The Islander Newspaper E-Edition: Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024

10-30

Remaining mangroves removed

by ryan Paice

islander reporter

The canal side of one Anna Maria property was laid bare by the removal of 116 feet of mangrove fringe.

Bradenton-based Mason Martin LLC removed 49 linear feet of remaining mangroves Feb. 21 at 111 Gull Drive after receiving permits from the city and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct a seawall.

Mangroves provide environmental benefits, including offering a unique ecosystem for marine life, decreasing land erosion and

DOT

The caboose leaves its station.

toP: Paul chapman, vice president of the Florida railroad museum, inspects the anna maria elementary caboose wheels Feb. 24 as the train car is lifted by a crane at the school in Holmes beach. middLe: Principal mike masiello shoots photos as the caboose is lifted by a crane from its home on the ame campus since 1987 to a flatbed trailer in the school parking lot. bottom: Johnson House moving pulls onto gulf drive with ame’s red caboose — a former computer lab and school store bound for a new home at the Florida railroad museum in Parrish. islander Photos: robyn murrell

by robert anderson

islander reporter

The Florida Department of Transportation is approaching a milestone in its efforts to evaluate the Longboat Pass Bridge.

The DOT is finalizing a project development and environment study aimed at evaluating bridge options along a mile of Gulf Drive/State Road 789 that extends from North Shore Road on Longboat Key to the Coquina Beach Park entrance in Bradenton Beach and includes the bridge that connects the key to Anna Maria Island.

The study involves assessing alternatives for the bridge, considering emergency evacuation needs, bicycle and pedestrian lanes and safety improvements, as well as environmental and cultural impacts.

The bridge, built in 1957 and rehabilitated in 2005 and 2020, faces functional obsolescence due to substandard shoulders and traffic barriers, according to the DOT

111 gull drive, anna maria, islander

Photo: ryan Paice

Jewfish Key homeowners seek separation from Longboat Key

by robert anderson islander reporter

The Longboat Key commission is navigating legal waters around Jewfish Key.

The Jewfish Key Preservation Collective, which acts as a homeowner’s association for property owners on the key, requested disengagement from the municipal boundaries of Longboat Key Dec. 19, 2023.

Manatee County Property Appraiser online records indicate Jewfish Key, a 38-acre island off the north end of Longboat Key, is home to 21 parcels owned by 11 entities. There are nine residences.

A Feb. 6 email from town manager Howard Tipton said the request for separation came after the JKPC ratified a resolution mandating the submission of the petition.

Correspondence to the town from Aaron Thomas, an attorney with the Najmy Thompson law fi rm of Bradenton, stated that more than 15% of eligible JKPC voters favored the petition.

Tipton wrote in an email about the town’s responsibilities: “From our perspective, their request triggers that a feasibility study be done and presented to the town commission before the end of June. It is rare that a request such as this is received by a municipality and staff is working to ensure that we are in compliance with the applicable statutes.”

Should the de-annexation request be approved, Jewfi sh Key would become part of unincorporated Manatee County and property owners would no longer be governed by the town’s regulations or pay taxes to the town.

Town planning, zoning and building director Allen Parsons, in a Feb. 14 interview with The Islander, said de-annexation has never been attempted in Longboat Key. As a result, the town is still gathering information for the feasibility study.

“This is all new to the town and there are not many of these that have occurred in the state,” Parsons said. “Annexing is common. A portion of unincorporated

county gets annexed into a city, but de-annexing is pretty rare.”

Parson said the commission would decide if the request for de-annexation is valid. Should the town vote against the request and the collective appeal, the issue would go to court.

“We are targeting having the public hearings in the months of June,” Parsons said. A feasibility study would be released about a week before the hearings begin.

Town officials would not speculate as to the reasoning behind the JKPC’s request but one difference between Longboat Key and unincorporated Manatee County is LBK’s toward short-term rental policies.

In residential zoned districts of LBK, a short-term rental minimum stay is limited to one month.

Jewfish Key is zoned as an island preserve residential district.

Meanwhile, Manatee County has no limits on short-term rentals.

Longboat Key adopted vacation rental restrictions in 1982 that differentiated between residential and tourism zoning.

“There was a state statute that was passed in 2011 that prohibited jurisdictions from enacting any kind

an aerial view of Jewfish Key, a 38-acre island in the waters off Longboat Key. Property owners there submitted a request for deannexation from the town to become part of unincorporated manatee county. islander Photo: Jacob merrifield

of short-term rental restrictions on the length of stay,” Parsons said.

He said Longboat Key’s early regulations preserved the identity of its residential communities.

“I think that it’s made a pretty significant difference, especially over the past 10 years or so, where online vacation rentals have really taken off,” Parsons said. “I think the character of the town could have changed rapidly over that time.”

The Islander reached out to Thomas Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 for comment but, as of Islander press time Feb. 27, no response was received.

The Islander reached out by email Feb. 6 to JKPC president Michael Mincberg for comment but, as of Islander press time Feb. 27, no response was received.

Check The Islander archives

Mangroves continued From Page 1

improving nearshore water quality.

The 1996 Florida Department of Environmental Protection Mangrove Trimming and Preservation Act establishes regulations to protect coastal vegetation and set standards for mangrove trimming.

Most alterations require DEP permitting.

The property at 111 Gull Drive is owned by Massachusetts-based Sharp Development LLC, which purchased it last year for $1,890,000 before demolishing the existing home.

The DEP cleared the mangroves for removal in a September 2022 letter that exempted the construction of a seawall at the property from authorization.

However, Mason Martin lacked permits from the city and USACE to build a seawall when the contractor began removing mangroves on the canal in December.

After fielding complaints about the removal of mangroves Dec. 4, 2023, city staff inspected the property and found Mason Martin employees removing the vegetation without a city-issued building permit.

City staff posted a stop work order for work under the unissued permit at the property Dec. 6, 2023, but returned a week later — following additional complaints — to find work had resumed and the posted red tag missing.

The city reposted the stop work order, which postponed the removal of 49 feet of mangrove fringe that remained at the property.

During the delay, DEP staff inspected the property and found Mason Martin began work without installing erosion control devices, such as a silt fence and turbidity barrier — which were later installed.

Nevertheless, the DEP determined that the contractor’s work to remove the mangroves was within the footprint of exempted activity.

By Feb. 16, USACE had issued a permit for work at the property, which Mason Martin sent to the city the next day.

With that final piece in tow, city staff completed its review Feb. 20 and issued a building permit to con-

struct a seawall.

The contractor resumed and completed work removing mangroves at the property by Feb. 21.

Mayor Dan Murphy told The Islander Feb. 22 the issuance of a city permit negated the stop work order.

However, Murphy said the contractor violated the city’s stop work order last year and the municipality is considering legal options.

“We’re considering what can be done, if anything,” he said.

Mason Martin could face repercussions from the city’s local construction regulation board for willingly violating the municipal building code by ignoring a stop work order.

The LCRB can deny, suspend, or revoke the authority of a certified contractor to obtain a building permit or limit such authority to obtaining permits with specific conditions.

Mason Martin co-owner Frank Agnelli acknowledged in a Feb. 22 interview with The Islander that he may have cut through red tape by beginning work in December without permits from the city and USACE and resuming work despite the city’s red tag.

Nevertheless, Agnelli argued that there was too much unnecessary red tape holding up the project, costing his client money and pushing him into action.

He said he applied for a permit through the USACE in 2021, but saw no sign of progress until he began work in December without a permit.

“We got 50-60 emails out to them with no response,” Agnelli said. “Do you know that I got the permit faster doing it that way than I would have if I just would have waited for it?”

“So because I did what I did, I got the permit in two months. I didn’t receive one ounce of discipline,” he added. “I’m sorry, but it paid off that way. It worked. We got it done. We don’t know how long we would have been waiting if we didn’t do that.”

Agnelli said the property needs a seawall to meet elevations the home was built to in order to prevent flooding. He added that the property had lost about 15

feet of land to erosion despite the mangroves’ presence along the canal.

“We’re trying to protect these peoples’ investments,” he said.

Agnelli questioned the city’s jurisdiction over mangrove regulations or its ability to post a stop work order for mangrove removal work he claims had been cleared under an earlier site development permit.

He said he would take legal action if his business faces repercussions from the municipality for violating the red tag.

“I will fight that,” Agnelli said. “They’re not going to take my livelihood because I worked through a red tag that had no bearing, no weight, no legitimacy.”

Agnelli added that he was tired of being treated as a bad guy for doing his job.

“Everybody has the right to do what I did,” he said. “We push the envelope a little bit. But I’m still not in the wrong.”

Regardless of the results at 111 Gull Drive, the matter has sparked conversations among commissioners about mangrove regulations in Anna Maria and Holmes Beach.

Q&A 022824

by Lisa neff

The Islander poll

Last week’s question

When i think of march, i think of …

21%. Spring blossoms

37%. Tourist season

11%. Basketball championship

21%. Spring training

9%. Other

This week’s question

daylight saving time, when we spring ahead an hour, is march 10.

A. Looking forward to the time change.

B. Abolish daylight saving time.

C. Make daylight saving time permanent.

D. Matters not to me.

To answer the poll, go online to islander.org.

the Longboat Pass bridge that connects Longboat Key with the south end of anna maria island at bradenton beach. the dot is inviting the public to two workshops on “preliminary alternatives.”

islander Photo: courtesy Fdot

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. For the latest, go to amiprojects.io.

• City center in Holmes Beach: Manatee County’s work on a force main project in the area of Marina Drive and side streets continues and traffic patterns can change. For the latest, go to amiprojects.io.

— Lisa neff

State roadwork in final stage

The Florida Department of Transportation’s recent work along State Road 789/Gulf Drive is almost done.

DOT community outreach manager Barbara Catlin wrote in a Feb. 16 email to The Islander that the safety

improvement project was only two steps from completion.

The project is projected to cost $3.9 million and includes pedestrian improvements at 17 intersections along SR 789 between Longboat Key and its intersection with State Road 64/Manatee Avenue in Holmes Beach.

The project has involved adding rapid fl ashing beacons and pedestrian hybrid beacons, as well as improving sidewalks and pedestrian lighting at crosswalk locations.

Construction began last spring and, by Feb. 16, Catlin wrote that the only unfinished work left was to replace existing lights with LED lights and mark the impacted areas along SR 789 with new thermoplastic striping.

Catlin wrote that restriping work would be completed overnight to avoid inconvenience.

She added that work on the project was set for completion in March.

— ryan Paice

website.

With a health index falling below 50, indicating a need for replacement, the DOT has prioritized the project, according to the DOT website.

The index is a tool used by the Federal Highway Administration to assess the structural or functional health of a bridge. The index is calculated based on the condition of a bridge’s structural elements and the service the bridge provides.

The next stage in the PD&E process involves online and in-person workshops.

An online workshop will be held Tuesday, March 12, with materials available for review after March 5 at swflroads.com/sr789/longboatkey.

People interested in participating online are encouraged to register at tinyurl.com/lbksr789.

An in-person workshop will be 5-7 p.m., Thursday, March 14, at Christ Church of Longboat Key, 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

One alternative being considered is a fixed bridge, which would have a minimum 65-foot vertical clearance.

Alternatively, a bascule bridge is being evaluated.

When the DOT launched the PD&E, it also said rehabilitation of the bridge would be evaluated.

The Islander reached out to the DOT by email Feb. 21 and by phone Feb. 22 but, as of Islander press time Feb. 27, there was no response.

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

Milestones

The Islander welcomes stories about islanders and island life, as well as photographs and notices of the milestones in readers’ lives — weddings, births, anniversaries, travels, obituaries and other events.

Submit your story with contact information to news@islander.org.

Election season 2024

Coquina Beach Market

Wednesday, Feb 28th , Friday, Mar 1st & Sunday, Mar 3rd 10AM - 4PM

Music 11AM - 2PM

Mike Sales on Wednesday

Chuck Davis on Friday

NEW LOCATION: The Coquina Beach Market is located on the very South end of Anna Maria Island. If driving, take the South entrance to the park before the Longboat Pass bridge. If taking the trolley, walk South from the Café to the end of the island.

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

Island Republicans, start your engines.

Early voting for GOP presidential primary set

To cast an in-person ballot during early voting in Florida’s presidential preference primary, islanders will have to head to the mainland.

Early voting in the closed primary — only registered Republicans can cast ballots — will begin Saturday, March 9, and continue daily through Saturday, March 16.

Hours will be 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Voting locations include the Braden River Library, G.T. Bray Park, Lakewood Ranch Library, Lakewood Ranch Town Hall, Palmetto Library, Rocky Bluff Library and the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.

The polling spot nearest AMI is G.T. Bray, 5502 33rd Ave. Drive W., Bradenton.

Voters should bring a current ID that includes a photo and signature.

For more information, go online to votemanatee.com.

Key election dates

• Saturday, March 9, early voting opens for presidential preference primary.

• Tuesday, March 19, presidential preference primary.

• 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

Roadside ‘dis’ traction

a hand-lettered sign accusing manatee county commissioner Kevin Van ostenbridge, r-district 3, of “lies!” was posted Feb. 23 on manatee avenue east of the anna maria island bridge. the backside read, “Vote corrupt KVo out!” but carried no disclaimer for who placed the sign. in august, Van ostenbridge, seeking reelection, faces primary challenger tal Siddique. democrat diana Shoemaker will face the primary winner in november. islander Photo: Lisa neff

Anna Maria hopes for responses to smaller Pine Avenue RFP

by ryan Paice

islander reporter

Anna Maria offi cials are hoping a third time is the charm for a request for proposals to improve Pine Avenue.

City commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the issuance of an RFP for sidewalk and crosswalk improvements along a stretch of Pine Avenue south of Gulf Drive to intersection with North Shore Drive.

Commissioner Jonathan Crane voted “no,” calling the RFP “draconian.”

The city budgeted $3,349,634.46 in fiscal 2023-24 to improve Pine, Magnolia and Spring avenues with meandering paver sidewalks, enhanced crosswalks and street lighting.

That funding includes $2,698,440 in state appropriations, administered through the Florida Department of Transportation, as well as $283,412.96 from the U.S. American Rescue Plan Act.

The city has issued three requests for proposals to complete the improvements along Pine Avenue but only one bidder — Sarasota-based C-Squared CGC — responded to each.

Mayor Dan Murphy proposed last November to move forward with a prototype project for improvements along the roughly block-long stretch while the city continues to work on its plans for Magnolia and Spring avenues.

The prototype project would be based on St. Petersburg-based George F. Young Inc.’s previously discussed plans for Pine Avenue, and is projected to cost around $450,000.

Murphy has said the work would serve as a test case for future improvements along the roadway since the stretch poses a variety of challenges.

The north side of the target area features a handful of commercial properties, including Poppo’s Taqueria, 212C Pine Ave., while the south side features a mix of private residences and public property, including city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive.

Additionally, with two intersections along the stretch, there are opportunities to test crosswalk enhancements.

Murphy said Feb. 22 that the city’s full-time engineer, Sarasota-based Infrastructure Solution Services, was not interested in taking the work.

He said the municipality’s next best option for pursuing improvements would be to issue an RFP and he presented one for consideration.

Crane questioned whether the document was an RFP or a solicitation for bids, adding that, either way, it was so “draconian” that it would prevent him from bidding on the project if he were a contractor.

“I’d be afraid this project would put me in litigation for years,” Crane said.

Murphy noted that the project was funded through the DOT and much of the language used in the RFP was dictated or required by the state.

“Sometimes when you dance with the devil, you’ve got to take what they’ve got,” he said.

Nevertheless, Murphy added that many concerns could be addressed in the contract negotiation process, since that is where the city can fine tune aspects of an agreement.

There was no public comment.

Commissioner Gary McMullen moved to approve the RFP.

Commissioner Kathleen Morgan-Johnson seconded the motion, which passed.

The RFP was set to be issued to the public Feb. 26, after The Islander’s press deadline.

Contractors will have until 11 a.m. Friday, March 22, to submit proposals to the city for review.

Murphy said it would take him and staff 8-10 days to complete their review before presenting proposals and a recommendation to the commission.

If commissioners vote to begin contract negotiations, Murphy will negotiate with the selected contractor to create a final contract for commission consideration.

Benefit Feb. 27 to support injured HB commissioner

If you’re reading the early Feb. 28 edition of The Islander newspaper, you still have time to make it to an event on Feb. 27.

Islander publisher Bonner Joy and Sean Murphy and Susan Timmins, owners of the Doctor’s Office and Doctor’s Garden, were to cohost a fundraiser 3-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, for Holmes Beach Commissioner Pat Morton at the Doctor’s Garden, 5312 Holmes Blvd., Holmes Beach.

Everyone is welcome to attend the event.

Plans included a raffle of specialty baskets from the city of Holmes Beach, the Holmes Beach Police Department, Waste Pro, the Anna Maria Island Privateers, Ace Hardware of Holmes Beach, the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, the Center of Anna Maria Island and the cities of Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria and more. There will also be bidding on some arts and crafts at the event.

Light bites and libations will be served.

In addition to the event, The Islander started a GoFundMe campaign to help Morton, who was injured in a traffic collision Jan. 25 outside Ace Hardware in Holmes Beach.

Morton was walking to the store, where he is employed, when a motorist in a pickup truck ran a stop sign and struck him.

He was hospitalized, suffering a chipped vertebra, fractured pelvis and kidney damage.

Now the commissioner, who had been the primary caretaker for his wife, needs help caring for her and with living expenses while he’s out of work.

For more, go to “Please, help — Unexpected home care and expenses” on gofundme.com or call The Islander at 941-778-7978.

a bicyclist raises his arms while riding Feb. 23 on Pine avenue in anna maria, which lacks a bike lane. islander Photo: ryan Paice

In other matters…

City commissioners also unanimously voted to adopt an ordinance to vacate an easement at 117 Peppertree Lane, where the city approved an exchange in 2003 but never finalized documentation;

They also authorized Murphy to renew an interlocal agreement with the Florida Division of Emergency Management to access certain state resources in case of emergencies.

The commission will meet next at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive.

Meetings

by Lisa neff

ANNA MARIA CITY

March 13, 9 a.m., planning and zoning.

Anna Maria City Hall, 10005 Gulf Drive, 941-708-6130, cityofannamaria.com.

BRADENTON BEACH

Feb. 28, 10 a.m., pier team.

March 6, 9:30 a.m., CRA.

March 6, 1 p.m., planning and zoning.

March 7, 6 p.m., commission.

Bradenton Beach City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N., 941-778-1005, cityofbradentonbeach.com.

HOLMES BEACH

March 6, 10 am., parks and beautification.

March 6, 5 p.m., planning.

Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive, 941-708-5800, holmesbeachfl.org.

MANATEE COUNTY

March 5, 9 a.m., commission (work session).

March 7, 9 a.m., commission (land use).

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

ALSO OF INTEREST

March 11, 2 p.m., ITPO, Anna Maria City Hall.

941-

NOW OFFERING PERMANENT JEWELRY !

morton

Leap Year leads to busy March

The days grow shorter as we approach the end of February, Leap Year Day and March.

We’ll spring the clocks forward on March 10.

And the arrow that hits the big target known as Winter Tourism is fixed on Easter Sunday, March 31.

Yep, you read that right.

The peak of our tourism season is a wee bit more than a month away.

And while we see a changing face of tourism on Anna Maria Island, lending more toward the weekly rentals and the push from managers and owners to fill their vacation homes year-round, there’s no disputing the winter weather up north that sends “Snowbirds,” long-stay visitors of a month to six months, and friends and family from all over to spend time on AMI will wind down. Daffodils soon will be blooming.

By Easter Sunday, we hit the crescendo of tourism, signaling the end of peak season and what might be a slowdown on AMI.

We’ve already heard some retailers, boutique owners and restaurateurs moaning about slow sales, and we’re wondering if that’s partly due to the rise in rates for vacation rentals. If the families that hope to vacation on Anna Maria Island can’t afford much more than their accommodations, the losses are bound to trickle down. Vacationers will dine out less. Buy fewer T-shirts, swim noodles and souvenirs. And pay less for attractions, golf, baseball and boat tours.

Well, fear not. We have Southern Living’s list of “The 14 Most Beautiful Places In Florida, According To A Native Floridian,” to send tourists our way.

The recommendations were compiled by senior magazine editor Lisa Cericola.

Of Anna Maria Island, she said: “Picking the best beach in Florida is like finding the perfect seashell— there are just too many to choose from. But Anna Maria Island consistently ranks at the top, according to our readers and editors. The island is made up of three charming towns: Anna Maria in the north, Holmes Beach in the middle, and Bradenton Beach in the south. Each area has its own beach, and they are equally lovely, with soft, white sand and blue-green water and less crowds than more well-known beaches on the west coast.”

Tourism can be a fickle beast, but have no fear. People will find AMI no matter the season — whether for Leap Day or sea turtle nesting season, tarpon season or Leprechaun and pirate celebrations.

Yes, St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and I hear the sound of a bagpipes!

Who doesn’t love Anna Maria Island?

— bonner Joy, news@islander.org

Fortunate Friends

On behalf of the Friends of the Island Library, I want to thank our generous community for the donations we have received for our upcoming jewelry sale in March.

The quantity and quality are truly unbelievable.

Skimming online

Website: islander.org

Facebook: islandernewspaper

X: @ami_islander

Instagram: @theislanderami

Pinterest: @islandernewspaper

▼ Publisher, Co-editor bonner Joy, news@islander.org

▼ Editorial editor Lisa neff, lisa@islander.org robert anderson, robert@islander.org Joe bird, editorial cartoonist Kevin cassidy, kevin@islander.org masha dolgoff, masha@islander.org Jack elka, jack@jackelka.com robyn murrell, robyn@islander.org ryan Paice, ryan@islander.org

▼ Contributors

Karen riley-Love Jacob merrifield

capt. danny Stasny, fish@islander.org

▼ Advertising Director toni Lyon, toni@islander.org

▼ Webmaster Wayne ansell

▼ Office Manager, Lisa Williams info@, accounting@, classifieds@, subscriptions@islander.org

▼ Distribution urbane bouchet ross roberts

We have thousands of items that will be in the sale.

News alerts: Register at islander.org

E-edition: Subscribe at islander.org FEB. 28, 2024 • Vol. 32, No. 19

Judy Loden Wasco All others: news@islander.org

This year, as last year, many items are under $5 but new are designer and estate tables — because the donations have been so amazing.

We look forward to seeing the community come out to see all the gems we have.

All proceeds benefit our little gem of a library.

The sale is Thursday, March 14 , for members and Friday-Saturday, March 15-16 for the public.

The last day for donations at the library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, will be Thursday, Feb. 29.

Thank you again for your generous hearts.

Julie Perry, Friends of the Island Library jewelry sale chair

Sending letters We welcome letters to the editor. Submit comments along with a name, city of residence and phone number to news@islander.org. Please, keep letters to less than 200 words.

Connections, AMI & beyond

Anna Maria: Mayor Dan Murphy, 941-708-6130, cityofannamaria.com, ammayor@cityofannamaria. com.

Bradenton Beach : Mayor John Chappie, 941778-1005, mayor@cityofbradentonbeach.com.

Holmes Beach: Mayor Judy Titsworth, 941-7085800, hbmayor@holmesbeachfl.org.

Manatee County : Republican Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge, 941-745-3705, kevin.vanostenbridge@mymanatee.org.

Florida Senate: Republican Jim Boyd, 941-7426445, boyd.jim.web@flsenate.gov.

Florida House : Republican William Cloud “Will” Robinson Jr., 941-708-4968, will.robinson@myfloridahouse.gov.

our theme, “We’re glad You’re Here,” originated in the 1980s with a restaurant trade group. We hope everyone feels welcome on ami.

Florida Governor : Republican Ron DeSantis, 850-717-9337, flgov.com.

U.S. House : Republican Vern Buchanan, 941951-6643, rep.vern.buchanan@mail.house.gov.

U.S. Senate: Republican Marco Rubio, 305-5964224; Republican Rick Scott, 786-501-7141.

President: Democrat Joe Biden, 202-456-1111, www.whitehouse.gov/contact.

On the water

a postcard features the High Seas restaurant, 9915 manatee ave. W., bradenton. the back of the card reads, “a brilliant view from the water’s edge adds to either lunch or dinner, which is served 7 days per week.” the magic dolphin lounge was open until 2 a.m. the archival record associated with the postcard states that owner Lester dean of terra ceia pleaded guilty to racketeering and tax evasion and that the restaurant was seized by the u.S. government in 1989.

the Perico Harbor marina is featured in a 1992 postcard, which describes the marina as “a country club for boaters! easily accessible by land or water. boat rental. charter boats. annual and Seasonal boating memberships. dry boat Storage. boat Sales. gas. bait & tackle. certified mechanics. Ship’s Store and Parts department. boat detailing and Pressure Washing. unlimited ins and outs.” the marina, built in 1988, closed in 2006. Leverock’s restaurant is on the right.

a map shows the planned town of Palma Sola, as well as the outlines of anna maria island, Perico island, terra ceia, the northern end of Longboat Key. the map also indicates the gulf of mexico, tampa bay, Palma Sola bay, Sarasota bay and terra ceia bay. islander Photos: courtesy manatee county Public Library System

Check The Islander archives

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 the collection of newspapers beginning with the first issue in 1992. Look for The Islander in the UofF Florida digital newspaper collection at ufdc.ufl.edu.

We’d love to mail you the news!

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We bring you all the news about three city governments, community happenings, people features and special events … even real estate transactions … everything you need if your “heart is on Anna Maria Island.”

If you don’t live here year-round, use this form to subscribe by snail mail for yourself or someone else. Sorry, we do not suspend mail subscriptions — you get The Islander free while you’re here!

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10, 20, 30 years ago

From the Feb. 24, 1994, issue

• The sale of 825 N. Shore Drive, Anna Maria, closed. A Tampa couple purchased the 7-acre undeveloped tract at the north end of the island to build a single-family home.

• The Holmes Beach City Council delayed discussion on a home occupation license for a firearms dealer until federal law could be reviewed.

From the Feb. 25, 2004, issue

• Holmes Beach police arrested two Bradenton men for attempted burglary of an unoccupied residence in the 100 block of 52nd Street. Police said the men were arrested after officers observed them enter an unoccupied house. Both were charged with armed burglary, possession of burglary tools and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

• The Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization informed the Coalition of Barrier Island Elected Officials the state agreed to a six-month study of traffic patterns on the island.

From the Feb. 26, 2014, issue

• Customers began lining up before 7 a.m. Feb. 20, 2014, for the opening of the Cast and Cage restaurant on the Historic Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach. “A couple that lives in the nearby mobile home park told me a week ago that they wanted to be the first customers, and they were,” said concessionaire Roland Pena.

• The 32nd annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival took place in mid-February 2014 and, according to festival chair Linda Molto, was the most successful yet. “Everything went so smoothly and was just wonderful,” said Molto, who had chaired the festival for 26 years.

— Lisa neff

on Saturday, March 23, to benefit the Friends of the Florida Maritime Museum

BB passes on expanding public meeting engagement

by robert anderson

islander reporter

Bradenton Beach commissioners decided against pursuing Zoom conferencing as an alternate means of providing public attendance for meetings.

The decision came Feb. 15 after resident Sue Longacre, during an earlier meeting, encouraged commissioners to expand ways for the public to attend and participate in meetings.

The issue also had come up in past meetings, with Longacre and others questioning the remote attendance for commissioners but not the public.

Commissioner Marilyn Maro has been attending city meetings remotely by phone since December 2023. Prior to December, Maro missed almost a year of meetings.

The commission discussed remote participation Feb. 15, when city clerk Terri Sanclemente reviewed the city’s policy.

“For anyone who is out of the city and wants to participate in the meeting, we will send them the agenda,” she said. “If they have questions, I will usually send them the backup material.”

She added that public comments can be submitted

to the clerk’s office and are read during meetings.

“If they want to know what is said, they can request a copy of the minutes after they are completed or we will send them a copy of the recording,” Sanclemente continued.

Sanclemente said Zoom meetings are primarily reserved for emergencies and for handicapped persons

ScenicWAVES mulls tree mitigation, OKs bike map

by robert anderson islander reporter

The Bradenton Beach ScenicWAVES committee is taking steps to review Manatee County’s plans to mitigate the removal of 96 Australian pine trees from Coquina and Cortez beaches to facilitate the remodel of a multiuse trail.

The $1.3 million project, spearheaded by contractor Woodruff & Sons of Bradenton, involves repaving a 1.5-mile-long, 8-foot-wide trail from the south Coquina Beach parking lot to Fifth Street South.

County staff deemed tree removal necessary due to concerns over tree roots causing uneven surfaces. Root barriers are being installed as part of the remodel.

“We want to know where trees are going,” ScenicWAVES chair Ingrid McClellan said during a Feb. 21 meeting at city hall.

McClellan said she would work with building official Darin Cushing on the number of trees to be planted, as former city building official Steve Gilbert kept a log of trees removed to determine replacements.

No county liaison was at the meeting to consult on the trail plans, and McClellan said she would follow up with county staff.

The Islander reached out by email Feb. 21 to

county public information officer Bill Logan, who said tree mitigation is planned and that Australian pines, as exotic species, require a 1:1 mitigation ratio, meaning one tree planted for each tree removed.

He said most of the mitigation will occur at Coquina Beach, with the possibility of some trees being planted along the trail if space permits.

Work on the trail is anticipated to be completed by the end of April.

In other news, the committee reviewed the final iteration of its scenic bicycle route map.

The group approved changes to points of interest and finalized the location of the water ferry service at the Historic Bridge Street Pier.

The bike route runs north on Gulf Drive, east on Fifth Street South, north on Bay Drive South, then under the Cortez Bridge to connect back to northbound sidewalks along Gulf Drive.

Committee member Shawn Mayers motioned to approve the map and was seconded by Lee Zerkel. The motion passed 5-0.

McClellan said the map would be on the March 7 commission meeting agenda for consideration.

The next committee meeting will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, at city hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.

unable to attend in person.

She said Zoom usage for people interested in attending meetings did not qualify as an emergency or medical need.

“We all know what it was like to Zoom those meetings,” Commissioner Ralph Cole, said referring to a 2020 state mandate for cities to offer virtual public meetings during the coronavirus pandemic. “It puts a lot of extra pressure on our clerk.”

“We did it during COVID, during emergencies its fine as a last resort,” he added.

Sanclemente cited technical issues with Zoom, internet outages and disconnections, which extended meeting times.

Mayor John Chappie, addressing Longacre’s comment that the city of Holmes Beach has used Zoom, said the city faced issues.

“There were a number of problems with people not muting themselves,” he said. “They were hacked at one time, on video, and it was not pretty what came up on the TV screen. I am not in favor of this. We have a process and procedures that cover what’s needed for our residents and guest visitors like Mrs. Longacre.”

The city of Holmes Beach does livestream meetings but remote public comments are not allowed.

The city of Anna Maria does not livestream but still uses Zoom, allowing people to remotely listen to meetings. Remote attendees also can call in and make public comment.

The next commission meeting is slated for 6 p.m. Thursday, March 7, at city hall, located at 107 Gulf Drive N.

bradenton beach city clerk terri Sanclemente speaks Feb. 15 to commissioners about city policies regarding remote attendance at public meetings.

islander

Photo: robert anderson

Anna Maria charter review members make progress

by ryan Paice islander reporter

Anna Maria’s Charter Review Committee is almost three articles into the document and already has a couple of potential amendments to recommend.

CRC members spent more than two hours Feb. 23 discussing the third article of the city charter, which establishes legislative powers, procedures and more.

The city must review its charter, which is akin to a constitution, every five years by appointing a board of volunteers to comb through the document and present potential amendments to the city commission for approval.

Charter amendments are added to general election ballots as initiatives, leaving final approval to the city’s electorate.

The city’s last charter review was conducted in 2019.

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

The committee first met Feb. 2, and named Arendt and Olesen chair and vice chair of the board before it combed through the first two articles of the city charter.

While CRC members posed many questions at the first meeting, they only proposed changes at the second.

One of those proposed amendments would be to eliminate the ability for each city commissioner to call special meetings.

Isherwood questioned the charter’s existing provision under Sec. 3.08(a) that allows any commissioner to call for a special meeting. He said a “loose cannon” could be elected and call for unnecessary special meetings at will.

City code only deems commissioners subject to forfeiture of office if they miss three or more consecutive regular meetings without an excused absence, so they are not required to attend special meetings.

Nevertheless, Arendt proposed to change the provision to mirror Holmes Beach’s charter, which permits the mayor, commission chair and a commission majority to call for a special meeting.

The other members of the CRC agreed with his suggestion.

The other proposed amendment would be to increase the current requirement for a simple commission majority to a supermajority in order to approve certain leases and convey city-owned property.

The city’s charter is the least strenuous of the three island municipalities regarding the requirements to approve conveyances and leases for city-owned property.

Holmes Beach requires a simple commission majority to approve leases of less than five years, but a supermajority vote and a general election referendum approved by city voters to pass all other conveyances and leases of city-owned property.

Bradenton Beach requires a four-of-five supermajority vote from its commission and a general election

10 a.m. Friday, march 8,

referendum passed by city voters to approve conveyances and leases for city-owned property.

Arendt suggested increasing the city’s requirement for approving conveyances to a supermajority vote, and Wolfe recommended they do the same for leases of more than 25 years.

CRC members agreed with the pair’s proposed amendment.

The CRC board agreed to pause its review and adjourn the meeting before heading into Sec. 3.11-3.13 of the charter, which deal with initiatives and referendums, codifying ordinances and overriding mayoral vetoes.

Board members also tabled a discussion on changing mayoral terms from two to three years to a future meeting so they could wait for Mayor Dan Murphy’s input, since he did not attend the Feb. 23 meeting.

The CRC’s next meeting will be at 10 a.m. Friday, March 8, at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive.

The meeting will be open to the public.

anna maria charier review committee member Scott isherwood, center, speaks Feb. 23 about potential changes to the city’s charter. the crc’s next meeting will be at

at city hall, 10005 gulf drive. islander

Photo: ryan Paice

compiled by Lisa neff, calendar@islander.org

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ON AMI

Wednesday, Feb. 28

11:30 a.m. — Anna Maria Island Garden Club Fashion Show and Luncheon, Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Fee applies. Information: amigardenclub.com.

Friday, March 1

2 p.m. — Paper crafting, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-6341.

6 p.m. — Center of Anna Maria Island Murder-Mystery dinner theater, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Fee applies. Information: 941-778-1908.

Saturday, March 2

2 p.m. — Paper crafting, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-6341.

6 p.m. — Center of Anna Maria Island Murder-Mystery dinner theater, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Fee applies. Information: 941-778-1908.

ONGOING ON AMI

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

ONGOING OFF AMI

Through April 28, “Dali and the Impressionists,” the Dali Museum, 1 Dali Blvd., St. Petersburg. Fee applies. Information: 727-823-3767.

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.

Through June 23, “Mountains of the Mind: Scholars’ Rocks from China and Beyond” exhibit, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. Fee applies. Information: 941-360-7390.

Through June 30, “Yayoi Kusama: A Letter to Georgia O’Keeffe,” Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St., Sarasota. Fee applies. Information: 941-366-5731.

Island happenings

Work by carolann garafola will be featured throughout march at the artists’ guild gallery, 5414 marina drive, Holmes beach. an artist reception will coincide with the Holmes beach night market 5-7:30 p.m. Friday, march 8, in the city center. islander courtesy Photo

First Fridays, 6-9:30 p.m., Village of the Arts First Fridays Artwalk, 12th Street West and 12th Avenue West, Bradenton. Information: villageofthearts.com.

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.

SAVE THE DATE

March 7-24, Island Players’ “Communicating Doors,” Anna Maria.

March 10, Island Players’ “The Woman in Black” auditions, Anna Maria.

March 10, Longboat Key Paradise Center for Healthy Living’s Celebrate on the Circle fundraiser, St. Armands Circle.

March 22-April 26, Music in the Park, Bradenton.

March 23, Center of Anna Maria Island’s Wine Tasting, Anna Maria.

March 26, Anna Maria Island Historical Society Heritage Festival, Anna Maria.

MARKETS & SALES

ON AMI

Saturday, March 2

10 a.m.-5 p.m. — The Invitational Art and Craft Show, city field, 5800 block of Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 231-3508277.

Sunday, March 3

10 a.m.-5 p.m. — The Invitational Art and Craft Show, city field, 5800 block of Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 231-3508277.

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.

ONGOING OFF AMI

Saturdays through May 7, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Bradenton Market,

Carolann Garafola featured at Artists’ Guild Gallery in HB

The Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island will feature work by Carolann Garafola in March.

Garafola is an accomplished photographer and painter. She does oil paintings on canvas, as well as watercolor bookmarks, and recently took up painting in watercolors and ink with Chinese brushes.

Garafola worked in New Jersey as the executive director of a residential/daycare facility for adults with special needs and as a principal at a special needs high school.

She also served as an elected official in Warren, New Jersey, including as mayor for six years.

About her art work, Garafola said painting “is an escape, as the rest of the world appears to drop off until she puts down her brush.”

The Artists’ Guild Gallery is 5414 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach.

For more information, call the gallery at 941-7786694.

Old Main Street, Bradenton. Information: 941-301-8445.

SAVE THE DATE

March 8-9, Feed the Peeps Arts and Crafts Market, Anna Maria.

March 9-10, Bridge Street Spring Craft Fair, Bradenton Beach.

March 14-16, Friends of the Island Library Jewelry Sale, Holmes Beach.

March 23, Cortez Nautical Flea Market, Cortez.

March 23, Spring Plant Sale, Palmetto.

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

KIDS & FAMILY ON AMI

Friday, March 1

10 a.m. — 40 Carrots parenting program, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-6341.

Tuesday, March 5

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

ONGOING OFF AMI

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 DATE

March 17, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Holmes Beach and Anna Maria.

CLUBS & COMMUNITY

ON AMI

Thursday, Feb. 29

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

11:30 a.m. — Anna Maria Island Historical Society members luncheon and meeting, 402 Pine Ave., Anna Maria. Fee applies.

Island happenings

Friendly topic: politics

Former u.S. rep. thomas reynolds, r-new York, talks with a Friends of the island Library audience Feb. 22 about elections, politics and the federal government during the last program in the winter season of the Lecture and travel Series. roser memorial community church in anna maria hosted the Friends to accommodate rising attendance at the lectures. islander Photo: courtesy Julie Perry

Crafts show set for city field

Blue Ribbon Events will bring an arts and crafts show to Holmes Beach’s city field March 2-3.

Hours for the weekend event will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

City field is north of Holmes Beach City Hall in the 5800 block of Marina Drive.

The event will showcase vendors selling paintings, woodwork, yard art, jewelry, bath and body products, pottery, metals and more.

For more information, call Blue Ribbon at 231350-8277.

Information: 941-778-0492.

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

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.

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

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.

WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED.

Players to open ‘Doors’

The Island Players’ presentation of Alan Ayckbourn’s “Communicating Doors” will open Thursday, March 7, and continue through Sunday, March 24.

The theater group teases the comedy-thriller on its website, theislandplayers.org: “Poopay, a ‘working girl’ at the Regal Hotel, becomes a target when her elderly client shares details of the deaths of his two previous wives decades earlier. But an unusual escape allows Poopay to race back and forth in time to warn the wives and prevent their mysterious deaths.”

“Communicating Doors” premiered in England in February 1994.

Preston Boyd is directing the island production, with a cast that includes Jennifer Kwiatkowski, Rick Kopp, Joseph Smith, Dan Coppinger, Kathi Faulkner and Morgan Powis.

Performances will be 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The theater, 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria, is dark Monday.

The box office, 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria, is open for in-person and telephone ticket sales. Hours will be 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday-Saturday and an hour before showtime.

Tickets also can be purchased at theislandplayers. org.

For more information, call the box office at 941778-5755.

SAVE THE DATE

March 9, Center of Anna Maria Island Beach Cleanup, Anna Maria.

March 22, Annie Silver Community Center community supper, Bradenton Beach.

March 23, 10th annual Hot Stove Dinner, Bradenton.

April 13, Center of Anna Maria Island Beach Cleanup, Anna Maria.

May 4, Center of Anna Maria Island Beach Cleanup, Anna Maria.

LESSONS & LEARNING ON AMI

Saturday, March 2

10 a.m.-1 p.m. — “Ask a Master Gardener, 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

Send listings to calendar@islander.org

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.

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.

ONGOING OFF AMI

Through March 25, Pittsburgh Pirates spring training, LECOM Park, 1611 Ninth St. W., Bradenton. Fee apples. Information: 941747-3031.

SAVE THE DATE

March 8, Center of Anna Maria Island Bingo Bonanza, Anna Maria.

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

April 5, Bradenton Marauders season opens, Bradenton.

OUTDOORS & NATURE

ONGOING OFF AMI

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

CALENDAR NOTES

KEEP THE DATES

March 10, daylight saving time begins. March 17, St. Patrick’s Day.

March 29, Good Friday. March 31, Easter.

Island happenings

Cuttin’ loose at the Moose

Pig out barbecue roasts a pig Feb. 24 in the moose Lodge parking lot in bradenton beach for the fifth annual moose pig roast. Pig out owner and moose Lodge member Jimmy galanis said that, for $16.95, diners got pulled pork, baked beans and coleslaw. the Women of the moose added strawberry shortcake for dessert. member bruce butler said more than 1,000 dinners were served. islander Photos: robert anderson

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 2 meeting will include remarks by Cornelia Zanetti, an associate of All Island Denominations, the organization of all island churches.

Throughout March, the club will be planning its Easter Sunrise Service, which will be held March 31.

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

AMI groups offer college scholarships, applications due

Graduating high schoolers looking to further their education can seek scholarships from several islandbased organizations, including the Island Players, Anna Maria Island Privateers, Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce and the Center of Anna Maria Island, which administers the John van Zandt Scholarship process.

• The Privateers will accept applications until Friday, March 1.

2022 orlando cup Karting champion Luca raina, 15, right, and dad mike pose Feb. 24 with his racing cart during the fifth annual moose Lodge Pig roast in bradenton beach. raina, who is sponsored by the moose Lodge, began carting at the age of 13 and said he hopes to one day become a Formula 1 race car driver. raina will participate march 6 in the carts for Kids race raising money for Johns Hopkins all children’s Hospital.

To qualify, a student must be a Manatee County resident who can demonstrate positive community involvement. Applicants either must be graduating seniors or enrolled in a post-secondary institution.

The applications are online at amiprivateers.org.

For more, contact scholarship committee chair Valerie “Dallas” Mabry at 941-896-0797 or scholarships@amiprivateers.org.

• The chamber is accepting applications until Friday, March 1, for three $1,000 scholarships for graduating high school seniors seeking a degree or trade certification.

For more, go to annamariaislandchamber.org or call 941-778-1541.

• The Island Players board of directors will award four $2,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who “have demonstrated excellence in the area of art, dance or theater” and who “plan to continue to develop these talents at an even higher level of education.”

of the island by bonner Joy, is available for $20 at the islander office, 315 58th St., Holmes beach, or by mail. Visit islander.org or call 941778-7978. $20 plus postage.

Applications can be found at theislandplayers.

The deadline to apply is Friday, March 15.

For more, email scholarshipcommittee@theislandplayers.org.

For other information, people can call the box office at 941-778-5755.

• The center 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, go to centerami.org or call 941-7781908.

School achievements

The Islander welcomes notices of achievements. Email news@islander.org.

SARASOTA GEM

We have been a new and used GEM dealer for 20 years. We welcome our long-time friends and encourage new patrons from Anna Maria Island to shop here!

“Anna Maria Island,” a signed pictorial history book

AME PT0 plans Princess Ball

Love a rainy night

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The Anna Maria Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization is preparing a special evening — an annual dance — and little princesses are invited.

The Princess Ball will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, March 1, in the school auditorium, 4700 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.

Kindergarten through fifth-grade girls are welcome to the dance, even if they do not attend AME.

Adult guests must accompany girls to the dance.

Treats will be provided and girls should dress for an evening of dancing and fun.

Tickets will be available for purchase at the door for $20.

The school also will host a Boys Night Out event, Friday, March 8.

For more information, contact the PTO at amepto@ gmail.com or call the school at 941-708-5525.

ame third-graders sing “i Love a rainy night” Feb. 22 during their “How’s the Weather?” performance, which was led by arts and music instructor beth mcintosh in the school auditorium, 4700 gulf drive, Holmes beach. islander

Photo: robyn murrell

Valentine’s Day celebrated at SFCP

the School for constructive Play students show off heart hats Feb. 14 before a Valentine’s day party. the school operates at gloria dei Lutheran church, 6608 marina drive, Holmes beach. islander Photo: courtesy capt. david “dad” White

Gathering

by Lisa neff

Thrifty fashion show set

Longboat Island Chapel will host the Lord’s Warehouse Fashion Show at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 7.

A notice in the church bulletin said, “Tickets are selling fast! Buy Now!”

Fashions will be modeled from the church’s thrift store, the Lord’s Warehouse. The event also includes lunch and a raffle of prize baskets.

Tickets are $50.

The chapel is at 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

For more, call the office at 941-383-6491.

Alzheimer’s forum March 6

Roser Memorial Community Church will host a program on Alzheimer’s disease awareness at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 6.

The church is at 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria. For more, call the church at 941-778-0414.

Lenten program begins

The Episcopal Church of Annunciation is welcoming worshipers to its weekly Lenten program, which is Wednesdays beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The evening includes prayer and a potluck soup supper.

The church is at 4408 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.

For more, call the office at 941-778-1638.

3 Heath Brothers to perform

Harvey Memorial Community Church, 208 Church Ave., Bradenton Beach, will host a concert at 6 p.m. Sunday, March 3.

Harvey will welcome the 3 Heath Brothers, an award-winning group known for their harmonizing.

For more information, call the church at 941-7791912.

roser church will host the Holy Land trip choir in concert at 7 p.m. Friday, march 1, in the sanctuary, 512 Pine ave., anna maria. a notice from roser said the group is touring locally with their message of peace. a free-will offering will be taken. For more information, call the church at 941-778-0414.

March 14, St. Bernard Women’s Guild Luncheon, Holmes Beach.

March 23, Roser Church Pancake Breakfast, Anna Maria. March 31, Easter.

Wednesday, Feb. 28

5:30 p.m. — Episcopal Church of the Annunciation Lenten program, including potluck soup suppers. Info: 941-778-1638.

Friday, March 1

7 p.m. — Roser Memorial Community Church Winter Concert with the Holy Land Trip Choir, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria. Info: 941778-0414.

Sunday, March 3

6 p.m. — 3 Heath Brothers concert, Harvey Memorial Community Church, 208 Church Ave., Bradenton Beach. Info: 941-7791912.

Wednesday, March 6

11:30 a.m. — Alzheimer’s disease awareness program, Roser Memorial Community Church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria. Info: 941778-0414.

5:30 p.m. — Episcopal Church of the Annunciation Lenten program, including potluck soup suppers. Info: 941-778-1638.

SAVE THE DATE

March 7. Longboat Island Chapel’s The Lord’s Warehouse Fashion Show, Longboat Key.

March 10, Roser Memorial Community Church Mission Fest, Anna Maria.

March 12, Roser Guild Thrift Shop Fashion Show and Luncheon, Anna Maria.

ONGOING ON AMI

CrossPointe Fellowship, 8605 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. Info: 941-778-0719, crosspointefellowship.church.

Worship: Sundays, 9 a.m.

Ongoing: Wednesdays, 7 a.m., men’s Bible meeting; Wednesdays, 6 p.m., Wednesday Night Blast supper and 6:30 p.m., Wednesday Night Blast; Fridays, 10 a.m. women’s Bible meeting.

Episcopal Church of the Annunciation, 4408 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. Info: 941-778-1638, amiannunciation.org.

Worship: Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.; Sundays, 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.

Ongoing: Most Wednesdays, 8 a.m., men’s breakfast; Mondays, 1 p.m., book club.

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 6608 Marina Drive. Holmes Beach. Info: 941-778-1813, gloriadeilutheran.com.

Worship: Sundays, 9:30 a.m., followed by coffee and fellowship.

Ongoing: First Sundays, food bank collections; Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m., women’s social gathering.

Harvey Memorial Community Church, 300 Church Ave., Bradenton Beach. Information: 941-779-1912.

Worship: Sundays, 9:15 a.m.

Roser Memorial Community Church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria. Information: 941-778-0414, roserchurch.com.

Worship: Sundays, 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m.

Ongoing: Tuesdays, Thursdays, 9:30 a.m., RoserRobics; Tuesdays, 2 p.m., women’s book study; first and third Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m., Just Older Youth group; Wednesdays through April 17, 1 p.m.,

8:30

Choir to perform Roser concert

GoodDeeds by Lisa neff

Assistance sought on AMI

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

• The Annie Silver Community Center seeks volunteers for activities and events, including bakers for desserts served at dinners and bingo. Info: 724-7871418.

• The Anna Maria Island Art League seeks volunteers for the Springfest Fine Arts Festival March 16-17 in Holmes Beach. Info: 419-450-4824.

• The Island Players, 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria, seeks volunteers for the 75th season of shows. Info: theislandplayers.org, 941-941 778-5755.

• 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.

TIDIngs continued From Page 14

GriefShare; select Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m., Mom’s Cafe; Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m., Holy Yoga.

St. Bernard Catholic Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive, Holmes Beach. Info: 941-778-4769, stbernardcc.org, office@stbernardcc. org.

Worship: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.; Saturdays, 4 p.m.; Sundays, 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.

Ongoing: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m., rosary; Wednesdays, 7:30 a.m.; Rosary on the Beach at Manatee Public Beach; Saturdays, 3 p.m., confession.

ONGOING OFF AMI

Christ Church of Longboat Key Presbyterian USA, 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. Info: 941-900-4903, christchurchoflbk.org.

Worship: Sundays, 10 a.m.

Ongoing: Wednesdays, 10 a.m., women’s Bible study; Mondays, 9 a.m., men’s Bible study; Tuesdays, 1:30 p.m., bridge club. Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. Info: 941-383-6491, longboatislandchapel.org.

Worship: Sundays, 10 a.m.

Ongoing: Mondays, 4 p.m., choir practice.

Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Info: 941-383-3428.

Worship: Fridays, Shabbat, 5:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.

GET LISTED, CHANGE LISTINGS

Send listings to calendar@islander.org.

Community center bounces back to black

by ryan Paice islander reporter

The Center of Anna Maria Island has turned its finances around after a slow start.

The nonprofit was $76,160 in the black through December 2023, halfway through fiscal 2023-24, despite running a $152,888.27 deficit through the first quarter, according to a report.

“The Center is back in the black ahead of schedule,” executive director Christopher Culhane wrote in a Feb. 20 email to The Islander.

The community center finished fiscal 2022-23 $257,887 in the red — the first time in six years the nonprofit failed to finished in the black — after falling $222,187.32 into the red over the first three months.

Fiscal 2023-24 began July 1, 2023, and got off to a similar deficit after the center posted monthly losses of $55,092.85, $87,935.36 and $21,727.04 over the first quarter.

Meanwhile, the next three months flipped the script.

The nonprofit posted its first positive month of the year in October 2023, with $35,576.11 in net income.

In November 2023, the center netted $50,770.38, bringing its deficit for the year to $78,408.76.

The center broke back into the black with a strong showing in December 2023, earning $149,569.06 in net income — which nearly doubles the preexisting deficit.

Irwin Bruxvoort

Irwin Bruxvoort, 84, of Anna Maria, died Feb. 17.

bruxvoort

He was born in Doon, Iowa, and later moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, before moving with wife Betty to Anna Maria in 1993.

The couple split their time between Anna Maria, where they enjoyed biking and walking around the island, and Hudsonville, Michigan.

They were members at CrossPointe Fellowship church, where friends were like family.

He will be dearly missed.

Mr. Bruxvoort is survived by daughter Lori Jones; five stepchildren; two brothers; and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Charles ‘Charly’ Richard Mellen

Charles R. “Charly” Mellen, 89, died Feb. 15. He was born July 11, 1934, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to the late Charles R. and Lucy Mellen.

He graduated from Keith Academy in Lowell, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Boston College.

He spent almost 40 years as a teacher of mathematics and as a baseball coach for Nashua High School, Lowell State College, Lowell High School and Keith Academy.

He led the Nashua High School baseball team to Class L State championships in 1976, 1979, 1991 and 1993 and was inducted in the 1994 Nashua Athletics

Overall, the center’s results through the first half of its fiscal year have been worse than last year’s.

The nonprofit raised $390,280 in total program revenue, $18,084 less than last year, and spent $237,222 on program expenses, $12,083 more than last year.

That results in a $30,167, or 16.5% loss between the $153,058 program income it earned this year and the $183,225 it earned through the same point last year.

The programming downturn is somewhat offset by a 4.5% decrease in general and administrative expenses, from $375,003 last year to $358,083 this year.

The nonprofi t’s change of fortune is due to its fundraising success over the second quarter.

While the nonprofit posted fundraising losses in the first two of three months in fiscal 2023-24, over the next three months, it raised $87,192.50, $72,445.69 and $159,688.67 in fundraising income.

That $319,326.86 more than balances out a $152,888.27 deficit from the first quarter, as well as continued losses of $50,372.73, $20,431.65 and $8,875.95 from operations over the second quarter.

“This trend should continue for the rest of the season to once again end the fiscal year in the positive,” Culhane wrote. “While we are excited about our early success, the center is well aware that we have extensive capital costs of well over $200,000 in the coming months due to our older or aging facility.”

People can learn more about the nonprofit at its website, centerami.org.

Hall of Fame.

He most recently was employed at the family business, Just4Fun Beach Rentals, in Holmes Beach.

Mr. Mellen has been a winter resident of Anna Maria Island and northwest Bradenton since 1982.

He truly loved the island lifestyle, including golf, fishing on his boat, Charley’s Angel, and meeting up with new and old friends at local watering holes.

He spent his summers in the Hamptons — Hampton, New Hampshire. He always had a smile and a great sense of humor.

A celebration of life will be 3-6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29, at the American Legion Kirby Stewart Post #24.

A New Hampshire celebration of life and Mass will be celebrated at a future date. Interment will be at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Lowell. Brown and Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory is handling arrangements.

Donations may be made to a charity of choice. Condolences may be made at brownandsonsfuneral. com

Mr. Mellen is survived by his children Martha Jane and husband Michael Flynn of northwest Bradenton, Charles and wife Roxanne of Nashua, New Hampshire, Kristina G. of Nashua, and Jeffrey and wife Nancy of Reno, Nevada; grandchildren Josh and Becky Vogel, Erin and Deigo Felipe, Charles R. III, Katlyn and Jared Maloney and Katherine, Annie and Sara Mellen; greatgrandchild Sage Vogel and baby Vogel due in March; and many cousins, nephews and nieces.

mellen

HB seeks bids for skimmer vessel, approves aeration testing

by Ryan Paice Islander Reporter

There has been a lot of talk about the potential purchase of a skimmer vessel in Holmes Beach.

It’s time to see what options come to the table.

City engineer and public works superintendent Sage Kamiya announced Feb. 13 that the municipality issued an invitation to bids for the purchase and delivery of a skimmer vessel to remove algal mats and marine debris from local waterways.

An ITB is similar to a request for proposals but is used for well-defined projects to source prices.

The Holmes Beach Clean Water Committee has pushed since shortly after its creation in 2021 for the city to purchase a harvester vessel that can dispose of algal mats and fish kills in the municipality’s waterways and canals.

Removing decaying material from waterways can reduce foul odors and the water’s nitrogen load.

The city issued an RFP in March 2023 to seek bids for a skimmer vessel but only Wisconsin-based Aquarius Systems responded with a $587,060 proposal to sell and deliver a vessel to the city.

The city decided not to entertain Aquarius’ pro-

West Manatee Fire Rescue promotes, recognizes firefighters

WMFR staff stands Feb. 20 alongside firefighter/ paramedic William bowen, center-left,

Islander Photos: Ryan Paice

posal and staff has been researching additional options for a skimmer vessel, such as through Canada-based Aquamarine.

However, after Kamiya found no single premanufactured vessel was perfect for the city’s needs, the municipality issued the ITB to seek bids to match its specifications — such as having the parts necessary for saltwater resistance.

Some of the specifi cations outlined in the ITB include the maneuverability to “work effectively in the city’s canals.”

The ITB also calls for a vessel made of stainlesssteel grade 304 or better, with no galvanized parts, and epoxy and powder-steel coatings.

Kamiya said staff notified seven vendors contacted during the research process about the ITB.

Contractors must submit inquiries by 4 p.m. Friday, March 8, and file bids by 9 a.m. Friday, March 29.

The bid opening will be at 9:01 a.m. March 29.

Meanwhile, CWC members reached consensus Feb. 14 to recommend commission approval to add a string of aeration devices in two city canals to test the efficacy of such devices as preventative measures for water quality issues.

Aeration devices are installed underwater and produce bubbles to bring bottom water to the surface, circulating water and exposing it to the air so it can better absorb oxygen.

Kamiya said the two sites approved for testing are a canal between 58th and 59th streets and another between 75th and 77th streets.

RIGHT: William Thomas holds a certificate recognizing his promotion to second-class firefighter for WMFR. FAR

RIGHT: Firefighter/paramedic William bowen holds a plaque honoring his 20 years of service to WMFR.

West Manatee Fire Rescue Chief ben Rigney holds a framed copy Feb. 20 of an article he wrote for the Florida Fire Service Magazine, titled “Is your department ready for the next generation of firefighters?”

after he was recognized for his two decades of service to the district.

Gas leak burned off

WMFR stands watch Feb. 22 as flames spew out of a propane flare during a controlled burn to relieve a leaking private 500-gallon propane tank on property at 520 Key Royale Drive, Holmes beach, after evacuating nearby properties. WMFR fire marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski told The Islander Feb. 22 that about 10 gallons of fuel in the tank was burned off before a hazmat team confirmed the tank, which had a faulty regulator, was empty. The tank was later serviced by Sarasota-based Detweiler’s Propane. Islander

Bird nest catches fire in Holmes Beach

Larry borg, of bellevue, Iowa, captured the scene from his bungalow as a West Manatee Fire Rescue firefighter hoses a bird nest atop a utility pole that caught fire around 9 p.m. Feb. 12 at 5801 Gulf Drive, Holmes beach. The utility lines were temporarily disabled by Florida Power & Light and borg reported the osprey nest was empty. Islander Courtesy Photo

Weekly rental property for sale — unique to the island — a split level duplex with each unit having its own entire floor and 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 that prefer a shady libation.

Located across from the public beach in Holmes Beach where music, food, cocktails and mocktails are available for everyone to enjoy. Don’t miss out on the wonderful location. Live in one unit and rent the other or rent both units. The choice is yours!

Direct: 941.713.5458

Email: Shellie.Young@PremierSIR.com

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

Photo: Courtesy HbPD Chief bill Tokajer

Tour guides, captains take action, create anti-poaching group

by Robert Anderson Islander Reporter

Tour boat captains, during a meeting Feb. 24 in Cortez, organized into a group dedicated to stopping the illegal harvest of marine organisms in Sarasota Bay.

The meeting at Fishermen’s Hall, 4515 124th St. W., Cortez, served as a platform for discussing strategies to combat the poaching of sea life, a growing concern in the region.

Among the attendees were Capts. Joey Sweet of Sweet Sunsets and Dolphin Tours, Katie Tupin of Captain Katie Scarlett Boat Tours, Bruce Adamo of Passage Key Dolphin Tours and Kathe Fannon of Captain Kathe & First Mate Pup-Pup Charters.

Sweet opened the meeting by proposing a name for the group — Habitat Guardian Group.

He read a mission statement.

“The purpose of this group is to develop a community that takes ownership in their responsibility to the habitat we all share and facilitate change within the landscape of how it is protected. The goal is to encourage the development of a solid core action group of nonpartisans, responsible volunteers, who are committed to pursuing better, more responsible ways to manage our local natural resources. Prevention of habitat collapse needs to be a top priority everywhere in our state, beginning at the local levels.”

Over the past year, the guides documented instances of illegal sea life harvesting, often involving groups of up to 60 individuals who were observed scouring and harvesting the shallow bay waters. Their evidence has been submitted to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for investigation

and has yielded more than 20 citations to 11 boat captains since July 2023.

The group has made efforts to reach out to other law enforcement agencies to bring more pressure to bear on poachers.

Sweet lamented the absence of representatives of law enforcement agencies at the meeting. He said he extended invitations to representatives of the Manatee County Marine Patrol, FWC and U.S. Coast Guard, but no one from the agencies attended.

However, Sweet recounted a recent meeting with U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Derek Waters and Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Zachary Smith at Coast Guard Station Cortez in early February. He said the Coast Guard offered to help when the guides observe overloaded vessels.

He said many poaching vessels are overloaded

with passengers, which allows the Coast Guard to intervene.

“They told me that if we see that kind of overloaded vessel activity, it could be an illegal charter,” Sweet said. “He said if we are more than 75% sure, to call. They will get underway and if they see evidence of species violations, they will hold a boat until the FWC can arrive.”

Group members also discussed the winter weather, which has slowed their ecotourism industry, resulting in fewer poachers observed.

However, Tupin said she and husband Jeff Smith observed two separate incidents of poaching in the beginning of February — one on a sandbar at Jewfish Key and another in the shallows near the Sunny Shores community in Cortez.

“There were two people collecting in the water near Sunny Shores, they had grocery bags of clams and other things,” Tupin said. She said she and Smith recently purchased a drone to help identify poachers and their vessels.

According to the captains, the poachers predominantly target edible shellfish, causing a depletion in the populations of whelks, clams, pen shells, sea urchins and other bottom-dwelling marine species. This decline in biodiversity disrupts the natural balance of the ecosystem and poses a threat to the livelihoods of local fishers and tour operators who rely on these resources for business.

“It’s almost too late,” Fannon said. “We are this close. I have been out here my whole life and when I first started doing these charters I could take you out there and show you every species of conch we had. It was all healthy, beautiful seagrass. It is gone.”

Fannon said increased tourism has brought problems from increased boat traffic, irresponsible boat operations in shallow water habitats and the presence of large yachts that can scour shallow bays.

She said coupled with large scale poaching, the nearshore environment is edging closer to environmental collapse.

The assembled guides, now working as the Habitat Guardian Group, said they are focused on increased vigilance, community education and cooperation with

Capt. Joey Sweet, second from left, speaks to other tour boat operators Feb. 24 during a meeting about sea life poaching in Sarasota bay. Islander

Photo: Robert Anderson

Conservation groups to sue over phosphate operations

Environmental pollution from the defunct Piney Point phosphate mining operations factors in a move by conservation, public health and environmental justice organizations toward suing the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to respond to requests for stronger oversight of the phosphate industry.

The groups notified the EPA Feb. 13 of their intent to sue in 60 days. The notice was sent three years after petitioning the EPA to better regulate phosphogypsum and process wastewater under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The wastes are exempt from hazardous waste regulations.

The radioactive wastes are created during the fertilizer production process, transforming mined phosphate rock into phosphoric acid.

law enforcement agencies, with their aim to stem the tide of poaching activities and preserve the environment of Sarasota Bay.

People seeking more information on the Habitat Guardian Group can contact Capt. Joey Sweet at 941773-7298.

“The phosphate mining industry is an industry of cradle-to-grave pollution,” said Glenn Compton, chair of ManaSota-88, which is involved in the case. “The cradle is phosphate mining and the grave is the radioactive phosphogypsum waste dumped into gypstacks. The abandoned Piney Point gypstacks clearly demonstrate that not enough is being done to safeguard the public or the environment from the devastating impacts that the phosphate industry is having on Florida.”

The 2021 petition was filed weeks before the state authorized a discharge of contaminated wastewater into Tampa Bay from Piney Point to avoid the collapse of a gypstack at the east Manatee site.

The discharge was associated with a red tide that killed more than 1,600 tons of marine life, including tens of thousands of fish.

“How many disasters does it take?” asked Justin Tramble, vice chair of Waterkeepers Florida and executive director of Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, also involved in the case.

— Lisa Neff

Community center to boost artificial reef effort

Tickets are on sale for the Fish Fry Soiree, set for noon-5 p.m. Sunday, April 21, at the Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria.

The event — just before Earth Day — will benefit Full Send Reef Habitat Inc., which was established “to create more habitats offshore and inshore to support sustainable fisheries for Florida’s ever-growing population. To create this artificial reef habitat, the Full Send Reef Habitat Inc. uses repurposed materials to create more safe places for our fish to inhabit, providing additional fishing opportunities and taking pressure off overfished spots.”

The benefit will include speakers’ remarks, food and live music.

For more, contact the center at 941-7781908.

— Lisa Neff

facebook.com/daiquirideck instagram.com/daiquirideck twitter.com/daiquirideck

WEST VENICE AVE., VENICE, FL 34285

Live shellfish seized from poachers in July 2023. Islander Photo: Courtesy FWC

KRC names 2-man champs; football, horseshoes play on

by Kevin P. Cassidy Islander Reporter

With the Key Royale Club course closed Feb. 19 due to wet conditions, golf action kicked off Feb. 20 with the women teed up for their weekly nine-hole individual-low-net match in two flights.

Cassidy

Linda Dorsey fired a 1-under-par 31 to grab first place in Flight A by one stroke over second-place finishers Louise Clemens, Jenny Huibers and Helen Pollock. Nina McSparren was alone in third at 2-over-par 34.

Judy Christensen’s 2-under-par 30 was the low-net round of the day and gave her first place in Flight B. Gloria LaDue took second with an even-par 32, while Carol Patterson was another shot back in third place.

After five weeks of two-man team match play, 24 two-man teams were whittled down to two teams. The Feb. 21 championship match pitted Larry Solberg and Quentin Talbert against Bob Blaser and Bill Koche. The match went down to the final hole with the Solberg-Talbert team holding on for a 5-4 victory.

The week that was came to an end Feb. 22 with a shamble, a match that counts the two best scores for a par 70. The team of Brian Comer, Bob Paine, Deb Richardson and Kurt Snouffer tied the team of Ken Nagengast, Earl Ritchie and John Soler with matching 3-over-par 73s. Second place went to the team of Tony Bettis, Blake Ress and Greg Shorten with a 74, while Bob Reid, Gary Risner, Harvey Shovers and Larry Solberg finished with a 75.

Center football action

It’s crowded at the top of the standings in the adult flag football league at the Center of Anna Maria Island with five of the eight teams separated by a game.

Floridian Mortgage is on top with a 5-1 record, but Moss Builders, Solid Rock Construction, Salty Printing and Sandbar Restaurant are right behind at 4-2. Slim’s Place follows at 2-4, while 1-5 Gulf Drive Cafe and 0-6 Edible Cookie Dough Cafe complete the standings.

Action Feb. 22 got started with Salty Printing outscoring Edible Cafe 52-28 behind seven touchdown

passes from Matt Manger, including four to Shawn Balvin. Zaon Williams added a touchdown pass and a pair of touchdown catches for Salty Printing, which also received touchdown grabs by Olvin Izquierdo and Corey Jacques in the victory.

Steven Pavina threw three touchdown passes and added a touchdown reception for Edible Cafe, which also received a touchdown pass and two touchdown catches from Alonzo Leemus in the loss.

Chase Richardon threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score to lead Floridian Mortgage past Slim’s Place 36-7 in the second game of the night. Cody Allen had two TD catches, while Tim Holly and Jasmine Muldoon each had one in the victory.

Anthony Mannino threw a TD pass to Alexander Cruz for Slim’s Place in the loss.

The third game of the evening saw Sandbar outscore Solid Rock Construction 41-28 behind six touchdown passes by Tuna McCracken. Ramon Guerrero topped the team with four TD catches, while Tyler Brewer and Roman Martinez each finished with one touchdown in the victory.

Solid Rock Construction was led by Dominick Ottenit’s four touchdown passes, including two to Peggy Smith. James Roadman and Rex Kesten each added a TD catch in the loss.

Moss Builders cruised to a 33-6 victory over Gulf Drive Cafe in the last game of the evening. Ryan Moss had a big game, finishing with four touchdown passes and a touchdown run, while Greg Moss finished with two TD catches. Evelyn Long and Jesse Skipper each had a TD to complete the scoring in the victory.

Zack Price connected with Brandon Rolland for Gulf Drive Cafe’s lone score in the loss.

Go to islander.org for more sports action, including the week’s results in youth flag football.

Horseshoe news

Horseshoe action at the city of Anna Maria pits Feb. 21 saw three teams advance to the knockout stage after going 3-0 in pool play.

Bob Hawks and Bob Heiger drew the bye into the finals and watched as Tom Farrington and Gerson Fernandes advanced to the championship match with a 22-1 victory over Tim Sofran and Sam Samuels. Hawks and Heiger took advantage of their free pass to the finals by defeating Farrington and Fernandes 21-14 to earn the day’s bragging rights.

There was another three-team playoff during the Feb. 24 games with the bye going to Ron Gagnon and Bob Rowley. Adin Shank and Tom Skoloda eliminated Bob Mason and Bob Lee 21-8 in the semifinal, then in the finals, it was all Shank and Skoloda, defeating Gagnon and Rolwey 21-7.

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.

Salty Printing receiver Corey Jacques tries to elude a pack of edible Cookie Dough Cafe defenders during Feb. 22 adult flag football action at the Center of Anna Maria Island.

Islander Photo: Kevin P. Cassidy

Quentin Talbert, left, and Larry Solberg outlasted a field of 24 two-man teams to win the Key Royale Club two-man match play golf championship. Islander Photo: Courtesy KRC

Wind limits access to Gulf, backcountry fishing heats up

by Capt. Danny Stasny Islander Reporter

I’m sure you are as tired of reading about the wind as I am of writing about the wind, but for another week Anna Maria Island anglers are left with only a handful of days with calm seas.

The inshore waters in the backcountry are calm but the bite is following suit. In late February and early March, many anglers enjoy venturing into the Gulf of Mexico to target bottomed-dwelling species such as sheepshead, mangrove snapper, grunts, porgies and hogfish. With so many windy days, access to areas where we target these species has been limited.

So you might need to put aside the “grocery list” and focus on backcountry fishing, which can produce excellent results on trout. Drifting and jigging with soft plastics over deep grass flats can be productive, as well as entertaining — especially if you stumble across schools of trout measuring 18-24 inches. On light spinning tackle, many anglers find pleasure in battling a feisty, wintertime gator trout.

And, while jigging for trout, it’s not unheard of to encounter ladyfish, jack crevalle, bluefish and even pompano. Yes, those pompano will strike a soft plastic if it passes in front of their nose, which is an added bonus to every fishing excursion.

If trout isn’t your thing, or you’ve already caught a bunch, there’s always a redfish or two lurking around an oyster bar, dock or mangrove islands. Pitching a select-size shrimp in these areas can be advantageous, as typically a redfish will sniff it out and inhale it. And, if it doesn’t, there’s always a possibility of catching black drum or sheepshead. There’s also the negative outcome of having your shrimp eaten by a school of pinfish, in which case you’ll know it’s time to move on.

The point is that although the wind makes it difficult to fish, being able to adapt and do other types of fishing can turn a bad day into a good one — and an empty cooler to a full one.

Finally, snook season reopens March 1 for recreational harvest for Florida’s West Coast and will remains open through April 30.

This opening includes all state and inland waters, as well as adjacent federal waters in the Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor and Southwest management regions.

On my Just Reel charters, I am bouncing all over the water, depending on what the weather presents.

On calmer days, I’m in the Gulf of Mexico fishing over ledges, reefs and wrecks. Using live shrimp as bait results in a variety of catches for my anglers, including mangrove snapper, hogfish, porgies, Key West grunts and juvenile grouper. Flounder and sheepshead are being found around artificial reefs in good numbers, as well as many lane snapper and a few grunts.

On windier days, I am cruising around the backcountry in search of redfi sh. Casting shrimp under docks yields the best results. Mixed in with the reds are black drum and sheepshead, adding variety.

Drifting the flats for spotted seatrout helps create action for my anglers. Soft plastics on a jig head or a pompano jig are luring the fish to bite. Mixed in with this bite are jack crevalle, as well as some pompano

Liam Cunningham, 5, of Cincinnati is all smiles Feb. 24 on his first time dropping a line in saltwater. Liam reeled up this small hogfish and released it while on a guided trip with family and Capt. Mac Gregory, standing behind Liam.

here and there.

Capt. Johnny Mattay of Anna Maria Charters says offshore fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is great — on calm days.

Targeting red grouper is the highlight, with limits being caught on most days. Dropping live pinfish to the bottom works well to attract the red grouper, as do large jigs tipped with squid.

Mangrove snapper are being caught offshore on Mattay’s charter trips, with some catches reaching 26 inches. If you hunt mangrove snapper, you know a 26-incher is a big one. Bait for the snapper are varying, but Mattay says frozen sardines are working best.

Working nearshore structure in the Gulf is resulting in sheepshead, mangrove snapper and hogfi sh,

which are being caught on live shrimp.

For the inshore bite, Mattay says spotted seatrout are a go-to. Live shiners combined with a split-shot and cast over deep grass are producing many slot-size trout, as well as a few over-slot fish. Catch-and-release snook fishing has been working on the warmest days, as well as targeting redfish.

Capt. David White, also of Anna Maria Charters, says targeting sheepshead around nearshore and inshore structure is going well. Using live shrimp as bait is attracting fish up to 6 pounds with many 3-4 pounders being caught. Other baits, such as sand fleas and fiddler crabs, are good to carry, especially on days when the sheepies show up with a finicky appetite.

Moving into the Gulf of Mexico, White has his clients fishing ledges and hard bottom. Using shrimp for bait is resulting in numerous species on the hook, including sheepshead, mangrove snapper, porgies, Key West grunts and hogfish. And some red grouper are mixed in with the bite.

Jim Malfese at the Rod & Reel Pier says sheepshead and black drum are the primary species being caught at the northernmost pier. Anglers casting live shrimp on a weighted rig under the pier are hooking into both sheepies and black drum, although the consistency of the bite is requiring some patience.

Most sheepshead being caught at the pier are 12-14 inches, with smaller and larger examples mixed in. As for the black drum, slot fish 18-20 inches are the norm. Lastly, a few reds are being caught by lucky anglers. Again, live shrimp as bait is working.

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

Skyway 10K race March 3

A poster — designed by “military mom” Donna Skaggs of Dunedin — promotes the Skyway 10K that’s set for Sunday, March 3, on the Sunshine Skyway bridge. before runners take their marks at 6:45 a.m. for a race that benefits the Armed Forces Families Foundation, the bridge is closed to vehicular traffic. The bridge will fully reopen to traffic about 11 a.m., when racers and their fans move over to Tropicana Field in St. Pete for an after-party. For more information, go to skyway10k. com. Islander Courtesy Image

Capt. Mike Greig

Stasny

Tour guide, vacationers, FWC tend to manatee rescue

Rescuers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission corral a manatee calf that become separated from its mother Feb. 25 at the Coquina boat Ramp in bradenton beach. Rescuers said the male manatee, around 3 years of age, appeared to be suffering from cold shock. It was transported by truck to the ZooTampa at Lowry Park in Tampa, where it will be rehabilitated. Islander Photo:

Turtle talk at Anna Maria market bob brown, a volunteer for the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring, tells marketgoers Jan. 23 about sea turtle nesting behavior.

A juvenile manatee comes up for air near Leffis Key in bradenton beach Feb. 25 before being rescued for possible cold shock. To report marinelife or wildlife in distress, call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922).

Ryan Paice

Capt. Joey Sweet

Islander Photo: Capt. Katie Tupin

By Lisa Neff

Talking about trees

Drive west on Cortez Road toward the island or head out on the water to Long Bar Point to survey the upheaval ahead of new development.

Trees.

Or drive around in the neighborhoods to look at new housing or development projects.

What is getting uprooted and bulldozed along with the area’s character?

In an island Facebook community, during a recent conversation about the clear-cutting of mangroves at a property in Anna Maria, a woman drinking from a half-full glass said with optimism: At least they aren’t cutting grand trees.

A woman whose glass was nearly empty replied: That’s because so many grand trees were cut years ago.

Yes, people have been ripping out mangroves and toppling other trees around here for decades.

The Manatee County Public Library’s archives contain transcripts of “old-timer” interviews, including a 1984 conversation with Anna Maria Cobb Riles, a member an early family on Anna Maria Island.

The interviewer asked about the island landscape in the early part of the 20th century.

“What did the pristine state look like? Were there a lot of pine trees?”

“No,” Riles replied. “There were not very many pine trees on Anna Maria Island. There were some at the north end and they were cut down and taken away. …

“But there were other trees, oak groves, with these oak groves just about every lonesome mile, all up and down the island. And they were beautiful things. They were slaughtered.”

“They were slaughtered.”

Along Cortez Road, between 75th Street West and the Cortez Bridge, trees came down in the past year to make way for new development and the area now

looks marred and scarred.

“They were beautiful things.”

At Coquina and Cortez beaches, 90-plus Australian pine trees were taken down in the past year to improve a multiuse path that was popular with bicyclists and walkers because, ahem, it was shaded by trees. There are plans to “mitigate” with new trees but what kind and where?

And then there is the clear-cutting of mangroves on and around AMI.

For what purpose are the mangroves removed?

A better view of water?

Boat access?

To make way for seawalls?

Perhaps the clear-cutters don’t know the value of mangroves.

Well, the government agencies that issue permits to take out mangroves know their benefits.

From the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:

• During storms, mangroves offer a natural fortification against flooding and coastal erosion by reducing wave energy and trapping sediment.

From the Florida Department of Environmental Protection:

• The relationship between mangroves and their associated marine life cannot be overemphasized. Mangroves provide protected nursery areas for fishes,

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islander.org

crustaceans and shellfish.

• Mangrove forests capture carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases, storing them in carbon-rich soils.

There’s another transcript in the library archives that’s an interesting read.

The transcript is based on a 1983 boat tour of Anna Maria Sound and the Manatee River with Carl King, who pointed out mangroves near the village of Cortez and said, “They are called the vacuum cleaner of the bays because all of the fulsome gets caught up in those roots and that cleans things up. That is also the beginning of the food chain for the small fish. These fish go out and spawn in the Gulf and then the young fish come in and get up into those mangroves and they grow to a decent size there without the predators getting them.

“If we didn’t have these mangroves, we would have less fish than we have today. Our governments are beginning to realize that importance and it is now impossible to fill those in and make subdivisions out of them like they did back in the old days.”

Did you know?

Mangrove soils contain three to four times the mass of carbon typically found in boreal, temperate or tropical forests.

$2

Neff

Odessa man convicted for concealed firearm

By Ryan Paice Islander Reporter

Odessa resident Richard Patino, 55, is a free man after being adjudicated guilty of a first-degree misdemeanor for carrying a concealed weapon.

Patino was arrested July 17, 2022, following a reported domestic disturbance at a vacation rental in Holmes Beach.

A relative told police they had a verbal altercation, after which Patino left the property.

Holmes Beach police officers located Patino, who was carrying a loaded pistol in a pocket of his shorts.

Police also found cocaine, a controlled substance, in Patino’s vehicle.

Patino was arrested, jailed and released the next day after posting $10,500 bond.

He was charged with a second-degree felony for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and two third-degree felonies for possession of cocaine and a concealed weapon.

Patino pleaded not guilty but the state attorney’s office ultimately dropped the charges for possession of cocaine and a firearm by a convicted felon.

Streetlife

Island police reports

Anna Maria

No new reports.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office polices Anna Maria.

Bradenton Beach

Feb. 9, 1000 block Gulf Drive North, fraud. An officer from the Bradenton Beach Police Department responded to a complaint of defrauding an innkeeper. A vacation rental manager said a customer rented a unit but left early, prompting the business to bill after the fact. The company attempted payment collection from the customer, who denied the funds. The manager completed a complaint affidavit and the officer completed a capias warrant for the man’s arrest.

The SAO also reduced the third-degree felony charge for carrying a concealed weapon to a first-degree misdemeanor.

Justin Foster, assistant state attorney for the 12th Circuit, told The Islander Feb. 20 that the charges were dropped and reduced because the court was likely to suppress evidence regarding the case due to mistakes in police procedure.

Foster said law enforcement officers must have a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity in order to conduct pat-down searches and, upon review, he found the police who searched Patino lacked that basis.

He added that the state would rather plead the case to an adjudication of guilt than lose it entirely after evidence is suppressed.

Patino pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge Aug. 17, 2023.

Judge Heather Doyle of the 12th Circuit Court ruled the same day to adjudicate Patino guilty of the misdemeanor charge.

Doyle sentenced Patino to forfeit the firearm, as well as pay fines and fees. The sentence does not include prison time or probation.

Feb. 20, 2000 block of Gulf Drive North, fraud. A complainant phoned the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and said their husband was contacted by online scammers and told to deposit money into bitcoin machines. After the funds were deposited, the man’s computer crashed. An incident report was filed and a case number was assigned.

The BBPD polices Bradenton Beach. Cortez

No new reports.

The MCSO polices Cortez.

Holmes Beach

Feb. 15, Kingfish Boat Ramp, 752 Manatee Ave., stolen license plate. A Holmes Beach police officer was approached by a woman who said her license plate

Weekly

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Cops & Courts

Georgia murder suspect surrenders in Bradenton Beach

Rodobaldo Portuondo, a 17-year-old from Georgia wanted in connection with a fatal shooting in Savannah, surrendered Feb. 19 in Bradenton Beach.

Bradenton Beach Police Lt. Lenard Diaz told The Islander Feb. 20 the surrender came shortly after he received a call from the U.S. Marshals Service.

“The subject arrived at the station at 11 a.m. and, just prior to that, I received a call from the U.S. Marshals Service telling me that the subject would be turning himself in,” Diaz said. “No quicker than I got off the phone with the marshals, the young man turned himself in.”

BBPD confirmed a warrant for Portuondo out of Savannah, where police were seeking him in connection with a fatal shooting in the city’s historic downtown district.

Portuondo was transported to the Manatee County juvenile detention center in Bradenton, where he awaited extradition to Chatham County, Georgia.

A Savannah Police Department statement said offi cers responded to reports of a shooting Feb. 10 and discovered a victim suffering from life-threatening gunshot wounds.

The victim was treated on the scene and transported to Memorial Health University Medical Center, where he died.

— Robert Anderson

from her vehicle went missing while she was boating. The officer gave her a case card.

Feb. 17, Holmes Beach Police Department, 5801 Marina Drive, assisting law enforcement. A Longboat Key police officer arrived at the HBPD to request a breath test for a person arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. The man refused the test twice.

Feb. 17, HBPD, 5801 Marina Drive, property damage. A woman reported a man struck her vehicle, which a relative was driving, causing damage to the vehicle. She said spoke with the man about paying for the damage but they could not agree on a price. An officer gave her a case card.

Feb. 17, Publix Liquor Store, 505 Manatee Ave., petit theft. Officers responded to reports of a shoplifting incident. One officer spoke with a manager who said a man exited the store without paying for a bottle of rum. The other officers searched the area and found a man matching the manager’s description. Officers found the liquor bottle and arrested the man, who was taken to the Manatee County jail.

Feb. 19, 700 block of Manatee Avenue, stolen vehicle. A woman called the HBPD to report that, following a verbal argument, her boyfriend left her property in her vehicle without her permission and had not returned. She said she did not want to press charges or for law enforcement to pursue contact with him, but wanted to file a police report. The officer gave her a case number.

HBPD polices Holmes Beach.

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

Direct: 941.713.5458

Email: Shellie.Young@PremierSIR.com

by Robert Anderson Islander Reporter

A Florida law firm is taking up a legal battle to preserve the fi nancial privacy of elected municipal officials.

The Weiss Serota Helfman law firm in Coral Gables filed a suit Feb. 15 in state and federal courts on behalf of municipal officials seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against the Form 6 law.

State law effective Jan. 1 requires municipal elected officials to file Form 6, a comprehensive financial disclosure statement that includes net worth, income and asset values.

State and county officials already had been filing the form.

Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach elected officials reviewed the Form 6 suit in January but decided not to join.

financial disclosure

However, other municipalities have entered the suit.

The impact of Form 6 led to the resignation of Bradenton Beach Commissioner Jacob Spooner, who earlier in the year became involved in a major resort development, and the late-2023 withdrawal of three applicants for commission seats in Anna Maria.

Elsewhere in Florida, more than 100 elected municipal officials have resigned over the Form 6 requirement.

Attorney Jamie Alan Cole, in a Feb. 19 interview with The Islander, said 26 cities and 74 elected officials had joined the suit that was filed Feb. 15.

Cole said the plaintiffs want a temporary injunction before July 1, the deadline for when elected officials must have their Form 6 paperwork submitted.

He said the claim was filed in federal and state courts.

“We have both a federal claim for violation of First Amendment free speech, and a state claim for violation of the right to privacy under the Florida Constitution,” Cole said.

The complaint argues that the requirement infringes on rights to privacy and poses challenges to effective local governance.

He said the system of examining net worth might not present an accurate picture of an official’s propensity toward corruption.

“How much a person’s net worth is has nothing to do with whether or not they are subject to conflicts of interest or corruption,” Cole said. “Who they make their money from, which is on the Form 1, is relevant but there’s really no reason to go the next step and require net worth and values of every asset.”

A simplified Form 1 was required for municipal officials prior to requiring Form 6.

Anna Maria moves forward with sandwich sign approval

by Ryan Paice Islander Reporter

Official allowances for A-frame sandwich board signs might be coming for Anna Maria businesses..

City commissioners held a first reading Feb. 22 for a proposed ordinance that officially would allow the use of sandwich board signs — with restrictions.

The city had prohibited the signs for years but passed a resolution following Hurricane Irma in 2017 to allow use for a limited time in an effort to stimulate struggling businesses.

While a deadline for the resolution was extended multiple times due to the closure of the historic Anna Maria City Pier and the coronavirus pandemic, it has since expired.

However, the city has not enforced the sandwich sign prohibition because it is a low-priority and timeconsuming issue, according to Mayor Dan Murphy. Murphy instead proposed an ordinance that would

remove the signs from a list of prohibited signage and allow their use in addition to permanent signs.

The commission originally held a first reading for the proposed ordinance last year, but delayed a final reading and sent it to the city’s planning and zoning board for review.

The P&Z unanimously voted last September to recommend approval of the ordinance with revisions.

Nevertheless, the city commission did not hold another reading or revisit the issue until a Feb. 22 reading of a revised ordinance.

The ordinance would permit “each separate address housing one or more legal existing commercial use(s)” within the city’s ROR and C-1 zoning districts to display one A-frame sandwich board sign.

The ROR zoning district is for residential, office and retail uses on Pine Avenue.

The C-1 zoning district is for day-to-day commercial and professional office uses and is located at both

ends of Pine Avenue, including a stretch of Gulf Drive from its intersections with Pine to Palmetto avenues.

The sandwich board signs cannot have moving parts and are restricted in size to no more than 27 inches wide and 45 inches tall.

They also cannot be placed in rights of way and parking spaces and cannot impede pedestrian traffic or lines of sight, as well as vehicular sight triangles.

The signage can be used during business hours and must be removed when the business is closed and during inclement weather.

City planner Ashley Austin said the city polled 21 businesses in the municipality’s ROR and C-1 zoning districts for public input about the issue and found strong favor to allow sandwich board signs.

Austin said 16 businesses were in favor of allowing the signs, while four were neutral on the issue. One business was in “total opposition” to it.

There was no public comment.

ITEMS FOR SALE

GOLF GRIP/CLUb repair tools with toolbox. Added bonus box of grips. $75/offer 941704-4332.

OLIVe OIL FROM my farm in Greece. Olive oil is from olive fruit, not from seeds. Wine bottle size (750ml), $19. Delivered to your AMI address. 203-942-8399.

NO STAIRS TO front door: Selling oneyear-old electric lift. Trust-t-lift holds 7,000 pounds. $5,000, new, asking $2,500. Call 941-896-6411.

WHITe VINYL AbOVe-ground pool ladder. e xcellent condition, $49. White aluminum screen door 36-inches, $49. 941-7785542.

WOM e N’S b IK e : LL b ean Casco b ay Cruiser, step-through, one speed, foot brake. Yellow, parrot squeaker included! $50. 914234-3357.

bOSU HOMe GYM, $50, exercise ball, $25, side tables, round, glass top, 2/$19, black chairs, soft leather 2/$20. 941-920-2494.

FREEBIE ITEMS FOR SALE

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS

bRIDGe PLAY AT Roser Hall: Noon on Fridays. Call 314-324-5921.

GARAGE SALES

ROYAL RUMMAG e SAL e XVI: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, March 8, $5 admission and 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, March 9, free admission. Longboat Key’s biggest and best. St. Mary Star of The Sea, 4280 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

TRANSPORTATION

GOLF CART R e NTALS: Fun for residents and tourists! 212-941-2402. www.GolfCartRentalAMI.com.

2009 CLUb CAR: Customized, street legal. $4,200. Call 813-685-5530.

BOATS & BOATING

HAVe A bOAT and wanna catch more fish, better bait or learn the water? 50-year local fisherman, your boat, my knowledge. Captain Chris, 941-896-2915.

SUNCOAST b OTTOM PAINTING: Professional bottom painting. Mobile. Call 941704-9382.

CAPTAIN FOR HIRe and boat caretaker services: If you need help with your boat on or off the water, call Captain Dan. USCG, retired. 772-486-8085.

FUN AND FISH: Skiff rental. 24-foot Carolina skiff. Live bait and fishing equipment included upon request. Call 941-704-9382.

21-FOOT CUDDY cabin: Deep V hull, V6 225hp, e vinrude, Garmin navigation and tandem trailer. $15,000 or best offer. 941356-1456.

HELP WANTED

ADD THe SeA Swimwear in Holmes beach seeks part-time retail associate. Flexible hours. Please, call 941-254-7938. or mn20@ sbcglobal.net

AMI TURTLe WATCH OFFICe ASSISTANT. 20 hours/week. Work from home in vicinity of AMI. Scheduling, inventory, purchasing, data entry, website. Local travel required. email director@islandturtlewatch.com.

SMUGGLeR’S COVe/GULF Stream beach resort: Receptionist/activity person needed. Three days during the week and Saturday, 30-36 hours per week. Please, call 941-7792804 for more details.

A/C SeRVICe TeCH: Seasoned, able to work well with others. Input is appreciated, hard work is rewarded, salary negotiable. 40-plus hour work week, paid holidays and vacations. West Coast Air Conditioning and Heating, Inc. 941-778-9622.

A/C INSTALL e R: CHANG e outs experienced. High work ethical standards a must. Year-round work, no layoffs, benefits. West Coast Air Conditioning and Heating, Inc. 941-778-9622.

More ads = more readers in The Islander.

HELP WANTED Continued

SeeKING CANDIDATe INTeReSTeD in sales of health and wellness, high-technology equipment. excellent commission, training. Residual income potential. Full or part-time. Retirees welcomed to respond. Call or text. 724-290-9800.

NOW HIRING HANDYMAN: Full-time professional services. $18 an hour and up, based on experience. Call JayPros, 941962-2874.

KIDS FOR HIRE

KIDS FOR HIR e ads are FR ee for Island youths under 16 looking for work. The Islander, 941-778-7978.

HEALTH CARE

S e ASONAL: R e TIR e D RN with over 20 years’ experience can assist with your family members or yourself, can provide care and skilled needs. Please, contact me for further inquiries at 973-819-2824.

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.

PR e SSUR e WASHING, PAV e R sealing, driveway, roof, fence, pool area. Also, window cleaning. Licensed and insured. 941-5653931.

bICYCLe RePAIRS: Just4Fun at 5358 Gulf Drive can do most any bicycle repair at a reasonable cost. Pick-up and delivery available. 941-896-7884.

API’S DRYWALL RePAIR: I look forward to servicing your drywall repair needs. Call 941524-8067 to schedule an appointment.

CL e AN T e CH MO b IL e Detailing. At your location. Cars, boats, RVs. Call or text billie for an appointment. 941-592-3482.

PC OR T e CH issues? Not sure where to start? With years of experience, I’ll come to you with reliable solutions. Contact Gavin at 928-587-1309. www.gse.codes.

PAINTING: INTeRIOR/eXTeRIOR: Sarasota interior painting. Call or text Don, 941-9009398. We are the best high-end painting! Just ask our AMI clients! I’m the owner and the painter. Free estimates. Fully insured licensed business.

U PLUS Me LLC: Provides quality coatings for pool decks, driveways, garage floors, patios. Don’t miss out on our pro polishing services, concrete, terrazzo, travertine. 727623-5050.

HANDYMAN: ISLAND bASeD. Looking for small jobs the other guys turn down. Call 616-304-4187, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

SERVICES

PRIVATe CAReGIVeR: DO You need help with groceries, doctors’ appointments, cleaning, care for pet, care for elderly or companion. I am looking for a part-time job. I have references and very experienced. I have integrity and I can help you and your loved ones with anything! Sparkles, 941-704-9948.

I S L A N D E R C L A S S I F I E D

SERVICES Continued

AFFORDAbLe PReSSURe WASHING and vacation cleaning service. 941-356-1456.

b USIN e SS-TO- b USIN e SS JD’s Window Cleaning looking for storefront jobs in Holmes beach. I make dirty windows sparkling clean. 941-920-3840.

be ACH S e RVIC e air conditioning, heat, refrigeration. Commercial and residential service, repair and/or replacement. Serving Manatee County and the Island since 1987. For dependable, honest and personalized service, call bill eller, 941-720-7411. CAC184228.

LAWN & GARDEN

CONNIe’S LANDSCAPING INC. Residential and commercial. Full-service lawn maintenance, landscaping, cleanups, hauling and more! Insured. 941-778-5294.

COLLINS LANDSCAPe LIGHTING: Outdoor lighting, landscaping, irrigation services and maintenance. 941-279-9947. MJC24373@ gmail.com.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

VAN-GO PAINTING residential/commercial, interior/exterior, pressure cleaning, wallpaper. Island references. bill, 941-795-5100. www.vangopainting.net.

GRIFFIN’S HOM e IMPROV e M e NTS Inc. Handyman, fine woodwork, countertops, cabinets and wood flooring. Insured and licensed. 941-722-8792.

ISLAND HANDYMAN: I live here, work here, value your referral. Refinish, paint. Just ask. JayPros. Licensed/insured. References. Call Jay, 941-962-2874.

SCReeNING SeRVICeS: Replace your old or ripped window, door or porch screens. Many screen types available. Retired veteran here to serve our community! Free estimates, call Lane, 941-705-5293.

LOOKING FOR ANY home improvement?

JRCC Home Improvement, handyman service can get the job done. Please, contact us at 413-246-2410. We would love to help.

SOUTHWeST HOMe IMPROVeMeNT: Michigan builder, quality work guaranteed. Affordable, timely, within budget. Call Mike’s cell, 1-616-204-8822.

bMF INTeRIORS: HOMe repairs and more, no job too small. 786-318-8585.

CALL HYDRO CLeAN. Full-service pressure washing, sealing. Pavers, travertine and natural stone. Window washing too, up to three stories. Call Jacob, 941-920-2094.

RENTALS

ANNA MARIA GULF beachfront vacation rentals. One- two- and three-bedroom units, all beachfront. www.amiparadise.com. 941778-3143.

P e RICO ISLAND PATIO home for rent. 3bR/2bA, 30-day minimum. Privacy fence/ gate, two miles to AMI. Now leasing May through December, 2024. Call or text, 859771-6423. http://pericoislandrental.com/

AVAILA b L e NOW and season: 1 b R/1 b A, seven-night minimum. carlesvacationrentals. com Special rates available. 941-807-1405.

RENTALS Continued

ACROSS FROM b AY, Two miles to Anna Maria. 2 b R/1 b A fully furnished. Available April. All utilities, washer/dryer. $3,900 month. Family owned. 941-7731552.

AVAILA b L e ANNUAL R e NTAL: 3 b R/2 b A raised duplex in Holmes beach. Great location. $4,000 per month. Phone, 941-7784410 or 941-518-1018.

S e ASONAL OR ANNUAL: Furnished 2bR/1.5bA, bottom floor unit. beach access and two pools. 55-plus. 5400 Gulf Drive, Holmes beach. 847-769-9080.

ANNUAL ReNTAL: KeY Royale: 2bR/2bA, two-car garage, boat lift. Canal home $6,500/ month. Phone, 813-624-2664.

RARe OPPORTUNITY TO rent all-inclusive executive office space in Holmes b each. Great frontage and advertisement visibility. Great for realtors, contractors, accountants, lawyers, etc. electric and water included. Two offices available. Suite 101, approximately 200 sf. $700/month $500 deposit. Suite 106, approximately 400 sf. $750/month. $500 deposit. 5386 Gulf Drive, Holmes b each. Contact bill at 941-746-8666.

PeRICO bAY CLUb: Deluxe villa. 2bR/2bA and garage. Off-season rate starting April. Also, January 2025 available. Call for rates and times. Real e state Mart, 941-3561456.

SIX-MONTH R e NTAL: Available November 2024 – May 2025. Spacious first floor 3bR/2bA with double carport under condo. Sleeps six. Cable and Internet provided. One block to Manatee Public beach. Heated pool and pickleball/tennis court. $5,300/month, no additional taxes. 563-370-2900 for video link. Holmes beach.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND: 55-plus community in bradenton beach. Totally remodeled 2bR/1.5bA, ground-level cottage with adjacent parking. Stacked washer and dryer, three air/heat mini split s. Heated pool on site. Pickleball courts one block away. Gulf is 300 steps and bay, 200 steps from your porch. Rent includes all utilities and WIFI. Annual rent $2,500/month. Six-month rent is $4,000/month. No smoking and no pets. Call Tim, 507-382-8880.

ANNUAL R e NTAL: FURNISH e D or unfurnished. 2bR/1bA back-to back duplex. Two miles to beach near Cortez village across from bay. $1,995 per month includes water, basic internet and TV. Locally owned. 941773-1552.

ANNUAL ReNTAL: HOLMeS beach. beautiful 3 b R/2 b A on canal. Available May 1. Garage, washer, dryer, outdoor pergola, dock, boat hoist. $3,800/month plus utilities. Text/call, 242-670-6697.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND: 3bR/2bA on canal. Five-minute walk to beautiful beach. Available March 3-17 and March 27-April 20. $2,100/week plus $200 cleaning fee. Text/ call, 242-670-6697.

AFFORDAbLe 2bR/1bA furnished condo. 55-plus, community pool. Six-month lease. $1,100/month. Real estate Mart, 941-3561456.

REAL ESTATE

WILDWOOD SPRINGS CONDO: Updated and turnkey furnished. Heated pool and spa. Minutes to beach. $329,000. Call Fred, Real estate Mart, 941-356-1456.

WINNI e MCHAL e , R e ALTOR, 941-5046146. Rosebay International Realty Inc. You need an aggressive and experienced Realtor in today’s market! Selling island homes, Sarasota and bradenton areas. Multi-milliondollar producer! “Selling Homes - Making Dreams Come True.”

W e ST b RAD e NTON condo: resort lifestyle, ground-floor 2bR//2bA. Garage. 6.5 miles, 14 minutes to Gulf beaches. $264,900. Call or text, 941-725-4374.

FOR SALe bY owner: North end Anna Maria. 3 b R/3 b A, canal home, two-car detached garage, fireplace, boat dock, quiet dead-end street. 941-345-7429.

NeeD ReAL eSTATe help? buy, sell, property management, rentals. Call Fred Flis. 35 years local experience. Real e state Mart, 941-356-1456.

by Robyn Murrell

Defunct bank will stand

Bradenton Beach businessman Jake Spooner is getting closer to revealing plans for the vacant Wells Fargo bank building, 5327 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.

The property, which operated as a bank from the 1960s — originally opened as Island Bank and then as several national banking institutions until 2020.

Spooner, a former Bradenton Beach commissioner, purchased the 1.83-acre, two-lot commercial property that includes the bank building July 10, 2023, for $4,750,000.

The bank structure will remain but it’s possible the site won’t be used as a bank next time around.

Spooner told The Islander Feb. 20 that he’s working to get his ducks in a row on the project and he’ll submit paperwork to the city before sharing plans for the space.

“The civil engineer is still tightening his end up and maybe within a couple of weeks we’ll be ready to submit to the city of Holmes Beach,” Spooner said.

Chad Minor, Holmes Beach director of development services, said Feb. 20 that a city demolition permit approved Jan. 19 is specific to the interior of the building.

“It’s not the intent of the demolition permit to remove the structure itself,” Minor said. “Our understanding is that they are going to keep the bones of the bank. There’ll be a new user in there but the building is not going to be removed.”

Minor said as of Feb. 20 the city had not received plans from the owner on refurbishing or building out the space.

Spooner also is a partner with developer Shawn Kaleta on the planned Bridge Street Resort in Bradenton Beach.

Correction

A report on Edibles N More Old Time Country in the Feb. 7 issue of The Islander contained incorrect information. The old-style country store in Holmes Beach offers a variety of merchandise, including hemp-derived THC products, such as dab resin, flower, pre-roll, gummies, carts, disposables, as well as CBD tinctures and topicals, but it is not a cannabis store.

Chamber ready to golf

The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce is seeking sponsors and players for its 25th annual golf tournament, which will be Friday, May 10, at IMG Academy Golf Club, 4350 El Conquistador Parkway, Bradenton.

Teeing off will benefit the chamber’s scholarship fund. The cost to play is $650 per team or $170 per golfer.

Golfers also will receive lunch, gift bags, green fees, cart fees, prizes, beer and beverages on the course and admission to the awards dinner.

The cost of the dinner for those not competing is $50.

Registration and lunch will be at 12:30 p.m., with a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m.

Sponsorship opportunities are available until late April and range $200-$1,400.

For more information, contact the chamber at 941778-1541 or info@amichamber.org.

NormanEllis, sales associate. 941.778.6696

Mike Norman Realty

Chamber welcomes new board member

Nikita Fosmore, second from right, the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce’s newest member of its board of directors, speaks Feb. 22 during a business card exchange and meet-the-directors event at the chamber office, 5313 Gulf Drive, Holmes beach. Others pictured are member Andrea Hoogewind of GI bins, Sabrina Hoops of AFLAC and Nikita’s husband, Richard, owner of bradenton Home Inspections, Fosmore and chamber President Terri Kinder. Nikita Fosmore is co-owner of Salon, Salon, 3612 e. bay Drive, Holmes beach. Islander Photo: Robyn Murrell

HOLMES

Hannah

HOLMES

Hannah

Betsy

Kathy

HOLMES

Amy

Hannah

BRADENTON BEACH

ANNA MARIA