohibition on structures higher than three stories tall;

• Adding a formal definition for “officer.”

The city must review the charter every five years by appointing a board of volunteers to comb through the document and present potential amendments to city commissioners for approval.

Amendments are added to general election ballots as initiatives, so approval falls to the electorate.

The city’s last charter review was in 2019.

This year’s CRC consists of Chris Arendt, Stevie Coppin, Scott Isherwood, Pat Olesen and Chuck Wolfe.

The board also met Feb. 2 and Feb. 23.

The CRC’s March 8 meeting was the first Mayor Dan Murphy could attend, and they sought his input on some of their questions.

The board has explored increasing mayoral term lengths to improve continuity for elected officials and change an “onerous” two-year election cycle.

When asked for his opinion, Murphy said he preferred keeping the two-year term lengths since it allowed the electorate to seek more timely changes if

voters are unhappy with their elected mayor.

“Every two years, I knew I had to come up and face the music,” he said.

CRC members agreed to keep the two-year terms.

Next, the board asked Murphy his thoughts on shrinking the city commission from five to three members due to the city’s struggles with attracting and retaining city officials.

Murphy said the commission was best with five members since the board needs a diversity of opinions, experience and input to make informed and thoroughly thought-out decisions.

The CRC tabled that idea as well.

The board also asked Murphy about the municipality’s governmental structure and the mayor’s current role as city manager.

Murphy said the city did not need a manager when the mayor was on-site and available. He added that he could go before the city commission to hire a city manager if it was necessary.

In order to ensure the city has an on-site mayor, CRC members proposed potential changes to the mayoral requirements for residency.

Mayoral candidates are currently required to list an Anna Maria property as their primary residence for at least two years.

However, Wolfe noted that people could declare a property as their primary residence without living there a majority of the time, which could impact a mayor’s ability to serve as the city’s on-site manager.

City attorney Becky Vose said via speakerphone that she would look into potential changes for mayoral residency requirements to address the CRC’s concerns.

Murphy thanked committee members for their efforts reviewing the city charter and praised their diligence throughout the process.

While a list has been created, the CRC must vote to finalize its proposed changes before they go to the city commissioners for consideration.

The CRC will vote to finalize its proposed changes during its next meeting at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 21, at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive.

BB to review paid parking applications for vacant lots

Bradenton Beach commissioners will review applications March 21 to permit the use of residential and commercial properties for paid parking.

Commissioners will review permitting for 301 Gulf Drive S., zoned commercial and owned by Why Knot AMI LLC, with George and Wendy Kokolis as title managers.

Applications also are filed for paid parking at 102 Third St. N., 207 Church Ave. and 206 Bay Drive

looking to shop and dine, seeking indoor and outdoor fun, and a place to stay for their next visit. For ad info, call or text 941778-7978.

N., all zoned residential, and 205 First Street N., zoned commercial. All the properties are owned by developer Shawn Kaleta and administered by Beach to Bay LLC.

Also under review is an application for paid parking at 109 Third Street N., zoned residential and owned by Ed Chiles.

The commission meeting will be at noon, Thursday, March 21, at city hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.

Election 2024

GOP presidential preference voting March 19

Florida Republicans were heading to the polls Tuesday, March 19, after The Islander went to press.

The state was holding a presidential preference primary for the GOP presidential nomination.

Polling was to be 7 a.m.-7 p.m., with results expected in the early evening.

Anna Maria voters were to cast ballots at Roser Church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria.

Holmes Beach voters were to cast ballots at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive.

Bradenton Beach voters were to cast ballots at the old fire hall, 201 Second St. N.

For more information, go to votemanatee.com.

On the calendar

• Wednesday, March 20, 6 p.m., Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse town hall, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, Holmes Beach.

• June 3-14, candidate qualifying in Anna Maria.

• June 10-14, candidate qualifying in Bradenton Beach.

• June 10-14, candidate qualifying in Holmes Beach.

• Tuesday, Aug. 20, primary election.

• Tuesday, Nov. 5, general election.

— Lisa Neff

Meetings

By Lisa Neff

ANNA MARIA CITY

March 28, 6 p.m., commission.

City hall, 10005 Gulf Drive, 941-708-6130, cityofannamaria. com.

BRADENTON BEACH

March 20, 1 p.m., ScenicWAVES.

March 21, noon, commission.

City hall, 107 Gulf Drive N., 941-778-1005, cityofbradentonbeach.com.

HOLMES BEACH

March 26, 2 p.m., commission.

City hall, 5801 Marina Drive, 941-708-5800, holmesbeachfl. org.

MANATEE COUNTY

March 21, 9 a.m., commission (land use).

Administration building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton, 941-748-4501, mymanatee.org.

ALSO OF INTEREST

March 25, 9:30 a.m., Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, Holiday Inn Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, 8009 15th St. E, Sarasota.

March 29 is Good Friday, a Christian holiday. Many government offices will be closed.

Murphy

Yes, there’s traffic

We’re on the roller coaster of tourist season, heading to the crest for the big rush, free fall and thrill of the ride.

So, no, we don’t want to hear about traffic, lines at restaurants or the cost of a burger in New York City. We live here. At least some of us do. We know it’s hard to get around. We know about the construction projects that are tangling traffic and keeping visitors from reaching their destination on time.

We know to leave an hour earlier than the usual early departure for work and appointments. We know the traffic apps are wrong and even a short trip will take twice as long as predicted.

We know not to eat the oysters!

Wait. You do know, don’t you, that you can’t harvest and eat oysters from the local waters?

The harvest of any shellfish species is prohibited year-round in waters not meeting approved or conditionally approved classification, including any unclassified waters.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the harvest of wild oysters in Sarasota Bay is closed year-round.

Some parts of Lower Tampa Bay are open to aquaculture — farming —and some public reefs are conditionally open, but open harvest is prohibited.

So while having an adult beverage and a bite to eat at the tiki bar at Floriday’s restaurant on Perico Island, which is on Anna Maria Sound in south Tampa Bay, imagine my surprise on seeing two fellows with plastic buckets, plucking, sorting and taking shellfish from the edges of a large oyster bar that runs nearshore across the restaurant waterfront and Safe Harbor Marina.

First, I can’t imagine those oysters, subject to filtering daily fuel and oil emissions from the many rental boats at the marina, would be even remotely “tasty,” but those oyster shuckers should know they could be putting their health at risk.

I made a call to the FWC hotline, but knowing the shortage of officers on the water, there was not much hope they would arrive in time to intervene and, indeed, the two harvesters left with their bounty.

They were probably at home the second day — and I looked — putting lime in their coconuts, hoping to cure their belly aches.

Well, I guess there’s plenty for folks to learn about living here. Some people, more than others.

Like how to live in three-quarter time.

So bear with us on tourist season, don’t harvest the oysters, and enjoy all the best Anna Maria Island has to offer whether for a day or a lifetime.

— Bonner Joy, news@islander.org

Predicting headlines

In 2024: “AMI parking garage — really needed?” and “AMI parking garage — county budget bust.”

In 2025: “Parking garage construction delays add to county budget woes” and “Parking garage construction creates huge traffic delays.”

In 2026: “Parking garage plagued by delays.”

Political pollution

There is someone coming to the Manatee Public Beach every day displaying political signs.

Political signs have no business being on the beautiful Manatee Public Beach.

That beach is the reason we have been coming to Anna Maria Island every winter for the last 19 years. Gorgeous sunsets, walks on the beach and so much more.

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MARCH 20, 2024 • Vol. 32, No. 22

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In 2027: “Longer traffic lines discourage travel to AMI” and “Police, social services called in to address homeless issues in garage.”

It’s easy to see the headlines above and others become a reality.

We get to escape for just a little while all the problems in the world. To have the beach’s tranquility ruined with signs is wrong.

The proposed parking garage at Manatee Public Beach will be a financial failure, a tax burden and an eyesore. A parking garage will be a visual reminder of the incompetence of the elected officials who support the structure.

So, to those who support the garage, we suggest you distance yourselves from the project while you can. The voters will make Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, state Rep. Will Robinson Jr. and state Sen. Jim Boyd suffer all the blame for the garage failure.

Let them take the political hit to their careers, not yours.

Withdraw your support for the parking garage and initiate support for the smart solution documented in the recommendations of the 2020 Florida Department of Transportation and 2015 ULI studies.

Redirect garage funding to expanding transit service to AMI from off-island park-and-ride areas in dedicated express traffic lanes on the new bridges,

Be the leaders of the smart shuttle solution that coordinates with new bridge construction, increases access to the island and reduces traffic, while preserving the old Florida character of AMI.

Mark Hebden, Holmes Beach

Catherine Schultz, Holmes Beach

Editor’s note: Holmes Beach code compliance supervisor JT Thomas ordered the signs removed within 30 minutes after documenting them. See related photo, page 19.

Off the eco track

Re: The Manatee County multipurpose trail at Coquina Beach. Anyone who thinks it’s a good thing to destroy decades’ old trees that supported wildlife, including a bat colony, ospreys, etc. and not to mention precious shade, has the same number of brain cells as the person who recommended its destruction!

All for an important and highly needed asphalt human racetrack.

Shameful!

Rand Lance, Cortez

Beach days

People venture into the water at the Manatee Public Beach in holmes Beach. The photo is not dated. Islander Photos: courtesy Manatee county Public Library System

a crowd gathers at the Manatee Public Beach in holmes Beach in the early 1990s. The beach is one of two countymaintained beaches where lifeguards are on watch during the day. The other is coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach.

a photographer looks east at the Manatee Public Beach in holmes Beach from the end of a pier structure in the Gulf of Mexico, capturing the beach scene in the early 1990s.

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10, 20, 30 years ago

From the March 17, 1994, issue

• Anna Maria Mayor Ray Simches received an OK from the Island Transportation Planning Organization to seek a grant to design a walkingbiking path to run the length of the island. “We have a recreational problem on the island,” the mayor said. “I’d like to see us get better recreational use of our roads.”

• The state was to host a workshop on AMI to address regulations regarding collecting shells. Anna Maria officials called in the state after receiving complaints about beachgoers taking live sand dollars, a flat burrowing sea urchin found in local waters.

From the March 17, 2004, issue

• The Manatee County School Board unanimously voted not to renew the Island Middle School charter for 2004-05.

• Randy Wells of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and Cortez resident Steve Fulford rescued a dolphin off the Anna Maria Island coast that became entangled in monofilament fishing line.

From the March 19, 2014, issue

• Holmes Beach police arrested a man after he allegedly stabbed a woman multiple times because she had an intimate relationship with their roommate.

• Almost six months into the 2013-14 fiscal year budget, the city of Bradenton Beach was facing a $400,000 shortfall.

• Anna Maria commissioners informally agreed to proceed with the idea of placing payment kiosks for some public parking.

— Lisa Neff

OPPAGA asks island cities for ‘more,’ including dissolution

By ryan Paice Islander reporter

The cat’s out of the bag.

And the state wants to know what the mice think of it.

The Florida Office of Program Policy and Government Accountability recently sent follow-up requests to the three island cities to ask for additional information, including the cities’ positions on their potential dissolution.

OPPAGA is a research arm of the Florida Legislature that supports the Legislature by providing data, research and analysis that assist legislative budget and policy deliberations.

It was tasked last fall with performing a study into the potential consolidation of the island cities.

The study was proposed by Rep. Will Robinson Jr., R-Bradenton, and unanimously backed by the Manatee County legislative delegation.

OPPAGA began the study last November by sending requests to the island cities for information and documentation from the last five fiscal years.

It also asked for narrative responses on the benefits and challenges of three possibilities for the island municipalities’ futures, including:

• All three cities are consolidated into one new city on the island;

• All three cities are incorporated into the city of

Suds after session

The Manatee Chamber of Commerce will host Pints & Politics at the restaurant Oscura, 816 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton.

The annual event will be 5-7 p.m.

The chamber organizes the post-session event so attendees can hear from state lawmakers about business-related matters handled by the Legislature, according to a chamber’s news release.

The chamber invited Republican Sens. Jim Boyd and Joe Gruters and Republican Reps. Mike Beltran, Will Robinson, Tommy Gregory, Fiona McFarland, James Buchanan and Michael Grant.

Tickets cost $40-$55 per person, including a beverage, or $225 for four.

To register, go to manateechamber.com.

For more information, contact Nzinga Barnette at 941-748-4842, ext. 235, or email nzingab@ manateechamber.com.

GoodDeeds

By Lisa Neff

Assistance sought on AMI

• The Islander seeks donations on behalf of Holmes Beach Commissioner Pat Morton, injured when struck by a truck while walking to his workplace. Information: “Please help — Unexpected Medical and Care Costs” on gofundme.com.

• The Anna Maria Island Historical Society, 402 Pine Ave., Anna Maria, seeks volunteer docents and bakers. Info: 941-778-0492, amihs.org.

• The Friends of the Island Library welcomes members to support the island branch, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Info: 941-778-6341, friendsoftheislandlibrary.org.

• Wildlife Inc. rescue and rehabilitation in Bradenton Beach seeks help tending to injured animals. Info: 941-778-6342.

• Roser Food Bank seeks donations. Roser Memorial Community Church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria, administers the pantry supported by All Island Denominations. Info: 941-778-0414.

Assistance offered on AMI

• Roser Food Bank welcomes applicants who live, work or attend school on Anna Maria Island for food assistance, Roser Church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria. Info: 941-778-0414.

• AID offers financial help to those who live on the island, go to church on the island, attend school on the island and work on the island. Info: 941-725-2433.

— Lisa Neff

To list services on AMI or a call for help, email lisa@islander.org with details.

Bradenton;

• All three cities remain incorporated municipalities on the island and work to consolidate existing services where that makes sense.

OPPAGA also asked the city of Bradenton for information about a month later and that request had a few changes from the island queries.

Most notably, the request sent to Bradenton asked for narrative responses to a fourth possibility for the island municipalities: dissolution.

Option 4 under Question 11 in the Dec. 15, 2023, Bradenton request states, “All three cities on Anna Maria Island are dissolved and the island becomes part of the unincorporated areas of Manatee County.”

Bradenton responded to OPPAGA’s information request with extensive documentation but did not provide narrative responses to questions 10 and 11.

According to records requested by The Islander, city administrator Rob Perry scheduled a Jan. 30, 2023, teleconference meeting with OPPAGA senior legislative analyst Michelle Chandrasekhar to discuss the unanswered questions.

There is neither a recording of that meeting nor minutes of its content.

Perry told The Islander March 15 that they had a “fairly brief” and “general” discussion in which they explored “redundancies, shared services, economies of scale and operational efficiencies.”

However, Perry said he would not speak to the city’s responses to questions 10 and 11 of OPPAGA’s information request. He said the questions involved a legislative matter that the city takes no position on.

Nevertheless, he said he did not believe the city provided the state with an incomplete response.

“We responded the best we could with the information available and with the information requested,” Perry said.

Follow-up requests

The second wave of OPPAGA requests contained some differences among the cities.

OPPAGA’s March 5 follow-up to the city of Anna Maria asked the city nine questions and requested the municipality respond by March 15.

On the other hand, a March 6 request to the city of

Holmes Beach posed 11 questions and asked the city to provide responses by 3 p.m. Friday, March 22.

Many of the questions are the same, as all nine questions Anna Maria received also went to Holmes Beach.

The last question on both requests asks the cities to list known or potential benefits and challenges of dissolving the island cities into unincorporated Manatee County.

The survey states, “Please provide information on the following option for consolidation (Option 4): All three cities on Anna Maria Island become part of unincorporated Manatee County.”

Another question posed to both cities asks, “What is the status of projects to improve intra-island transportation? Is this unique to (island city) or part of a collaborative effort with all 3 island cities? Are there any additional plans or projects underway related to decreasing the use of cars on the island?”

The requests also ask both cities for additional employment, funding and performance information, as well as for the municipalities to detail contracted activities and capital improvement projects benefitting the cities.

Holmes Beach’s two exclusive questions involve follow-ups to the city’s responses to OPPAGA’s initial request.

One of the questions asks the city to provide its methodology for determining the municipality’s projected need for increases in police department staff and funding.

OPPAGA also asks the city to provide an emergency management plan.

Anna Maria Commission Chair Mark Short, who was on a March 5 conference call with the mayor and OPPAGA to discuss the follow-up questions, said March 14 that the city was on track to provide responses by OPPAGA’s March 15 deadline.

The Islander submitted a March 15 records request for Anna Maria’s responses, but the request was unfilled before the press deadline.

The city of Bradenton Beach did not fulfill a March 15 records request from The Islander for the OPPAGA follow-up information request it received before the press deadline.

Privateers salute Sandpiper on ‘Island Cruise’

Becky Ernst, Kevin “crash” avelone, Terry “cookie” rapert, Valerie “Dallas” Mabry, Maryann “MaZ” Zyla, Polly Frazer and Terry “The colonel” Kilpatrick show off a $4,000 donation from Sandpiper resort toward the anna Maria Island Privateers’ scholarship fund. The check was presented March 10 outside the anchor Inn and Deeble Deez chicago Style hot Dogs in holmes Beach. Islander

Privateers and residents of Bradenton Beach’s Sandpiper resort gather outside the anchor Inn during the SandpiperPrivateers’ Island cruise, which was March 10 and included other stops on aMI.

Photos: courtesy Valery “Dallas” Mabry

Island officials make last appeal on rental preemption bill

By ryan Paice Islander reporter

Senate Bill 280 could spell the end for the island cities’ local vacation rental regulations.

But the cities of Anna Maria and Holmes Beach are not going out quietly.

Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy announced March 14 that he was set to meet in the next week with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who will have the final say on whether SB 280 — which would preempt rental regulations to the state — becomes law.

SB 280, “Vacation Rentals,” was filed last November by Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-St. Petersburg, and an amended version passed through the state legislature as the session ended March 8.

The bill would preempt to the state vacation rental regulations adopted before June 1, 2011, and establish statewide definitions and rules for vacation rental activity.

That would include the implementation of statewide maximum overnight occupancy limits, which would be two people in one common area, plus two people per bedroom — or more if there is at least 50 square feet per person.

SB 280 also would cap fines for rental violations at $500 and, in Anna Maria, direct appeals to the courts instead of special magistrate hearings.

As of March 15, the bill had yet to be presented to the governor, who will have 15 days following its presentation to sign or veto the legislation.

The legislation will automatically pass if DeSantis takes no action, so his veto is needed to kill the bill.

Murphy said the city’s lobbyist, Tallahassee-based Corcoran Partners, scheduled his meeting with the governor.

Murphy said he plans to express to the governor his concerns about SB 280, such as how the bill would implement “virtually unenforceable” occupancy and how the state’s enforcement staff would be inadequate to enforce rental violations across the state.

“It’s not fair. … This is something that could change the whole complexion of this city. This is something that could be really devastating to us,” Murphy said. “Our hands are really tied.”

“This is something that has to be taken care of. I’ll

give it my best shot,” he added.

anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy tells commissioners March 14 about a meeting he has planned with Gov. ron DeSantis. Islander Photo: ryan Paice

appropriation” to fund those activities.

Mayor Judy Titsworth presented the letter, which was not included on the meeting agenda, during mayor’s comments.

After the discussion, city commissioners reached consensus to approve it and send it to the governor’s office without revisions.

AM hikes rental registration fees

By ryan Paice Islander reporter

Despite preemptive state legislation on the horizon, the city of Anna Maria is increasing registration fees for vacation rentals in the municipality.

City commissioners unanimously voted March 14 to adopt a resolution establishing vacation rental registration fees for 2024-25.

“Godspeed,” Commissioner Jonathan Crane said.

In the meantime, Holmes Beach city commissioners unanimously voted March 12 to approve a letter drafted by city attorney Erica Augello to DeSantis requesting he veto SB 280.

The letter states, “Our community does not support this bill and is concerned about the effects its passage will have, not just on our citizens, but also the business owners and visitors of the City of Holmes Beach.”

The city argues in the letter that local regulations have been effective in addressing vacation rental activity in the city for more than a decade.

“While SB 280 on its face appears to give local governments the ability to implement vacation rental registrations, it puts severe limits on the scope of that regulation to the extent that implementing and enforcing the regulations will be at great expense to the taxpayers, with little to no hope of compliance,” the letter states.

According to the letter, the law would limit governments’ ability to recoup the cost of enforcing rental violations, while providing an “avenue for property owners to openly violate those laws to their advantage.”

Additionally, the city argues that the “understaffed and underfunded” Florida Division of Business and Professional Regulation would be tasked with enforcing rental regulations despite a “limited and meager

The city’s rental registration fees are based on maximum allowed occupancy.

Each property begins with a base occupancy of two people, plus another two people per bedroom, resulting in a minimum occupancy of four people.

Under the newly adopted registration fees, vacation rental owners will be charged $93.92 per allowed occupant — an 11.5% increase over last year’s $84.17 registration fee.

The fees are prorated to cover the cost of enforcing the VRO, as well as inspections and lobbying costs associated with short-term rentals.

A vacation rental property with one bedroom has an occupancy of four and a fee of $375.68 for 2024-25. A property with the same occupancy would have paid $336.68 for 2023-24.

Mayor Dan Murphy said the city’s highest occupancy vacation rental could have up to 22 occupants as a result of a property right’s claim against the city.

The owner/manager of that property will have to pay $2,066.24 this year.

There were 736 vacation rentals registered in the city as of March 18, according to city clerk LeAnne Addy, compared to 734 registered vacation rentals through February 2023.

Vacation rental owners must register their properties by applying and paying the registration fee by 4 p.m. Saturday, April 1.

Tiki & Kitty’s

Tiki and Kitty are leading the way to their favorite shops and boutiques for a spring fling.

We’ll definitely make a stop at Blue Flamingo, home to hip and trendy upcycled and repurposed goods, furniture and decor, garden features, candles, jewelry and work by local artisans. They also offer Dixie Belle paints.

We promise you will find treasures aplenty.

T&K love Cat’s Meow, an 8,000 square-foot marketplace! Their vendors offer coastal, cottage, beach, antique, boho, mid-century modern and other home decor styles. They also offer vintage to fine jewelry and vintage albums.

You may want to lace up your skates, as this large, former skating rink has plenty to offer bargain, antique, unique hunters. You don’t want to miss this vast collection of vendors.

Blessed and Distressed is a tastefully designed store — so inviting, you’ll want to pull up a chair

Miss us? WE MISS YOU AMI!

Stop by at our other locations:

Scavengers Marketplace SRQ

Scavengers Palmetto

— with collectibles and work

at Palma Sola Square, around the corner from Winn-Dixie. It offers

shabby chic and artsy

You won’t be disappointed.

Scavengers Marketplace has plenty of vendors to capture your wallet at the Palmetto store, 2100 U.S. 301. There’s always something new to entice you among the vendors’ eclectic collections.

FYI: Scavengers also carries Fusion Paints.

The Vintage Vine Market is a favorite for Tiki and Kitty, who love the fine vintage wares and items with a whimsical twist at this store in historic Old Manatee along the newest section of the Bradenton Riverwalk. The location in the 1910 building oozes charm. And they take select consignments by appointment.

And don’t forget, tell people you meet along the way, “The Islander sent me.”

compiled by Lisa Neff, calendar@islander.org

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ON AMI

Saturday, March 23

5 p.m. — Center of Anna Maria Island “Wines of Ronald Reagan” Wine Tasting benefit, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Fee applies. Information: 941-778-1908.

Tuesday, March 26

10 a.m.-2 p.m. — Anna Maria Island Historical Society Heritage Festival, 402 Pine Ave., Anna Maria. Information: 941-778-0492

ONGOING ON AMI

Through March 24, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 2 p.m.

Sunday, Island Players’ “Communicating Doors,” 10009 Gulf Drive Anna Maria. Fee applies. Information: 941-778-5755.

Throughout March, Carolann Garafola exhibit, Artists’ Guild Gallery, 5414 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-7786694.

OFF AMI

Friday, March 22

6-8 p.m. — Music in the Park concert with the Eric Von Band, Riverwalk Pavilion at Rossi Park, 452 Third Ave. W., Bradenton, Bradenton. Information: 941-301-8445.

ONGOING OFF AMI

Throughout March, “My World” exhibit by Cheryl SudburyBuerger, Island Gallery and Studios, 456 Old Main St., Bradenton. Information: 941-778-6648.

Through April 28, the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature’s “Bird Photographer of the Year,” 201 10th St. W., Bradenton. Fee applies. Information: 941-746-4131.

Saturdays, 10:30 a.m., art demos, Island Gallery and Studios, 456 Old Main St., Bradenton. Information: 941-778-6648, islandgalleryandstudios.org.

Second and fourth Saturdays, 2 p.m., Music on the Porch jam session, presented by the Florida Maritime Museum and Cortez Cultural Center, 4415 119th St. W., Cortez. Information: floridamaritimemuseum.org.

MARKETS & SALES

ONGOING ON AMI

Most Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Coquina Beach Market, Coquina Beach, Bradenton Beach. Information: 941840-0789, coquinabeachmarket.org.

Second Fridays through spring, 5-7:30 p.m., Holmes Beach Night Market, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-6694.

Tuesdays, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Anna Maria Farmers Market, City Pier Park, Pine Avenue and Bay Boulevard. Anna Maria. Information: 941-708-6130.

OFF AMI

Saturday, March 23

9 a.m.-1 p.m. — Florida Maritime Museum’s Cortez Nautical Flea Market, 4415 119th St. W., Bradenton. Information: 941-7086120.

ONGOING OFF AMI

Saturdays through May 7, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Bradenton Market, Old Main Street, Bradenton. Information: 941-301-8445.

SAVE THE DATES

April 6-7, Coquina Beach Spring Arts and Crafts Market, Bradenton Beach.

KIDS & FAMILY

Tuesday, March 26

10 a.m. — Family storytime, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-6341.

ONGOING OFF AMI

First Wednesdays, SOAR in 4 family night, the Bishop Museum, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton. Fee applies. Info: 941-746-4131.

Third Fridays, Teen Nights, the Bishop Museum, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton. Fee applies. Information: 941-746-4131.

Second Saturdays, Quest for Kids, the Bishop Museum, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton. Fee applies. Information: 941-746-4131.

SAVE THE DATES

March 29, De Soto Heritage Festival Children’s Parade, Palmetto.

March 30, Sandbar Easter Egg Hunt and Bonnet Contest, Anna Maria.

Meet Morado and Wicket

The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton, is hosting two new patients in its Parker Manatee rehabilitation habitat. Morado and Wicket are juvenile male manatees that suffered cold stress syndrome in St. Pete and were rescued about two months ago. Wicket also had a boat strike injury. For more information, call the museum at 941-746-4131.

Islander courtesy Photo

CLUBS & COMMUNITY ON AMI

Thursday, March 21

1 p.m. — Sunshine Stitchers, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-6341.

5-8 p.m. — Second Annual Kindness Matters Extravaganza, Cheesecake Cutie and Cafe, 3324 E. Bay Drive, Holmes Beach. Fee applies. Information: 941-779-2253.

Friday, March 22

5-7 p.m. — Annie Silver Community Center Fish Fry, 103 23rd St. N., Bradenton Beach. Fee applies. Information: 941-224-1973.

ONGOING ON AMI

Most Saturdays, 8:30 a.m., Kiwanis Club of Anna Maria Island meeting, Bradenton Beach City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach. Information: 941-778-1383.

Second Mondays, 2 p.m., Center of Anna Maria Island Adult Book Club, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Information: 941-7781908.

Most Tuesdays, noon, Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island meeting, Bridge Street Bistro, 111 Gulf Drive S., Bradenton Beach. Information: 941-718-5583.

OFF AMI

Saturday, March 23

5 p.m. — Clint Hurdle’s Hot Stove Dinner, Bradenton Country Club, 4646 Ninth Ave. W., Bradenton. Fee apples. Information: hotstove2024.givesmart.com.

ONGOING OFF AMI

Third Thursdays, 6:30 p.m., through April, Manatee Audubon Society meetings, First United Methodist Church of Palmetto, 330 11th Ave. W., Palmetto. Information: manateeaudubon@gmail.com, 941-729-2222.

LESSONS & LEARNING ON AMI

Wednesday, March 20

10 a.m. — Creative Aging: Figurative Drawing, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-6341.

2 p.m. — Coral Reef Science with Mote Marine, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-6341.

Island happenings

Bob and Jane Weisbrodt of Traverse city, Michigan, take a break from their barbecue feast Jan. 24 to smile for a photo at the annie Silver community center. Islander Photo: robert anderson

Annie Silver cooks up fish fry

Supper’s on at the Annie Silver Community Center.

The center, 103 23rd St. N., Bradenton Beach, will host a community dinner — a fi sh fry — 5-7 p.m. Friday, March 23.

The meal will cost $15.

The community center also is offering two more sessions of Thursday bingo games — 6 p.m. March 21 and March 28.

For more info, call Judy Pruitt at 941-224-1973.

Kiwanis meeting Saturdays

The Kiwanis Club of Anna Maria Island gathers at 8:30 a.m. Saturdays at Bradenton Beach City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.

The March 23 meeting will include remarks by Ed Brodsky, state attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit.

For more information, call Sandy Haas-Martens at 941-778-1383.

Wednesday, March 27

10 a.m. — Creative Aging: Figurative Drawing, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-6341.

ONGOING

OFF AMI

Mondays, 1 p.m., Longboat Key Paradise Center for Healthy Living Thinking Out Loud discussions, 546 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Information: 941-383-6493.

SPORTS & GAMES

ONGOING ON AMI

Most Wednesdays, 1 p.m., mahjong club beginners, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-7786341.

Thursdays, 6 p.m., through March 28, Annie Silver Community Center bingo, 103 23rd St. N., Bradenton Beach. Information: 941224-1973.

Fridays, noon, bridge, Roser Memorial Community Church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria. Information: 314-324-5921.

WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED.

Museum charts market

Which shoppers will bring home the best catches?

The Florida Maritime Museum’s Cortez Nautical Flea Market will be 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, March 23, on the grounds at 4415 119th St. W.

Offerings will include fishing gear, marine and diving equipment and coastal decor, as well as arts and crafts.

For more info, call the FMM at 941-708-6120.

Wine tasting benefits center

The Center of Anna Maria Island will host a wine tasting to boost funding for its summer camp program.

The tasting will be at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23, and the cost to attend is $75.

The event celebrates the “Wines of Ronald Reagan” and the California wine industry with a curated tasting of red, white and specialty wines chosen by sommelier MaryKate Scott.

Plans include gourmet pairings and a silent auction.

For more info, call the center at 941-778-1908.

Jimmy Buffett Day Aug. 30

Calling on AMI Parrotheads to get planning. The Florida Legislature reserved Aug. 30 as Jimmy Buffett Day.

The holiday is to celebrate Buffett’s music, freespirited life and contributions to culture.

Buffett died at the age of 76 Sept. 1, 2023.

Most Fridays, 11:30 a.m., mahjong club experienced players, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941778-6341.

Mondays, 10 a.m., morning yoga, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-6341. OFF AMI

Through March 25, Pittsburgh Pirates spring training, LECOM Park, 1611 Ninth St. W., Bradenton. Fee applies. Info: 941-7473031.

SAVE THE DATES

April 3, Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island Golf Tournament, Bradenton.

Egg hunt set for March 30

Ready, set, collect!

The Sandbar Restaurant will celebrate Easter weekend with its annual egg hunt and bonnet contest.

The event will be 9-10:30 a.m. at the restaurant pavilion, 100 Spring Ave., Anna Maria, and on the beach.

Plans include refreshments at 9 a.m., an egg hunt at 9:30 a.m. and the bonnet contest — in adult and youth categories — at 10 a.m

First place in the adult contest is two nights at the Compass Hotel Anna Maria Sound on Perico Island and first place in the children’s contest is lunch for four at the Sandbar.

Kids should bring their own basket for the egg hunt.

The restaurant’s phone number is 941-7780444.

Heritage fest date set

The Anna Maria Island Historical Society will hold its annual Heritage Festival 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, March 26.

The festival on the museum grounds, 402 Pine Ave., Anna Maria, will feature arts and crafts, kids’ games, live music, raffles, a silent auction, a forewarned invasion by the Anna Maria Island Privateers and servings of strawberry shortcake.

For more, call the historical society at 941778-0492.

OUTDOORS

ONGOING OFF AMI

Saturdays, 9 a.m., Mornings at the NEST, Robinson Preserve, 10299 Ninth Ave. NW, Bradenton. Information: 941-742-5923.

CALENDAR NOTES

KEEP THE DATES

March 22, World Water Day.

March 29, Good Friday. March 31, Easter.

GET LISTED!

Send listings to calendar@islander.org.

Everything’s coming up Irish on Anna Maria Island

You can read it all online at islander.org

The center of anna Maria Island float with sponsorships from Duncan real Estate, Duffy’s Tavern, The Doctors Office and aMI Dolphin Tours, makes its way up Marina Drive in holmes Beach March 17 during the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade traveled from holmes Beach city hall to the community center in anna Maria. Islander Photos: robert anderson

anna Maria Island Garden club cyclists celebrate their Irish spirit by pedaling in the parade.

a Landcruiser is decorated from the top to its wheels with inflatables and flashy green garlands for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on aMI.

The West coast Surf Shop of holmes Beach shows its Irish island pride March 17.

Friends Ken Mitchell, left, charles richards, Gwen Mitchell, back left, and Debbie richards, all in their best green attire March 17 enjoy their view of the St. Pat parade.

Kindergarten signup ongoing

The School District of Manatee County kindergarten registration for the 2024-25 academic year opened March 1.

If a child will be 5 years old by Sept. 1 and parents want them to attend Anna Maria Elementary in Holmes Beach, now is the time to register.

To register, parents must go online to www.manateeschools.net/registration.

On the website, parents will fi nd a registration checklist outlining the documents needed.

Parents registering new students will need to create a FOCUS account.

Once in FOCUS, parents should follow the directions and upload needed documents.

After that, parents will receive an email stating their submission was received.

AME hikes playground for PTO

anna Maria Elementary student Logan Bobo, left, henry Leibfried, Easton Nock and Elle Blackburn participate March 11 in a walkathon hosted by the aME PTO on the school playground, 4700 Gulf Drive, holmes Beach, to raise funds for PTO school projects. Islander

AME is planning two kindergarten classes next year.

Principal Mike Masiello told The Islander March 12 that preparations are progressing for 2024-25.

“In the coming months, we will be focusing on enrolling students for the next school year,” he said, including “student scheduling, organizing our schoolbased events and planning for back-to-school night.”

For more info, contact the elementary school at 941-708-5525.

— robyn Murrell

Scholarship apps due

The Center of Anna Maria Island is accepting applications from high school seniors seeking the John van Zandt Scholarship, which offers tuition assistance for young people planning a career that requires certification, licensing or apprenticeship.

Up to $5,000 is awarded annually.

Applications are due by Monday, April 1. For more, call the center at 941-778-1908.

AME grad returns to teach

David Parrish, program director with Legacy Business Leaders, speaks March 14 to fourth-graders at aME in Nicole O’Neill’s class as a volunteer for Project TEach. Parrish, an aME grad, shared with students the importance of first impressions and assisted them in making business cards. Islander

courtesy aME/Mike Masiello

AME Calendar

• Monday, March 25-29, spring break, no school.

• Saturday, April 6, 6:30 p.m., School District of Manatee County Elementary School “Spirit Night” with Bradenton Marauders, LECOM Park, Bradenton. Fee Applies.

• Thursday, April 18, 3:45 p.m., school advisory council meeting, Guy Harvey Room.

• Saturday, April 27, 6-10 p.m., PTO Spring Gala, the Center of Anna Maria Island, Anna Maria. Fee Applies.

• Friday, May 17, field day.

• Monday, May 20, fifth-grade luncheon, Beach House Waterfront Restaurant, 200 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach.

• Tuesday, May 21, fifth-grade graduation.

• Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, May 22-24, 1:50 p.m., early dismissal.

• Friday, May 24, last day for students.

• Tuesday, May 28, last day for staff.

AME is at 4700 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.

For more information, call the school at 941-708-5525.

We

years. We welcome our long-time

and encourage new patrons from Anna Maria Island to

$2 stickers @ The Islander

Photo:

Photo: courtesy aME/ Mike Masiello

Parrish community high School senior Maya Woodard, right, and mom Lisa look at images captured March 12 by photographer haileigh Norris during a photo shoot at coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach. Islander Photo: robert anderson

Gathering

By Lisa Neff

Churches plan for Holy Week

Island churches will mark the start of the Holy Week on Palm Sunday, which is March 24.

The island churches include:

CrossPointe Fellowship, 8605 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.

Episcopal Church of the Annunciation, 4408 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 6608 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach.

Harvey Memorial Community Church, 300 Church St. N., Bradenton Beach.

Roser Memorial Community Church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria.

St. Bernard Catholic Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive, Holmes Beach.

On Longboat Key, there are Christ Church of Longboat Key, 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive, and Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Holy Week — the last week of Lent — includes Palm Sunday, Holy Monday March 25, Holy Tuesday March 26, Holy Wednesday March 27, Maundy Thursday March 28, Good Friday March 29 and Holy Saturday March 30.

Easter is Sunday, March 31.

CrossPointe will hold service at 9 a.m. on Palm Sunday, 7 p.m. on Good Friday and 9 a.m. on Easter.

Annunciation services are at 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. on Palm Sunday, 6:30 p.m. on Maundy Thursday and 9:15 a.m. on Good Friday.

The church will hold three services on Easter — 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Gloria Dei’s plans include services at 9:30 a.m. on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Harvey worships at 9:15 a.m. Sundays. Roser will celebrate Palm Sunday with worship at

rev.

at roser Memorial community church, winds his way through the tables, modeling summer fashions March 12 for the roser Guild Thrift Fashion Show and Luncheon in the fellowship hall, 512 Pine ave., anna Maria.

St. Bernard’s plans for Palm Sunday Mass at 8:30 am. and 10:30 a.m., as well as a 7 p.m. Mass on

Sharon rowe models a “life gives you lemons” dress during the annual roser Guild Thrift Store Fashion Show and Luncheon March 12 at the church. The thrift store is open 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. a parade of models, led by Lillian chin, then curt huhn, shows off fashions from the roser Guild Thrift Store. Kathie rieder provided attendees with details about the fashions — from brand to cost. Proceeds from the event fund scholarships and help support roser and missions. For more information, call roser at 941-778-0414.

Thursday, 2:30 p.m. Stations of the Cross at 2:30 p.m. on Good Friday, blessing of the baskets at 11 a.m. on Holy Saturday, followed by a vigil Mass at 8:30 p.m.

On Easter, St. Bernard will hold Mass at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Christ Church plans include worship at 10 a.m. on Palm Sunday, 7:30 p.m. on Maundy Thursday, 7:30 p.m. on Good Friday and 10 a.m. on Easter.

Longboat Island Chapel plans include worship at 11 a.m. on Palm Sunday, 6 p.m. on Good Friday and 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Easter.

The Kiwanis Club of Anna Maria Island will hold an Easter sunrise service at Manatee Public Beach, 4000 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.

The club hosts the service, featuring prayer, readings, a sermon and music, in partnership with most island churches, including Annunciation, Harvey, Gloria Dei, Roser and St. Bernard.

An offertory will be shared among the churches and the Kiwanis’ Key Club Scholarship program.

For more information, go online to www.amikiwanis.com.

The

Dr. Dirk rodgers, senior pastor

Islander Photos: Bev hunsberger

‘Ready-to-wear’ fashion at Roser

Obituaries

Gayle Adema

Gayle Adema, 82, of Bradenton and formerly of Holmes Beach, died March 10.

She was born Gayle Maischoss Aug. 22, 1941, and was raised in Buffalo, New York. She graduated from Kenmore schools before graduating Grove City College. She married the love of her life, Robert “Bob” Adema, and they raised their two children in Williamsville, New York.

She vacationed on Anna Maria Island for years and retired to Holmes Beach, as her in-laws had also done. The couple enjoyed spending their summers in Cedar Bay, Ontario, Canada.

Mrs. Adena was a longtime member of Roser Memorial Community Church and attended Island Players theater. She loved golf, water aerobics, knitting, traveling, baking, being near water, playing cards and gathering with friends. She welcomed all as family.

A celebration of life will be announced at a future date. Memorials may be made to Tidewell Hospice House in Bradenton or the Alzheimer’s Association.

Mrs. Adema is survived by her loving husband, Bob; son Robert H. Jr. and wife Susan; daughter Vicki and partner Scott Walker; and an extended loving family and friends.

Walter ‘Charlie’ Grace

Walter “Charlie” Grace, 97, of Bradenton and formerly of Bradenton Beach, died Feb. 21, at Freedom Village, where he resided for 20 years.

He was born May 9, 1926, in Cincinnati.

He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps 1944-46 and after a stint in the Army Reserves, he reenlisted in the U.S. Air Force 1950-55, followed by the Air Force Reserves. He spent 38 years with the Air Force and achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel.

He made flying his career and spent 31 years with Republic Airlines, 29 as a captain.

Mr. Grace volunteered with the Rotary Club, the Officer’s Club and the Manasota Community Vets Council.

He served on the city commission and as mayor of Bradenton Beach and as a councilman in Palmetto.

He held positions at Freedom Village — chair of the library council, resident ambassador and military flight crew. He experienced his “Wish of a Lifetime” — to fly in a P-51 — at the age of 90 in Kissimmee.

Visitation will be 1:30-2 p.m. Friday, March 22, with service to follow at Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd Street Chapel, 604 43rd St. W., Bradenton. Memorial donations may be made to Freedom Village of Bradenton Scholarship Fund, 6406 21st Ave. W., Bradenton, FL 34209.

He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Dr. David and Lu Ann Grace; stepdaughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Todd Henson; granddaughters Geneaveve and Annabel Henson; and a niece and nephews.

Timothy John Greene

Timothy John Greene, 57, of Holmes Beach, died March 9.

He served 1984-88 in the U.S. Coast Guard. He was a graduate of the University of South Florida and an entrepreneur, having built businesses that provided employment and support for many families. He was known for his infectious laughter and a

Jann Michael ‘JM’ Feeney

Jann Michael “JM” Feeney, 17, died March 8 in an accidental shooting while visiting with other teenagers in a backyard at a home in Bradenton.

He was a junior at Manatee High School who took part in wrestling, a sport that began for JM when he participated in youth programs at the Center of Anna Maria Island.

JM was employed by the Beach House Waterfront Restaurant, where co-workers established a GoFundMe account to help his family.

As of March 19, the account had raised more than $30,000.

A memorial service was held March 16 at the island community center, where family, friends, co-workers and fellow wrestling enthusiasts shared an outpouring of support.

bigger than life personality. He was as a tuna slayer, average golfer and was generous to all who knew him. He loved to be by the water. He was the captain of our family and will forever be missed.

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 17, at Ss. Peter & Paul the Apostles Catholic Church, 2850 75th St W, Bradenton. The family invites people to wear green and join them in a celebration of life at Bradenton Country Club, 4646 Ninth Ave. W., Bradenton. Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd Street Chapel, Bradenton, is in charge of arrangements.

In a nod to Mr. Greene’s love for dogs, memorial donations be made to Southeastern Guide Dogs Inc., guidedogs.org or at 4210 77th St. E., Palmetto 34221.

Mr. Greene is survived by his wife of 32 years, Michelle; children Mariah, Timmy and Tania Gallagher; grandchildren Theo and Calvin; mother Ellen; and siblings Michael, Beth Ellen Myette and Keli.

William Patrick ‘Pat’ McGinnis

William Patrick “Pat” McGinnis, 76, of Anna Maria, died March 5.

He was born Nov. 29, 1947, and raised in St. Louis to Margaret (Cisne) and William Fitch McGinnis.

He attended the University of Denver, where he earned a bachelor of arts in political science and economics. He earned an MBA in marketing in 1972 from the Olin Business School at Washington University.

He began a 44-year career at Ralston Purina Co. in 1972, working his way through a corporate management training program, various management roles and, finally president, CEO and chairman of the board, retiring in 2017.

He played an integral role throughout the Nestle acquisition process and then led the integration of the Purina and Friskies organizations, often cited as one of the most successful in Nestle’s history. He is credited with transforming the company into what it is today.

He served on numerous boards, including as trustee of Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Missouri, including the steering committee for the University of Missouri Athletic Department, as well as service to youth-related charities, such as the March of Dimes.

A gift to the Olin Business School established a

professorship, the W. Patrick McGinnis Professor of Marketing.

He was a member of the Danforth Circle Chancellor’s Level and a Life Patron of the William Greenleaf Eliot Society. Both the Olin School and the university have presented Mr. McGinnis with distinguished alumni awards.

He was an avid sports enthusiast and loved his St. Louis Cardinals. He enjoyed fishing, golf, watching baseball, trips to the farm with the family, boating at the Lake of the Ozarks and walking the beaches of Anna Maria Island.

His friends and his faith always came first.

He was an avid supporter of his community and always was willing to assist those in need.

A service was March 9 at Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd Street Chapel, Bradenton. A celebration of life will be in St. Louis. Memorial donations may be made to the St. Louis Police Foundation, stlouispolicefoundation.org

Mr. McGinnis is survived by his loving wife, Marian; sons Patrick and wife Haley, and David and wife Melissa; step-children, Karen and husband Dr. Adam Birk, Mason and Ellen; grandchildren Liam, Mackenzie, Hunter, Hudson, Luke, Weston, and Beau; and mother-in-law Dolores R. Berra.

Lenore Marie Rugman

Lenore Marie Rugman, 99, of Anna Maria, died March 6.

She was born Jan. 4, 1925, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Isabella and Canio Codella.

In 1944, she married her husband, George and they raised five children on their farm in Hanover, Massachusetts

She worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, traveling New England and collecting farming statistics. Later, the couple operated a cattle farm in Newcastle, Maine

She spent the last seasons of her life on Anna Maria Island, while two lifelong friends, Harry and Sally Sidelinger, kept up the Maine farmhouse. A service was held March 16 in Hanover. The family suggested planting a tree in her honor.

Mrs. Rugman is survived by her daughters, Lee McParland and husband Jim, Barbara Cole and husband Herb, all of Anna Maria Island; sons, John and wife Nancy of Pembroke, Maine, and R. Alan of Hanover; daughter-in-law Laura of Hanover; 9 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and many loving nieces and nephews.

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Greene

McGinnis

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Grace

Island wrestler J.M. Feeney, right, is locked up in a match with eventual champion Derrick Baker of the Naples Titans during the I Own Florida wrestling tournament in December 2017 in Bradenton. Islander File Photo: Kevin cassidy

Art League hosts annual Springfest

Mixed-media artist Morris Johnson of St. Petersburg is framed March 16 by his art display at Springfest. The anna Maria Island art League’s show featured artists and craftspeople who work with a wide variety of media March 16-17 at holmes Beach city field. Islander Photos: Masha Dolgoff

Island Library ‘Friends’ raise funds with donated jewelry sale

Garden Club shows off at Roser Church

cheryl arena, left, a Friends of the Island Library board member, helps Sue and Loren George of anna Maria browse a jewelry table March 16 at the Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, holmes Beach. The jewelry on display was sourced from donations to raise money for library improvements. Islander Photo: Masha Dolgoff

colorful wine holders are offered by Jean Murray March 16 at aMIaL’s Springfest in holmes Beach.

Dee O’Brien, aMI garden club member, takes a walk March 15 through the display of “Sunrise over the Skyway Bridge” arrangements. O’Brien said she appreciated the creativity.

aBOVE rIGhT: an arrangement in the miniatures category at the anna Maria Island Garden club’s annual flower show, held March 15 at roser church. Islander Photos: Masha Dolgoff

Garden Club honored as Anna Maria’ Citizen of the Year

anna Maria Island Garden club vice president renitia Bertoluzzi, right, smiles March 14

alongside anna Maria citizen recognition committee member

Darcie Duncan, left, who presented a plaque naming the garden club as the city’s 2023 Distinguished citizen of the Year. The club received a unanimous vote over other nominees, including The Islander and Sun newspapers and former resident, island worker christine Olson, who founded To Inform Families First. Islander

Photos:

For seasoned island theater group, the show goes on …

By robyn Murrell Islander reporter

The 75th season of Island Players continued after five cast members in its production of Alan Ayckbourn’s “Communicating Doors” fell ill with COVID-19.

The play’s director, Preston Boyd, told The Islander March 11 during a preview performance: “We had a little hiccup. Five of the actors were sick and we couldn’t rehearse. And the theater was closed as well.”

The play opening, set for March 7, was postponed to March 12.

“We tried a couple of Zoom rehearsals,” Boyd said. “This is a preview audience that we’re having tonight to see if we’ve got all our lines learned. … It’s trial and error tonight. Hopefully, more trial than error.”

And more trial than error it was, as the actors at

Islander archive 24/7

the community theater showed off how well they mesh in the British play.

The play is set in a London hotel suite, where Poopay, played by Morgan Powis making her debut on the island stage, is a woman of the night, hired by Reece, an older man played by IP veteran Dan Coppinger, to witness a confession about his murdered wives.

Reece planned his wives’ demise and his business partner Julian, played by Joseph Smith, carried out the killings.

Coppinger and Smith play their roles with such conviction that their moments onstage punch up the intensity.

The play has a science-fiction twist. There’s a time-traveling door that goes back to the hotel suite in 1974, 1994 and 2014. The time travel is indicated by changes in lighting, music and the rotating door.

The audience is invited to pass through the doors with the cast as Poopay, Ruella and Jessica form an unlikely trio that alters the course of everyone’s lives. Powis and Kwiatkowski skillfully share the lead as their characters tell a story of the past and the future.

The audience should “look forward to an intriguing murder mystery with a plot twist: Can you stop the murder from happening? If you can go back in time, can you warn somebody? You know, this is what they should be interested in finding out to solve this one,” Boyd said.

“Communicating Doors” continues through Sunday, March 24, at the theater, 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria.

Some years ago, The Islander was invited to take part in a pilot project with the University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries. We donated our collection of newspapers beginning with the first edition in 1992. Now it’s all maintained on the library site, searchable by key word, name or date. Look for The Islander in the stacks at the UofF Florida digital newspaper collection at ufdc.ufl.edu.

The show’s set designer, Jan Van Wart, did an impressive job of transforming the theater stage over the decades and some scenes were acted out on the house floor.

“We have a lot of doors that go into a bathroom, a bedroom and stuff. That’s hard to design on a small stage. He’s done a pretty good job,” Boyd said.

On the opposite side of the door are Reece’s exwives. His second wife, Ruella, is portrayed by theater

Tickets are $28 for adults and $18 for students with ID. They are available at the box office or theislandplayers.org.

The box office hours are 9 a.m.-1 p.m. MondaysSaturdays and up to two hours before each show.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The theater is dark Monday.

For more information, contact the Island Players at 941-778-5755 or theislandplayers.org.

Members of the anna Maria Island Garden club — including vice president renitia Bertoluzzi, front left, and president and anna Maria city commissioner Kathleen Morgan-Johnson, front right — pose March 14 with city officials on receiving the city of anna Maria’s 2023 Distinguished citizen of the Year award. The club helped fund the addition of wind sculptures in anna Maria and holmes Beach and is working to do the same in Bradenton Beach.

ryan Paice

veteran Jennifer Kwiatkowski and his first wife, Jessica, is portrayed by Kathi Faulkner in her IP debut. Rick Kopp returns to the stage as Harold, the hotel security guard.

Sarasota man arrested for DUI

Holmes Beach police arrested Sarasota resident Gerardo Velez, 76, March 6 on a second-degree misdemeanor for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.

Velez appeared to be asleep at the wheel of a vehicle on a double yellow traffic line on Gulf Drive at its intersection with Marina Drive before accelerating through the intersection and veering into a bike lane, according to a Holmes Beach Police Department report.

During a traffic stop, Velez, allegedly admitted he had consumed alcohol and an officer observed a pipe in the center console.

Velez failed field sobriety tests and registered breath samples with results of 0.137 and 0.138 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. The state’s legal blood alcohol limit for driving under the influence is 0.08.

Velez, under arrest, was transported to the Manatee County jail, where he was released March 7 after posting $500 bond.

If convicted, punishment for a second-degree misdemeanor includes up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.

An arraignment is 8:55 a.m. April 11, at the judicial center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

— ryan Paice

Vehicle crashes into BB condo

A motorist crashed March 5 into the Ocean Park Terrace condos, 2700 Gulf Drive, Bradenton Beach, prompting an evacuation of the building and injuring the driver.

On exiting Anna Maria Island Club, 2600 Gulf Drive, the motorist hit the gas pedal instead of the brake, propelling the vehicle into the condo building, damaging an arched support at the base of the groundfloor parking garage.

Bradenton Beach building official Darin Cushing ordered the building evacuated for safety purposes as the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, West Manatee Fire Rescue, Manatee County Emergency Medical Services and Bradenton Beach Police Department responded.

The driver sustained minor injuries but no one in the building was injured, according to an MCSO report.

The evacuation order lasted a few hours while the building was inspected and the archway was braced. Property manager Dan Talley said the structural integrity of the building was assessed by engineer Charles Sago and Cushing approved temporary repairs.

— robert anderson

HBPD arrests Michigan woman on DUI charge

Holmes Beach police arrested Darlene Kerr, 61, of Midland, Michigan, March 8 for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.

Police observed a vehicle with Kerr at the wheel, stationary in the intersection of Gulf Drive and Manatee Avenue around 12:24 a.m., according to a Holmes Beach Police Department report.

She told an HBPD officer that she had consumed alcohol before driving, so she was asked to perform field sobriety tests, which HBPD said she failed.

Two breath samples had results of 0.187 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. The state’s legal blood alcohol limit for driving under the influence is 0.08.

Kerr was arrested on a second-degree misdemeanor and transported to the Manatee County jail, where she was released the same day on $500 bond.

If convicted, punishment includes up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.

An arraignment will be at 8:55 a.m. Thursday, April 11, at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

— ryan Paice

StreetLife

Island police reports

Anna Maria

No new reports

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office polices Anna Maria.

Bradenton Beach

March 8, 2500 block of Gulf Drive North, noise. The MCSO responded to complainant who said people in a neighboring unit were being loud. A deputy issued a warning and filed an incident report.

March 13, address redacted, battery. A Bradenton Beach police officer was dispatched to a complaint of battery. A witness called 911 after seeing a dispute resulting in violence between two people in their home. The officer arrested a man for domestic battery. He was taken to Manatee County jail in Palmetto.

The BBPD polices Bradenton Beach.

Cortez

No new reports.

The MCSO polices Cortez.

Holmes Beach

March 5, 200 block of Harbor Drive, disturbance. A Holmes Beach police officer responded around 10 p.m. to reports of a disturbance between residents and a kayak tour group. The tour guide said a man on a dock was holding a bow and threatening their group. The officer spoke with a man who said the group had been shining lights into his home while passing in the waterway. The man was informed the tour business violated no laws and have a right to use the waterway.

March 9, 3500 block of Sixth Avenue, Marchman Act. An officer saw a man walking backward in the roadway and stopped to check on his welfare. The officer spoke with the man, who was intoxicated and walking to his boat in Bradenton Beach. The man said there was no one to help him. The officer placed the man in protective custody under the Marchman Act and transported him to the HCA Florida Blake Hospital in Bradenton.

March 10, Island Trader, 5334 Gulf Drive, Marchman Act. An officer responded to reports of an unconscious man behind the store. The man was intoxicated and unable to answer questions or stand without assistance. He could not provide a name or number of someone to call to take care of him. The officer placed the man in protective custody under the Marchman Act and transported him to the HCA Florida Blake Hospital in Bradenton.

Holmes Beach Police Department polices Holmes Beach.

Streetlife is based on incident reports and narratives from the BBPD, HBPD and MCSO.

a damaged SUV awaits a tow March 5 after its driver crashed into Ocean Park Terrace condos, 2700 Gulf Drive, Bradenton Beach. Islander Photo: courtesy Sam Wright

Make the beach great again

Political signs are on display at Manatee Public Beach, which is maintained by Manatee county and in the city of holmes Beach. holmes Beach code compliance visited the beach March 14 and asked that the signs be removed and the person removed them. No signs are permitted on the beach. Islander courtesy

Photo: hBcc/JT Thomas

Felony charges dropped against Colorado woman

The state attorney’s office dropped all charges against Kendall Anderson, 31, of Denver.

Anderson was arrested Jan. 9 in Holmes Beach on two third-degree felony charges for domestic battery of a person 65 or more years old, as well as witness/ victim tampering.

Holmes Beach police responded to a reported domestic disturbance involving Anderson and her mother, who told police her daughter had shoved her and taken her phone away when she tried to call 911.

Anderson’s mother did not want to press charges and asked police to take her daughter into custody under the Baker Act, which allows for the involuntary examination of people who may suffer from mental illness and exhibit a risk to themselves and/ or others.

Police arrested Anderson for two felony charges.

Anderson pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The charges against Anderson were dropped before a scheduled March 1 arraignment.

— ryan Paice

BBPD arrests man for battery on police officer

Bradenton Beach Police Department officers March 5 arrested Everett Alonzo Hodapp, no address given, for battery against a law enforcement officer.

BBPD Officer Thomas Ferrara responded to a trespass complaint at the Circle K, 103 Gulf Drive S., and Sgt. Steven Masi assisted on the call.

Hodapp screamed insults and threats of bodily harm at the officers, according to a report.

Florida Fish and Wildlife and Conservation Commission Officer Jason Dalton also was on scene, attempting to calm the man.

But Hodapp would not leave and, when informed he could be arrested, allegedly slapped Masi in the face.

After a scuffle, Hodapp was arrested and taken to the Manatee County jail for allegedly violating a trespassing notice, battery on a law enforcement officer and simple assault.

Under Florida law, battery on a police officer is a third-degree felony with penalties of up to five years in prison or five years of probation and a $5,000 fine.

Trespassing after notice, if convicted, is a seconddegree misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in

BB man arrested for alleged cocaine possession

By ryan Paice Islander reporter

Holmes Beach police arrested Bradenton Beach resident Scott Kilar, 36, March 12 on a third-degree felony charge for alleged possession of cocaine, a Schedule II narcotic.

Kilar also faces four charges of first-degree misdemeanors for possession of drug paraphernalia.

An officer saw Kilar, around 5 a.m. driving a vehicle with defective headlights and conducted a traffic stop, according to a police report.

The officer found an active arrest warrant for Kilar and a seize tag order for his vehicle and called for backup.

Two officers arrested Kilar, whose vehicle contained 194 syringe needles, a digital scale and a plastic bag containing white rocks, which field-tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl, according to the report.

There also was blood spatter in the vehicle.

The officers arrested Kilar and transported him to the Holmes Beach Police Department for processing, where he was issued a citation for driving with a suspended license.

Kilar was then transported to the Manatee County jail, where he was released March 13 after posting $9,000 bond.

If convicted, punishment for a third-degree felony charge includes up to five years in prison, five years of probation and a fine of up to $5,000.

Punishment for a first-degree misdemeanor charge includes up to one year in jail, one year of probation and a fine of up to $1,000.

An arraignment will be at 9 a.m. Friday, May 3, at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

jail.

Hodapp’s arraignment will be 9 a.m. April 26 at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

He was at the Manatee County jail in Palmetto as of March 15.

— robert anderson

Champs crowned in youth football, senior golf and horseshoes

By Kevin P. cassidy Islander reporter

Two division champions were crowned March 12 to conclude the youth flag football season at the Center of Anna Maria Island.

cassidy

No. 2 seed Cheesecake Cutie defeated No. 1 Moss Builders 19-14 to win the 8-10 division title behind a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Sawyer Leibfried. Gunnar Maize added a touchdown run and catch for Cheesecake Cutie, which also received a TD reception and an extra point from Andre Harwood in the victory.

Miles Moss threw two TD passes to Braylen Briggs for the Builders, which also received extra points from Cannon Ott and Kellen Reed in the loss.

Cheesecake Cutie advanced to the title game thanks to a 12-6 victory over No. 3 Sato Real Estate in the semifinals, while Moss Builders advanced by defeating No. 4 Adrian Griffin Interiors 33-14.

In the 11-14 division contest, No. 1 Moss Builders won the title with a 27-12 victory over No. 3 Solid Rock Air Conditioning behind three TD passes and a TD run from Mason Moss. Austin Guess finished with a pair of TD catches while Addie Guess added a TD catch in the victory.

Hayden Eurice threw a touchdown pass to Isaac Roadman and Carter Eurice ran for a touchdown for Solid Rock AC in the loss.

Moss advanced to the 11-14 title game with a 39-18 victory over No. 4 seed Solid Rock Electrical.

Solid Rock Air Conditioning advanced by defeating No. 2 Shady Lady Horticultural Services 24-13.

Adult football playoffs

Semifinal action in the adult flag football league at the center got underway March 14, leaving No. 1 seed Floridian Mortgage and No. 2 Moss Builders as the two teams standing.

They will meet in the championship game at 7 p.m.

Thursday, March 21.

The first semifinal game saw Floridian Mortgage outscore No. 4 seed Solid Rock Construction 39-31.

Moss Builders defeated No. 3 Sandbar Restaurant 39-19 in the second semifinal game.

Horseshoe news

Horseshoe action at the Anna Maria City Hall pits March 13 saw the team of Tim Sofran and Steve Doyle forge the lone 3-0 record in pool play, crowning them as the day’s champs.

Action March 16 saw two teams advance from pool play with undefeated records. Sofran, who was teamed up with Sandy Battaglia, was looking to earn bragging rights for the week. The championship match was tight with Sofran and Battaglia nursing a 14-12

lead over Del Reese and Norm Langeland, but an 8-0 run by Sofran and Battaglia gave them a 22-12 victory. Play gets underway at 9 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Anna Maria pits. Warmups begin at 8:45 a.m., followed by random team selection.

There is no charge to play and everyone is welcome.

Center sets up soccer leagues

The Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria, is registering adults and kids for its upcoming soccer season.

The youth season will hold evaluations for kids 11-14 at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 18, and for kids 8-10 at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 19. There is no evaluation for younger players.

Games will be Mondays and Tuesdays beginning Monday, April 1.

Registration — which was due March 15 — cost $20 for members, $150 for nonmembers.

The adult season will start March 28, with games played Thursday nights.

The cost to play is $20 for members, $130 for nonmembers.

For more, call the center at 941-778-1908.

TOP: 11-14 division champs Moss Builders. Gunnar Maize, Mason Moss, addie Guess, austin Guess, Turner Worth, ryder Boender, aiden Guess, and coaches aaron Guess and Sterling Worth.

BOTTOM: 8-10 division champs cheesecake cutie. Sawyer Leibfried, Simon Messinger, Wesley Bekkerus, henry Leibfried, Phoenix harwood, andre harwood, Gunnar Maize and coaches Brian Leibfried and George Maize. Islander Photos: courtesy cofaMI

Club news

The senior golfers at the Key Royale Club in Holmes Beach completed their 18-hole, senior club championships March 13. Taking the women’s 70-plus division was Pam Lowry, who carded an 84, edging second-place finisher Linda Dorsey by a stroke. Celebrating her 94th birthday the same day, Jean Holmes took third place with a 90.

In the men’s 75-plus division, Gary Risner ran away with first place on a 1-under-par 63. Tom Nelson and Greg Shorten tied for second at 8-over-par 72.

Regular golf action got started March 11 with the men’s weekly modified-Stableford system match. Brian Comer and Rob Ellis shared first place with matching plus-5s, while Bob Blaser and Larry Solberg were a point back in a tie for second.

The women played a handicap scramble March 12 that saw the threesome of Margrit Layh, Jean Holmes and Mary Wilkie combine on a 19.25 to take first place. Roxanne Koche, Sue Christenson, Connie Livanos and Barb Rinckey took second with a 20.

Members rounded out the week March 14 with a scramble/shamble match on a modified course, playing to a par 52. The team of Rob Ellis, Tom Solosky, Bill Sweeney and Quentin Talbert combined on a 3-underpar 49 to earn clubhouse bragging rights for the day.

P-ball court construction at BB park

a pickleball court is under construction March 12 at herb Dolan Park in the 2500 block of avenue a, Bradenton Beach. In January, commissioners approved $48,000 for the courts. The commission then voted March 7 to approve $24,000 to expand the courts for safety and playability. Players asked the city to expand the court surface. Pickleballers also can play at Lou Barolo Park, 107 Fourth St. N. Islander Photo: robert anderson

March weather fluctuates between warmups, cold fronts

By capt. Danny Stasny Islander reporter

Fishing around Anna Maria Island can be categorized as hot and cold.

With temperatures reaching into the mid 80s some days, many inshore species are creeping out of their wintertime haunts to feed on bait schools migrating into Tampa Bay and the surrounding waters.

Since the fish had been on a limited diet over the winter, you can bet they are ready to eat. Rising water temps and a smorgasbord of available baitfish create a perfect recipe for great action on the water.

Snook and trout, as well as schools of redfish, are being found on the flats.

Spanish mackerel, jack crevalle and ladyfish can be found slashing through the bait schools in the middle of Tampa Bay. Needless to say, there is plenty of good fishing to be had.

But wait a minute.

Hit the brakes.

Another cold front, a late one, approaches from the north.

Temperatures drop overnight into the 50s, causing a drastic cool down of the shallow inland waters where we target inshore species.

Lockjaw sets in when water temperatures drop 10 degrees overnight.

You can bet the fish are going to shut down.

In such scenarios, it’s best to take a day off of fishing for the front to pass and things to warm up again.

But if you just can’t wait to get out there or if it’s the only day you have, pack some patience.

You can probably catch a few fish but don’t expect a banner day.

Of course, there’s the old saying, a bad day on the water is better than a good day at work. Which I can sympathize with, but since I work on the water, the saying doesn’t apply to me.

The cooler days also are great for other outdoor activities and to be honest, we need to enjoy the cooler days as the relentless heat of Florida summer are just around the corner.

On my Just Reel charters, the inshore bite is quite good around the cold fronts and snook fishing is heating up along with water temps. On some days, I’m seeing as many as 30 snook caught on a half-day trip.

Spotted seatrout are following suit, although nailing them down has been challenging. Some days are good in one spot and then not so good in the same area a couple of days later.

Spanish mackerel are arriving on the deeper flats among the trout, which adds some thrills to the bite. You also can add some bluefi sh, which are quite a handful on light spinning gear.

And I’m picking up a few redfish here and there while targeting snook.

Capt. David White of Anna Maria Charters says offshore fishing is shaping up nicely for the month. Venturing into the Gulf of Mexico to depths of 80-120 feet is yielding good action on a variety of species.

Bottom fishing with live baits such as pinfish is attracting many red grouper to the hook for White’s anglers. Switching to live shiners as bait works well, especially for mangrove snapper and blackfin tuna.

Moving inshore, White is happy to see slot-size

the landing net to help the angler to bring the fish up to the deck.

As a lifelong islander, you can bet Malfese has a plethora of stories about the island’s past, and he has always been willing to share his experiences when the opportunity presented itself.

With a passion for Anna Maria Island and the way things used to be, he’s found purpose in preserving the island lifestyle and he made sure people who visited the Rod & Reel were aware that everyone needs to pitch in to maintain our gem.

So, as we turn the page, I hope Jimmy’s tradition of going the extra mile to preserve the fishing environment at the pier will inspire the next baitmaster.

As far as the fishing report, Malfese says sheepshead are the main attraction at the R&R.

Many anglers using live shrimp as bait are hooking the zebra-striped fish as they nibble barnacles on the old pilings under the pier. Veteran sheepshead anglers are catching their limit of eight fish most mornings.

Using live shrimp as bait is attracting other species, such as black drum and redfish. Both of which are being caught in keeper sizes.

On days when bait schools are present, Malfese suggests casting artificials, such as speck rigs, out from the pier to hook migratory fish —macks and jacks.

Some undersize snook are being caught on live shiners and pinfish as bait.

snook being caught and redfish are being caught in the same areas as the snook. Spotted sea trout and mackerel are prevalent on some of the deeper grass flats.

Capt. Johnny Mattay, also of Anna Maria Charters, says inshore fishing is good on the warmer days between cold fronts.

Targeting snook along sandy shorelines and against mangroves is resulting in keeper-size fish.

Redfish are being caught, with many over the maximum size limit of 27 inches.

Spotted seatrout are another species taking the hook while fishing inshore. While targeting the trout, Mattay is seeing some Spanish mackerel and jack crevalle in the mix.

Moving offshore, Mattay is putting clients on a variety of species by both bottom fishing and flat-lining baits on the surface on the flats. Red grouper and mangrove snapper are predominant while bottom fishing, while amberjack and black tuna are being found close to the surface.

Mattay also noted African pompano are being caught while fishing around offshore springs.

It’s with a heavy heart that I announce Jim Malfese of the Rod & Reel Pier is giving his last fishing report to The Islander.

Due to a recent injury, he’s retiring.

Having worked at the pier since 2011, Malfese is highly regarded by those visiting the R&R from all over the world.

His friendly personality and willingness to help has endeared him to locals and visitors. Whether selling live shrimp or giving advice on a catch, Malfese always has had time to help anglers be better.

Educating folks on how to fish, what rigging to use or assisting with the proper release of seabirds from fishing lines, were just some ways Malfese made himself invaluable. And when a large fish was hooked, you could rest assured that he was standing by with

On a final note, I want to thank Jimmy for taking the time to give me a report over the years. We had a good journey.

So … to Jimmy: I always looked forward to speaking with you every week and getting a fishing report for the pier, as well as to hear your stories about the past on AMI.

You’re one in a million and a good fisherman, too.

Thank you for many years of enjoyable conversations and fishing reports.

And for those of you who are fans of Malfese, don’t fret, as you’ll likely see him visiting the pier. And if you can’t find him there, you might check his other watering holes.

Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.

Capt. Mike Greig

Stasny

Jack Bertram of Flossmoor, Illinois, donned a new camo jacket March 12 for a chilly morning of snook fishing with capt. Danny Stasny of Just reel Fishing charters. Photo bomb courtesy of his daughter, Jackie Graham.

Jim Malfese shows off a permit.

By Lisa Neff

Tale of a whale’s tail

Capt. Scott Moore navigated his 15-foot boat to the Anna Maria City Pier to fill its tanks with bait before a crowd of anglers assembled.

The fishing guide arrived to the pier that spring morning in 1974 before first light because he had a day off and, well, he wanted to do some fishing.

“I had a good deal going that day,” Moore said March 13, thinking back 50 years.

He left his boat approximately where today’s ferry boat ties up and joined the pier manager inside.

“I was still inside having coffee and the whole pier started to shake,” Moore told The Islander. “We looked down the pier and seen this big tail come out of the water and splash my boat.”

It was the tail of a sperm whale.

The whale “went away from the pier” and so did Moore, who got in his day of fishing.

But the guide, who has a reputation at The Islander for always being in the know, stayed up on reports of the whale, which the next day stranded south of the pier and died.

The charter captain recalled his whale story after he learned of the death of another sperm whale March 11 off Venice Beach.

The AMI sperm whale was taken to Egmont Key for a necropsy and then buried at Mullet Key because the Smithsonian Institution wanted to return and collect its skeletal remains.

“It was big,” Moore said of the AMI whale. “The tail made a wake.” He added that the pier manager was worried the whale might tear up the pier.

Curious about this particular piece of the past?

Valued sources include a collection of histories by

the late Carolyne Norwood, area newspapers and the Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum.

At the museum, 402 Pine Ave., Anna Maria, I reviewed the glossy copies of journalist Don Moore’s photographs of the stranded whale in 1974.

One photo appears in Norwood’s “Anna Maria Island: 1940-1970” history, along with a description of the whale dying.

“As the whale lay on its side, hardly moving in the water, it’s big eye seemed to be watching the men as they circled close in boats less than half the size of the giant sea creature,” Norwood wrote.

gathered on Tampa Bay in 1974 where a

suring 48 feet

a 48-foot sperm whale — larger than the sperm whale that died March 11 off Venice Beach — died near the anna Maria city Pier in 1974. The aMI whale was taken to Egmont Key for a necropsy and then buried at Mullet Key.

She said the whale was a full-grown male and the scientists performing the necropsy struggled to climb on top to extract blood.

The Tampa Bay Times archives hold more information, as well as reports of another whale stranding at AMI months later.

A report from March 1974 said the sperm whale was seen in the area for several days, including near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, and that a boat crew towed the whale into deeper water but it stranded near the Anna Maria Yacht Club and died.

Neff

People are

sperm whale mea-

died. The photo and others are archived at the anna Maria Island historical Society, 402 Pine ave., anna Maria. Islander Photo: Don Moore/courtesy aMIhS

Islander Photo: Don Moore/ courtesy aMIhS

Moore

Sperm whale dies off

Venice Beach

By Lisa Neff Islander Editor

An emaciated sperm whale stranded in the surf off Venice Beach died March 11.

The whale was spotted off the coast March 10, bringing first-responders, the Mote Marine Stranding Investigations Research Program, NOAA Fisheries Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, University of Florida and the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program.

Hazardous conditions and the whale’s unpredictable behavior made reaching the whale unsafe.

“As soon as the stranding hotline began ringing, we wanted nothing more than to get to this animal as quickly as possible to assess how we could help it,” Gretchen Lovewell, Mote’s SIRP manager, said in a statement from the organization, which operates an educational outreach in Anna Maria on the City Pier.

“When we arrived on scene, the weather and wave conditions were so severe that we could not safely approach the whale by boat and a deep trough ran between us and the whale. This, coupled with the unpredictable nature and sheer size of the animal preventing us from getting to the animal safely. It was like a gut punch and everyone involved is deeply saddened that we could not have saved this animal or eased its suffering sooner.”

The whale died about 3-4 a.m. March 11 and, later that day, the stranding team conducted a 13-hour necropsy.

Mote learned the emaciated whale was an adult male that weighed about 70,000 pounds and measured 44 feet in length.

Samples were collected to attempt to determine

A second report stated the whale died of old age and parasites.

A columnist in April 1974 wrote that when the sperm whale carcass was moved from Egmont, its teeth were removed.

Then, in August 1974 in Holmes Beach, people struggled to rescue a pygmy sperm whale suffering cuts to its belly and back, according to the Times.

An aquarium in St. Pete took in the smaller whale, possibly injured in a boat strike and malnourished.

Searching on, there is an interesting story in the archives, published in 2013, about veterinarian Bill Goldston of St. Pete, who died at age 68. Goldston

cause of death and to better understand sperm whale health, energetics and life history.

The cause of death was still pending as of Islander press time.

Sea Tow of Venice towed the whale offshore.

“The hard work to bring the whale ashore to thoroughly examine and collect valuable biological information is vital to providing both a better understanding of and protection to this species that inhabits the Gulf of Mexico,” said Blair Mase, marine mammal stranding coordinator for the Southeast region in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Strandings hotline

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium’s Stranding Investigation Program responds to calls of “stranded” sea turtles, dolphins and whales in Sarasota and Manatee county areas. To report a stranded animal to Mote’s 24/7 hotline call 888-345-2335.

joined in the efforts to rescue the sperm and pygmy sperm whales on AMI in 1974, as well as helped to save Sunset Sam, a famous Clearwater Marine Aquarium dolphin.

His wife told the paper, “Sixty years from now, somebody is going to be digging my garden and find whale bones and not understand how they got here.”

Still to be determined with my research, whether the Smithsonian Institution retrieved the remains of the sperm whale buried in 1974.

A Nov. 2, 1975, story in the St. Pete Times said the recovery was postponed to “some considerable time in the future.” Did the future ever come?

Members of the Mote Marine Laboratory Stranding Investigations research Program respond to a stranded, 44-foot sperm whale off Venice Beach. Others in the stranding network include NOaa Fisheries Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife conservation commission, clearwater Marine aquarium, University of Florida and the Sarasota Dolphin research Program. Islander

Photo: courtesy Mote Marine Laboratory

a boat patrols near a sperm whale in distress March 10 off Venice Beach. Islander Photo: courtesy city of Venice

a stranding team conducts a necropsy on a sperm whale that died March 11 at Venice Beach. The team collected samples, gathered data and measurements in the examination that lasted 13 hours.

Islander Photo: courtesy Mote Marine Laboratory

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ITEMS FOR SALE

NO STaIrS TO front door: Selling one-year-old electric lift. Trust-t-lift holds 7,000 pounds. $5,000, new, asking $2,500. call 941-896-6411.

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FREEBIE ITEMS FOR SALE

Individuals may place one free ad with up to three items, each priced $100 or less, 15 words or less. FrEE, one week, must be submitted online. Email classifieds@islander.org. (limited time offer).

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

r OSE r B r IDGE L a ST day to play is Friday, March 22, 2024. call 314-324-5921.

GARAGE SALES

MULTI-FaMILY SaLE: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 22-23. Sofas, golf clubs, fishing gear, housewares, linens and much more. Inside if it rains. 505 Bayview Drive, holmes Beach.

9 a.M.-NOON, SaTUrDaY. March 23. Kayaks, power tools, Weber grill, patio furniture, more. 707 S. Bay Blvd., anna Maria.

PETS

SEEKING a FOrEVEr home for an affectionate, mature, longhair tortoiseshell cat whose companion died. She’s chipped, up-to-date on vet visits and well-trained, even walks on a leash. She shared an island home with dogs but not other cats. 941-224-0523.

TRANSPORTATION

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BOATS & BOATING

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HELP WANTED.

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r EPO rTEr Wa NTED: Full- to part-time. Print media, newspaper experience required. apply via email with letter of interest to news@islander. org.

KIDS FOR HIRE

KIDS FO r h I r E ads are F r EE for up to three weeks for Island youths under 16 looking for work. Place ads online at islander.org.

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SERVICES

IS YOUr hOME or office in need of some cleaning? Well, I’m your girl! Local, reliable, professional! Please, give me a call or text, 941-773 -0461.

cLEaNING: VacaTION, cONSTrUcTION, residential, commercial and windows. Licensed and insured. 941-756-4570.

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LAWN & GARDEN

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I S L A N D E

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VaN-GO PaINTING residential/commercial, interior/exterior, pressure cleaning, wallpaper. Island references. Bill, 941-795-5100. www.vangopainting.net.

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SOUThWEST hOME IMPrOVEMENT: Michigan builder, quality work guaranteed. a ffordable, timely, within budget. c all Mike’s cell, 1-616204-8822.

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RENTALS

aNNa MarIa GULF beachfront vacation rentals. One- two- and three-bedroom units, all beachfront. www.amiparadise.com. 941-778-3143.

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RENTALS Continued

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hOLMES BEach 2Br/2Ba Island home. Vaulted ceilings, walkable to beach, restaurants, dog park. Boat slip, furnished. Six-plus months minimum. call Paige, 513-382-1992, Duncan real Estate.

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hOME S har E IN Bradenton near anna Maria Island. Private bedroom, furnished. Text, 941725-0256.

2025 SEaSONaL rENTaL: Just one block from the beach, Single-story 2B r /2B a , screened patio, private backyard. No smoking/no pets. Three-month minimum. holmes Beach. call 813833-4926.

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TRENTALS Continued

a NN a M ar I a 3B r /1B a historic cottage, half block to Gulf beach and one block to Pine avenue shopping and restaurants. available due to cancellation: april 2024, $3,000/month, May 2024, $2,800/month. 941-778-8456, terryaposporos@ gmail.com

REAL ESTATE

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NEED r E a L ESTaTE help? Buy, sell, property management, rentals. c all Fred Flis. 35 years local experience. r eal Estate Mart, 941-3561456.

FO r S a LE BY owner: Paradise Bay Estates (55-plus community) mobile home, 1B r /1B a , turnkey, partially furnished, epoxy flooring in lanai, stamped concrete driveway, $160,000. One mile to beach. 614-230-5520.

PLacE aDS ONLINE: ISLaNDEr.OrG

isl biz

By robyn Murrell

Anna Maria or Italy?

Dan and Vicki Cusack, owners of the family-run Isola Bella Italian Eatery in Holmes Beach, have been serving Italian food and ambiance for six years.

“We took a staff trip to Florence, Italy, last year. And we noticed so many decorations and so many setups that are so like how we have it here,” said Abi Fritz, who markets the restaurant and works as a hostess. “And a lot of our customers that have visited Italy will come and tell us that this is so similar to their experience at restaurants in Italy.”

The hostess suggests making reservations, as the small upscale restaurant is limited to nine indoor tables and nine on the patio.

The menu includes traditional Italian dishes with pasta and sauces made from scratch, as well as creative chef specials, such as capesante alla pancetta — panseared sea scallops crowned with the chef’s savory pancetta jam.

KEY ROYALE BAYFRONT

Enjoy open water views of the bay from this 3BR/2.5BA home on deep water with a boat dock. Open floorplan, panoramic water views, spacious screened lanai and in-ground pool. Watch marine life, boats and the opening of the bridge from the comforts of this beautiful, waterfront home. Key Royale offers a 9-hole golf course, restaurant and bar with club membership. $3,300,000

Stunning 2BR/3BA, ground-level home at the north end of the Island. Located on a serene, mangrove-lined canal, completely remodeled with top -of-the-line amenities and tasteful decor. Hop on your boat for a day of fishing, or enjoy watching manatees from the dock. Spacious, screened lanai, turnkey furnishings and just a short walk to the beach! $1,495,000

Call Marianne Norman-Ellis (941) 685-3393

The restaurant’s scallops and other seafood are popular items in the spring and summer.

In addition, the eatery has a selection of wines from different regions of Italy and offers proseccobased cocktails.

“A fun one is always an Aperol spritz,” Fritz told The Islander.

The hours are 5-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Look for them at 5904 Marina Drive — under the cell tower.

For more information, contact Isola Bella at 941242-5309 or go online at isolabellafl.com.

PropertyWatch

By carol Bernard

Island real estate

313 Poinsettia Road, Anna Maria, 1,878 sq ft 3BR/3BA home on a 8,250 sq ft lot built in 1991 sold 2/21/2024 by Moss to Pottle for $1,740,000, list price $1,999,999.

108 Ninth St. S., unit G, Bradenton Beach, 1,154 sq ft 2BR/2BA Bayview condo built in 1984 sold 2/15/2024 by Rothschild to R&D Enterprises Inc for $825,000, list price $895,000.

401 28th St., Holmes Beach, 1,188 sq ft 2BR/2BA home on a 9,601 sq ft lot built in 1965 sold 2/20/2024 by Stein to Drummond for $1,070,000, list price $1,150,000.

Compiled by Island Real Estate staff. Island Real Estate can be reached at 941-778-6066, islandreal. com.

BizCal

By robyn Murrell

SAVE THE DATES

March 28, 5-7:30 p.m., Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce Business Card Exchange and Annual Scholarship Awards Banquet, LaPensee Plumbing Pool Air, 401 Manatee Ave., Holmes Beach.

April 1, 5-7 p.m., Manatee Chamber of Commerce Pints and Politics, Oscura, 816 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton.

April 4, 8-9:30 a.m. AMI chamber sunrise breakfast, Minnie’s Beach Cafe, 5360 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.

May 10, 12:30 p.m., AMI chamber golf tournament, IMG Academy Golf Club, 4350 El Conquistador Parkway, Bradenton.

Send calendar listings to robyn@islander.org

Emily chonay of Manatee Digital Marketing, left, andrew Vac of rE/ MaX real and John renkawitz of Pampered Movers share business tips and lunch March 14 at Isola Bella Italian Eatery in holmes Beach, with the aMI chamber of commerce. Islander Photo: courtesy aMI chamber BELOW: Isola Bella co-owner Vicki cusack, right, and hostess abi Fritz, left, welcome guests March 14 to a chamber of commerce luncheon. Islander Photo: Toni Lyon

MIKE NORMAN REALTY EST. 1978

ANNA MARIA CANAL HOME

Waterfront custom home built by Gagne Construction with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, generator, 500-gallon gas tank, solar panels, elevator servicing all three floors, rooftop deck and 50-foot dock! Located amongst the few canals at the north end of Anna Maria with no bridges to open water. A truly magnificent home for you and your family. Zoned for weekly rentals.

Duplex weekly rental property that is fun and unique to the island as it is split level with each unit having its own entire floor with both front balconies to take in the seaside sites and glorious sunsets, as well as balconies on the back for those early risers or for those who prefer a shady libation. Located across the street from the Public Beach.

Impeccably maintained from the landscaping to the roof, new in Nov. 2022. This property has the potential for savvy investors looking to capitalize on the island’s booming vacation rental market with 2 bedrooms, bath and a den/office.Or the ultimate escape for second-home buyers seeking serenity by the sea.

This property is solid block from base to roof with deep pilings. Located on 77th Street, only 1 house from the beach access with oversized bedrooms and bathrooms, an open floor plan and large kitchen open to both the dining area and living room, this home lives larger than one would think. Open up the sliding doors that lead to the balcony off the living room and dine al fresco — no on-street parking makes for a quiet and peaceful beach house that’s all yours to enjoy.

Direct: 941.713.5458

Email: Shellie.Young@PremierSIR.com

Shellie Young, PA, MCNS, IARP, CLHMS Million Dollar Guild

Premier Sotheby’s International Realty

Servicing Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key & Waterfront Properties