The Islander Newspaper E-Edition Wednesday, April 07, 2021 by The Anna Maria Islander Newspaper

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APRIL 7, 2021 Free

NO. 24

The Best News on Anna Maria island Since 1992 astheworldterns. 6

Good news, Anna Maria Island!

Safety at forefront of holiday planning. 3

Q&A 040721

islander.org

Meetings. 4 HB honors volunteer. 5 BB Sunshine case awaits ruling. 5

Opinions. 6 10-20 YEARS AGO

looking back. 7

Cortez Bridge design group meets. 9

Save a date. 10

Happenings Activities. 10-11 lot splits on hold, safety questions aired. 13

Gathering. 14

Obituaries. 14 BB gears up for dredge project. 16 AME hops, hops. 17

Cops&Courts 18-19 Streetlife. 18

WMfr HQ in final stretch. 20

The Kiwanis Club of Anna Maria island welcomes sunrise and hundreds of worshippers April 4 to the Manatee public Beach for its 56th annual Easter Sunrise Service. The rev. Stephen King of Harvey Memorial Community Church delivered the benediction and his yearly message of “good news. Christ is risen.” More, page 15.

Moose Lodge carries on Easter tradition Caden Norris, 2, and sister Kinley, 6, pose with the Easter bunny following a wild scramble on the beach April 3 for Easter eggs at the Anna Maria island Moose lodge. More, page 20. islander photo: Kelsey Mako

Dredge errs, wrong island

prepping for nesting. 22

Spring into action for manatees. 23 KrC woman takes 7th title. 24 Kings highlight week. 25

AMI TOURISM: 26

ISL BIZ: 27 CLASSIFIEDS. 28

NYT puzzle.

Motorists cruise for a parking spot March 30 at the Manatee public Beach in Holmes Beach — as city-county officials snipe over parking limits. More, page 2. islander photo: ryan paice

Wastewater ﬂows into bay from Piney Point By lisa Neff islander Editor

feds take new look at fish farm plan. 21

PropertyWatch. 30

Parking clash: Not what you think!

Contractor Weeks Marine arrived April 1 at the wrong location and prepared to dredge sand from passage Key inlet when officials were alerted to the error, but not before a storm and high winds disrupted the work, sending three 100-foot pipes April 2 to within 10 feet of shore at Bayfront park. for more, see page 4. islander photo: Bob patten

The island affords a beautiful view of Mother Nature’s best. When people stand gazing at the aqua waters of Tampa Bay at Anna Maria Island’s north end, they don’t tend to think of bankrupt phosphate plants, gypsum stacks, states of emergency and leaking wastewater. But Bean Point is where the Gulf of Mexico meets Tampa Bay, and Tampa Bay is where polluted water was being discharged following the discovery of leaks at the site of the defunct Piney Point phosphate plant. For the past week, there were daily stateauthorized controlled releases of the water — said to be a mix of saltwater, rainwater and non-radioactive wastewater — near the Manatee border with Hillsborough County, part of an effort to avoid an environmental catastrophe. “What we’re looking at now is trying to prevent and respond to, if need be, a real cat-

TurN TO WasteWater, pAgE 4

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Holmes Beach-county officials clash on parking limits By ryan paice islander reporter

Tensions are rising between Manatee County and Holmes Beach officials over parking limitations in the city. A March 23 email exchange between Manatee County Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge and Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth ended with Titsworth declining an invitation to meet with Van OstenTitsworth bridge to discuss parking. The city implemented a park-bypermit system last summer to reduce parking along some residential streets when people flooded the beaches as they opened as others across the state remained closed due to the COVIDVan Osten19 pandemic. bridge The system requires residents and property owners acquire a $15 decal to park a vehicle in one of 645 spots along residential roadways where the city prohibits public parking 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The change also included prohibiting public parking in another 491 spaces along residential streets — a 20% reduction from the 2,400 spots in the city before the novel coronavirus pandemic. The changes have drawn the ire of some Manatee County commissioners, including Van Ostenbridge, who said the changes were an “unwelcoming environment” for people traveling to the city’s beaches. Last fall, at his first meeting as the county’s District 3 commissioner, representing all of Anna Maria Island, Van Ostenbridge said he was “drawing a line in the sand” and would oppose future Holmes Beach beach renourishment funds in the county budget if the city didn’t reverse the parking reduction. Vida Gordon, the county commission’s executive administrative assistant, emailed Titsworth March 23

on behalf of Van Ostenbridge, stating: “Commissioner Van Ostenbridge would like to meet with you and staff regarding: 1) Public parking on city streets in the city of Holmes Beach; 2) Manatee County participation in future beach renourishment projects.” In her response, Titsworth asked Van Ostenbridge to tour the city during a weekend gridlock so he could see first-hand the traffic and parking issues. “If we are going to have real discussions with real solutions, I find it important that he witness this firsthand,” Titsworth wrote. “This may allow him a better perspective to see the limits the city is facing in accommodating all our county residents and tourists who each want to arrive by car.” Titsworth offered to meet Van Ostenbridge April 12 with Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer. “I have seen firsthand the traffic challenges on AMI at peek hours,” Van Ostenbridge responded. “I look forward to hearing from the mayor in our meeting. …The end goal I have in mind is to create a more welcoming environment on AMI and increase accessibility to our public beaches.” He concluded the email with, “My invitation does not extend to the HB police chief.” Titsworth declined the meeting in her email response: “If the meeting does not extend to the police chief, who has firsthand knowledge on why parking was eliminated on certain streets, then I see no reason why to have the meeting.” Titsworth added that Van Ostenbridge’s previous comments were “threatening in nature” and offered instead for him to attend a city commission meeting to express his opinion. Van Ostenbridge offered to host the meeting in his office or the county commission conference room but did not address the omission of Tokajer. “If he is unwilling to come visit the city he represents, I will have to decline to attend the meeting,” Titsworth wrote in response.

Ofﬁcials react “I am disappointed,” Titsworth wrote in an April 1 text to The Islander in response to the exchange. “I was hoping after experiencing the lack of interest our last district representative had for our island that this newly elected commissioner would understand the value in working together.” Van Ostenbridge succeeded Stephen Jonsson as the county’s District 3 representative. “I am afraid his loyalties lie elsewhere. For the sake of the entire county, I hope he becomes humble. We all have a job to do and people to represent. Anyone can spout demands but it is a true leader that sees the value in relationship,” Titsworth added. Tokajer supported the parking changes in a March 30 call with The Islander. “The changes were made for the safety of our city and our residents that were being overrun by parking and bad actors,” he said. “We had to come up with some type of balance for our residents and visitors and we did that and it’s working very well.” Tokajer said he didn’t understand why Van Ostenbridge refused to include him in a meeting. “For him to invite the mayor and her staff to a meeting, then dictate what staff she’s allowed to have attend with her, is just another example of him abusing the power of his position,” he said. The city and county have an interlocal agreement in which the city must provide at least 500 parking spaces for beach access, as well as “use its best efforts to assure continued conditions of public access, public parking availability, and use of the shore.” Tokajer said the city provides more than the required number of parking spaces for beach access. “This is a countywide parking issue and it should not be born by the residents of Holmes Beach making their residential streets into a parking lot as if it’s the UTC Mall,” Tokajer said. Van Ostenbridge did not respond to a March 31 email from The Islander.

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Safety at forefront of holiday planning By Amy V.T. Moriarty Islander Reporter

More than 30,000 people were expected Easter weekend to bask and play on the beaches on Anna Maria Island. Historically, Easter and Memorial Day weekends are two of the busiest for island beaches, with combined crowds on Coquina and Cortez beaches estimated at about 20,000 and another 12,000-15,000 at Manatee Public Beach, said Manatee County Public Safety director Jacob Saur. By April 1, three days before Easter, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said the city was crowded with “more people than we can handle.” A year ago, a group of county and local public safety and law enforcement officials shut down the beaches as the coronavirus pandemic began to grip the country. This March 30, they met at the beach for a news conference to outline a plan to keep the crowded beaches safe for Easter and Memorial Day. A safe beach experience starts with following the rules, they emphasized. Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer and Bradenton Beach Detective Sgt. Lenard Diaz were two of 10 officials at the media event at Lifeguard Tower 9 at Coquina Public Beach in Bradenton Beach. They represented the multiagency partnership intent on upholding rules designed for safety. Basic beach rules Tokajer outlined include: • No pets; • No fires; • No grills, except those provided at public beaches; • No glass bottles; • No alcohol. In Holmes Beach, anyone caught violating the alcohol restriction faces a $75 fine. In addition to the fine, anyone underage caught with alcohol could be held at the police station until a parent or guardian picks them up, “no matter where you’re from,”

Tokajer said. “COVID is still prevalent and is still very much around in our community,” said Saur. Of the three island cities, Holmes Beach still has a face mask mandate indoors and for areas where social distancing cannot be maintained. In Anna Maria, face masks must be worn in city buildings, as well as at City Pier Park on South Bay Boulevard, Murphy said. Additionally, anyone who fails to comply with a business face mask requirement could face trespassing charges. Though the beach is about as outdoorsy as it gets on the island, Saur encouraged people to wear face masks when they cannot socially distance. Tokajer also stressed that parking restrictions would be enforced. From March 1-26, 650,000 vehicles entered Holmes Beach on Manatee Avenue at an average of 24,700 cars per day, the chief said. And it’s only going to get busier through Memorial Day, which this year is Monday, May 31.

Q&A 040721

The Islander poll

Last week’s results Manatee County the week beginning March 22 conducted its largest week of coronavirus vaccines to date following the expansion of eligibility. What’s your status? 49%, Awaiting second dose. 37%, Fully vaccinated. 10%, Not getting a vaccine. 5%, Awaiting an appointment. This week’s question National Library Week is taking place this week, with observances online and in libraries, including within the Manatee County Public Library System. The theme is “Welcome to Your Library.” How do you most make use of your local library? A. Check out books. B. Download materials. C. Attend programs. D. Meet with friends. E. Not a patron. To take the poll, go online to islander.org. Manatee County Public Safety director Jacob Saur addresses the media March 30 about holiday safety efforts. Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer delivered a message at the press call: “It’s important to remember you’re vacationing in a residential area.” Lined up behind Saur: Asst. Chief Larry Luh, County EMS operations, left; Jeff Bowman, county code enforcement chief; Lt. Chris Skinner, Longboat Key PD; Tokajer; Capt. Stan Schaeffer, MCSO; Chief Steve Litschauer, county emergency management and Chief Joe Westerman, county beach patrol. Islander Photo: Amy V.T. Moriarty

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Dredging in Anna Maria? April fool mix-up of barrier islands By Amy V.T. Moriarty Islander Reporter

Now that would be a whopper of an April Fools’ Day joke, but it happened. A dredging crew’s April 1 mix-up resulted in a surprise appearance in Tampa Bay just yards from the Anna Maria shoreline. Their location was in error and what followed, an overnight cold front, led to the April 2 closure of the beach at Bayfront Park. The good news/bad news? The dredge hadn’t started to pump sand. Anna Maria city officials were surprised April 1 to find dredging equipment 600 feet from the bayfront beach near the north end in Tampa Bay. The shockwave grew when a Manatee County sheriff’s deputy went to investigate and was told the Louisiana-based company, Weeks Marine, was hired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to pump sand onto the Gulf of Mexico beach from that point south. “Perhaps what the sheriff was told by the crew was wrong, but as you know, that is almost all private property from Bean Point south to the Sandbar Restaurant,” Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy wrote — referring to the western shore of Anna Maria — in the first of a flurry of emails April 1 with Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources director Charlie Hunsicker, who was equally caught off guard. A couple of hours later, Hunsicker and Murphy had their answer: The crew had confused its barrier islands and actually was contracted to dredge farther south for sand placement on Longboat Key. What began as a mistake escalated April 2 to a “public safety issue” when overnight winds and high surf carried three submerged 100-foot pipes to the shore, where they pounded the beach and clanged in Wastewater continued from page 1

astrophic flood situation,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a weekend news conference. He had followed county officials in issuing an executive order declaring a state of emergency for Manatee, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. For decades, Piney Point has been an environmental hazard in terms of air, ground and water pollution. The plant isn’t operational but what remains is a massive system of phosphogypsum stacks with containment ponds, liners and cooling systems to handle the waste and other materials generated by the fertilizer operation. On March 25, on-site management at Piney Point observed and began monitoring what was described as “seepage” from a likely tear in a pond liner that intensified to a point where monitors asked the Florida

Meetings

Anna Maria City April 8, 2 p.m., city commission. April 22, 6 p.m., city commission. Anna Maria City Hall, 10005 Gulf Drive, 941708-6130, cityofannamaria.com.

Dredging equipment is anchored April 1 in Tampa Bay, about 600 feet from Bayfront Park in Anna Maria. The dredge arrival took some people by surprise, including Anna Maria and county officials. Islander Photo: Courtesy Bob Patten.

the surf, Murphy said. At the mayor’s direction, deputies used “caution” tape to block off the beach at Bayfront Park while the remainder of the park was open. Murphy notified the dredging project manager and Longboat Key town manager to arrange for guards at the beach until the pipes could be moved. “If Longboat Key fails to respond to the need for guards, we will take appropriate action as a city for public safety,” Murphy concluded. Rather than send guards to protect the public safety, officials from Longboat Key arranged April 2 for the pipes to be pulled from the shoreline and secured to the dredge by two tugboats and a barge, Murphy said April 5. But, they were not properly secured and again broke loose overnight and floated to shore. Again, April 3 the pipes were pulled from shore

by tugboats and a barge and secured and, by April 5 had not caused further issues or public safety concerns, Murphy said. Dredging at Longboat Pass was set to start “sometime next week and so the equipment and activities are part of the mobilization for that project,” Thomas Pierro of Boca Raton-based Coastal Protection Engineering wrote in an April 1 email to Hunsicker. Gladiolus Street resident Bob Patten told The Islander April 1 that he’d been working in the yard when he heard a loud voice coming from the area of Bayfront Park, 315 N. Bay Blvd. It was louder than what one would hear through a megaphone, prompting Patten to head to the park for a look. Patten said he was surprised to see the equipment about 600 feet offshore, especially, he said, in an area where “sailboats don’t even come that close.”

Department of Environmental Protection to allow the controlled release of some wastewater that would reach into Tampa Bay. DEP, with concern about the stability of the gypsum stack system and to avoid injury or severe property and environmental damage, authorized the release of wastewater to begin March 30. “The department has issued an emergency final order requiring that HRK take immediate action and implement all necessary steps to ensure the integrity of the stack system and its lined impoundments and prevent an uncontrolled discharge,” the DEP said in a statement March 29. In addition to the controlled release, an undetermined amount of wastewater was reported flowing from the site and reached a creek that leads to the

bay.

WMFR administration building, 6510 Third Ave. W., Bradenton, 941-761-1555, wmfr.org. Manatee County April 15, 1:30 p.m., county commission (land use). April 20, 9 a.m., county commission. County administration building,1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton, 941-748-4501, mymanatee. org.

Bradenton Beach April 7, 9:30 a.m., CRA. April 7, 2 p.m., ScenicWAVES. April 8, 6 p.m., city commission. April 13, 9 a.m., city commission. April 15, noon, city commission. Also of interest April 21, 2 p.m., planning and zoning. April 14, 4 p.m., Palma Sola Scenic Highway April 22, noon, city commission. group, Bradenton public works, 1411 Ninth St. W., Bradenton Beach City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton. 941-778-1005, cityofbradentonbeach.com. April 19, 9 a.m., Manatee County Tourist Development Council, county administration building. April 21, 2 p.m., Coalition of Barrier Island Holmes Beach April 7, 10 a.m., parks and beautification. Elected Officials, Anna Maria City Hall. April 7, 6 p.m., planning commission. April 30, last day of the regular legislative sesApril 13, 6 p.m., commission. sion. April 21, 10 a.m., code compliance. May 24, 9:30 a.m., Sarasota/Manatee MetroApril 22, 11:30 a.m., police pension. politan Planning Organization, TBD. — Lisa Neff April 27, 6 p.m., commission. Editor’s note: Some meetings may be conducted Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive, virtually and some in-person and virtual. 941-708-5800, holmesbeachfl.org. Please, send meeting notices to calendar@ islander.org and news@islander.org. West Manatee Fire Rescue None announced.

“The water is not toxic. The real harm is the potential for excessive nutrients to reach Tampa Bay,” Manatee County environmental division manager Rob Brown said April 1. “Nutrients can cause algae blooms and exacerbate red tide and when we see red tide outbreaks and they may cause fish kills.” The briefing April 1 prompted Manatee County commissioners to declare a local state of emergency. The commission’s declaration authorized the county to act quickly with financial and staffing resources. The declaration said: • Engineers cannot predict with certainty the location or severity of contaminated water releasing resulting in hazardous impacts; • Contaminated water released in unplanned large amounts can result in injuries and property damages and may require intervention by first responders and government agencies. By the next day, the county commission was needing to act under its state of emergency, ordering evacuations of residences and businesses in the area, arranging shelter, closing roads, securing properties and calling for greater assistance that would lead to state and federal aid. The activity over the weekend was intense, as officials raised concerns that a large-scale breach at Piney Point could unleash a 20-foot wave of the polluted floodwaters. County officials sought to alleviate concerns April 4 about the drinking water supply. Meanwhile, Manatee County administrator Scott Hopes said efforts to alleviate pressure from the stacks were succeeding and concerns had eased for a largescale breach. “The team is much more comfortable than it was yesterday,” he told the press April 4. “ But we’re not out of the critical area yet.” But officials could not ease concerns among environmentalists monitoring the bay estuary. “It looks like this is turning out to be the ‘horror’ chapter of a long, terrible story of phosphate mining in Florida and beyond,” Justin Bloom, founder of Suncoast Waterkeeper, said April 3. “We hope the contamination is not as bad as we fear, but we are preparing for significant damage to Tampa Bay and the communities that rely on this precious resource.”

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The plaque presented March 23 to honor former planning commissioner Sylvia Harris for her service to Holmes Beach. islander photo: Courtesy Arthur Harris

HB honors former planning commissioner By ryan paice islander reporter

Nineteen years on the Holmes Beach planning commission earned former member Sylvia Harris the local limelight. City commissioners March 23 presented a plaque to honor Harris, 88, who retired from the planning commission in January in an attempt to limit exposure during the coronavirus pandemic. Harris did not attend the March meeting, but city clerk Stacey Johnston accepted the honor on her behalf as the pair were friends and colleagues for two decades. The plaque was then delivered to Harris’ home later that week. “I’m just real proud of having been a part of the city,” Harris told The Islander March 31. Harris is a Bradenton native who moved to Holmes Beach in 1950 with her husband, George. She became involved with the city during a 2002 call for volunteers to participate in local government. “It’s been great,” Harris said. “It was good to be a part of it. …I looked forward to it.” The planning commission is an advisory board that makes suggestions relating to city code, land use, the comprehensive plan and other measures for commission consideration. Harris said she is proudest of her involvement in crafting code allowing business owners to reside above commercial spaces because she believed it would give the city more of a “village feel.” Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth told The Islander March 30 that she missed Harris’ presence on the planning commission. “I love Sylvia Harris,” Titsworth said. “She was wonderful for the city and did an amazing job. I hate to see her retire because we’re losing someone with a true love and vision for the island.” The planning commission meets at 6 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month and is reviewing the comp plan. People can apply to join the commission by contacting city hall at 941-708-5800 or by filling out forms available on the city’s website, holmesbeachfl.org, and returning them to city hall at 5801 Marina Drive.

#AMItogether #AMItogether #AMItogether #AMItogether #AMItogether #AMItogether #AMItogether #AMItogether

HB restaurant remains closed, reopening again delayed

By ryan paice islander reporter

There seems to be no end in sight for the temporary closure of a Holmes Beach restaurant. Sean Murphy, owner of Eat Here, 5315 Gulf Drive, had planned to open March 31, but wrote in an April 2 text to The Islander that he remained “engaged day to day with contractor on gas details” with “no certain date” for when his restaurant may reopen. He told The Islander April 5 that another inspection was planned for April 6. The closure, which Murphy said was “devastating,” began Feb. 24 when city building inspectors observed William Keel — owner of the plaza housing Eat Here — undertaking unpermitted renovations in another unit of the building. City staff and the West Manatee Fire Rescue District disconnected gas to the property and issued “cease-and-desist” orders to the plaza’s businesses. The plaza currently houses Eat Here, the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, the Aqua Aveda and Beach House Real Estate and Vacation Rentals, which Keel co-owns. However, Eat Here is the only business that needs gas to operate and the other businesses remained open. The city also required Murphy to submit an updated site plan due to recent changes to the restaurant’s floor

plan. JT Thomas, the city’s code compliance supervisor, told The Islander March 26 that the city approved an updated site plan and was working with Murphy and Keel to reconnect gas to the property and lift a stopwork order for Eat Here. “We’re working with them now,” Thomas said. “We’re trying to open Eat Here back up as soon as possible.”

Eat Here remained closed on April 5. Holmes Beach closed the restaurant feb. 24 after learning the plaza’s owner had begun unpermitted renovations in the building. islander photo: ryan paice

Hearing takes place for last BB Sunshine defendant By Kelsey Mako islander reporter

The sun has yet to set on the Bradenton Beach Sunshine suit. A ruling is yet to be determined following a March 29 hearing to decide the amount defendant Reed Mapes owes the city in fees. The hearing was held via Zoom. Attorney Robert Watrous’ side maintains that Mapes, the last remaining defendant to settle with the city, owes $31,925 in city fees and $17,998 in attorney fees. Watrous represents Mapes the city of Bradenton Beach in the dispute. The hearing follows a 2019 12th Judicial Circuit Court ruling that six members of either the city planning and zoning board or the Scenic WAVES Committee violated the Sunshine Law by discussing city issues via emails and meetings for a group called Concerned Citizens of Bradenton Beach. Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine law provides a right of access to governmental proceedings at state and local levels. The law applies to any gathering of two or more members of a board to discuss some matter that could foreseeably come before that board for action. Defendants John Metz and Tjet Martin settled with the city for a $350,000 joint payment. Defendants Patricia Shay and Bill and Rose Vincent settled

for $500 each. The March 29 hearing held by Judge Edward Nicholas focused on what Mapes would pay. Watrous cited service of process as a category from the summary of costs. Other categories include photocopy, research/lexus and mileage costs. Mapes said he had not received the summary of costs. He also was not represented by an attorney. “I can’t quite figure out why I wasn’t offered the same issue,” Mapes said, referring to the settlements offered to Shay and the Vincents. “It seems somewhat odd to me that after all of this time, and all of a sudden at the end of the court hearings and prior to Mr. Metz settling, they settled with these three people who we know have very little funds. I have no funds,” Mapes said. Previously, the city proposed a $100,000 settlement with Mapes. He countered, offering to pay $5,000, and the city lowered its settlement price to $50,000. Nicholas did not plan to make a ruling before April 16. He cited Mapes’ claim of not having the summary of costs before the hearing, as well as the lack of an affidavit seeking the attorney’s costs available in the court file as reasons for the delay. Nicholas said Mapes had until April 16 to file written opposition. Nicholas will review the summary of claims and back up documents, as well as any objections filed by Mapes.

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Opinion

Our

Great whites, dredge goof, danger lurks in Tampa Bay

It was a strange week for April Fools’ Day and Easter to fall in the same seven-day span. We started the week with a recycled news story about a large great white shark repeatedly biting a boat and its motor over several hours offshore of Venice. Not a good encounter. They may need a bigger boat. We quickly shifted to some shocking photos sent us by an alert reader in Anna Maria — thank you, Bob Patten — of a dredge that anchored April 1 a few hundred feet from Bayfront Park in Anna Maria. What? Anna Maria wasn’t due for renourishment. Lake LaVista Inlet wasn’t due for a dredge. We started a round of phone calls, only to learn it was a really big gaff. It amounted to a big April Fools’ Day joke on city and county officials, as well as the dredge company, which was at the wrong “X” on the nautical chart. It seems the Passage Key inlet was confused for Longboat Pass, where a dredge project is set to begin pumping sand to renourish the Longboat Key beaches — all to the south of Anna Maria Island. Well, someone needs a navigator. And someone may need to apologize for the ruffled feathers. But that’s not all that went wrong. Environmentalists and anglers up and down the coast are wringing hands, holding their breath, praying with all their might that Mother Nature cooperates, as the phosphate devil teeters atop the gypsum stack that’s ready to fail and send thousands of gallons of acidic wastewater into the Tampa Bay estuary system. It could be deadly to the fish nurseries in the shallow, vulnerable areas of Tampa Bay and equally dire for the entire marine life cycle in the bay. What’s worse than the failure of our recreational and commercial fishing industry? People who live in the shadows of the defunct Piney Point phosphate mine were evacuated April 3 in the face of the stack’s possible collapse, that could result in a 20-foot wall of polluted water surging across their homes. Gov. Ron DeSantis came to announce he expanded the state of emergency to include a broader area. He told an Easter Sunday media gathering: “What we are looking at now is trying to prevent and respond to, if need be, a real catastrophic flood situation.” He also reassured people that the wastewater being discharged at Port Manatee is not radioactive. Well, I’m not sure about you, but I definitely think we need a bigger boat — we need an ark. — Bonner Joy, news@islander.org.

Your

Opinion

Kudos to HB mayor

A special thanks and admiration to Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth for standing up to Manatee County Commissioner Kevin van Ostenbridge. Our Holmes Beach neighbors don’t deserve his bullying and threats. However, he did deserve her straightforward, nononsense approach. No parking spaces for bullies, commissioner. Keep on moving. Kristina Skepton, Lakewood Ranch

Build smarter, not bigger APRIL 7, 2021 • Vol. 29, No. 24 Publisher, Co-editor Bonner Joy, news@islander.org ▼ Editorial Editor lisa Neff, lisa@islander.org Joe Bird, editorial cartoonist Kevin Cassidy, kevin@islander.org Jack Elka, jack@jackelka.com Kane Kaiman, kane@islander.org Kelsey Mako, kelsey@islander.org Amy V.T. Moriarty, amym@islander.org ryan paice, ryan@islander.org ▼ Contributors Johann Bertram Karen riley-love 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 Judy loden Wasco (All others: news@islander.org) ▼

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The Florida Department of Transportation is studying the Longboat Pass Bridge and may repair it or replace it with a either a bascule bridge or a 65-foot-tall bridge. Hopefully the DOT will choose the better and less expensive option of repairing the drawbridge. With turquoise waters, breaking waves, beautiful beaches, and frequent dolphin visits, this area is perhaps the most beautiful in all of Manatee County. A huge fixed bridge would be out of proportion with the small inlet and an eyesore for everyone, including surrounding homeowners — of which I’m one. The existing bridge allows views from an intimate 15-20 feet above the water and the sands of Greer Island. Also, a fixed bridge would seal off Sarasota Bay to vessels taller than 65 feet. That would include most sailboats over 50 feet in length, as well as many commercial vessels and large motor yachts. The money saved by repairing the existing bridge could be used for better purposes, such as fixing traffic issues. Contrary to popular belief, the bridges at Long-

boat and Cortez do very little to affect traffic in this area. Instead, the massive traffic backups are primarily caused by the cars flowing into and out of the Coquina Beach parking lots every day. If you don’t believe that Coquina is the cause, just drive it on a rainy day — there is no traffic. There are several relatively easy solutions to the traffic problems: • Replace the tiny Bridge Street roundabout with a traffic signal, regulate pedestrian crossings and eliminating the “speed bump” that brings traffic to a crawl. • Charge $25 per day for parking at Coquina Beach and use the proceeds to fund a free shuttle bus or ferry from a free mainland parking lot. • Install a southbound right turn lane from 13th Street to the last Coquina parking entrance. • Improve guidelines and training for bridge tenders. Oftentimes, the bridge operator will start to open the bridge when a boat is on the horizon and start closing only when the boat is on the opposite horizon. James G. Haft, Longboat Key

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The Islander accepts original letters of up to 250 words and reserves the right to edit for grammar and length. Letters must include name, address and a contact phone number (for verification). Anonymous letters will not be printed. Please, email news@islander.org. Readers also may comment online. And, we have an active social media communities, including on Facebook. To join the conversation, “like” the newspaper on Facebook at @islandernewspaper.

April 7, 2021 THE ISLANDER | islander.org page 7 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

From the archives

In the service A crowd gathers in 1992 for the dedication ceremony of the u.S. Coast guard Station in Cortez on the waterfront in the fishing village.

10&20 years ago

In the April 4, 2001, issue:

• The Manatee County School Board approved the charter for an island middle school to operate for three years beginning August 2001. The school was to be at Loggerhead Junction on Manatee Avenue behind what is now the CVS pharmacy. • An administrative hearing between Bradenton and the Concerned Citizens of Manatee ended after more than 80 hours of testimony and 1,600 pages of transcript with no decision from Judge J. Lawrence Johnston. The CCM had questioned the legality of several comp-plan changes made by Bradenton that allowed Arvida Corp. to obtain site-plan approval for an 898-unit condominium project on vacant land on north Perico Island.

In the April 6, 2011, issue:

It takes a village The 1912 schoolhouse in an undated photo from Cortez. The building was used as a school until 1961. it also was used as a residence and a center for the Cortez Art league, as well as a set in the 1998 film “great Expectations.” Today the building houses the florida Maritime Museum. islander images: Courtesy Manatee County public library System

• Manatee County commissioners went to the state Capitol to seek sand dollars — state funds to pump sand in an islandwide beach renourishment project planned for 2014-15. • The Anna Maria City Pier Centennial Celebration Committee encouraged U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, to read a document during a House floor speech to make the celebration part of the Congressional Record. • Bradenton Beach commissioners favored the low bidder, Waste Pro, in their decision to award a contract for collecting trash and recycling in the city. The waste service previously was provided by the city public works department. • The Florida Department of Transportation announced a meeting with Manatee County commissioners to outline plans to study options for the Cortez Bridge. — lisa Neff

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Height omitted from Longboat Pass Bridge questionnaires By Kane Kaiman islander reporter

Why not ask? Materials the Florida Department of Transportation used to gather public input during the Cortez Bridge project development and environment study, conducted 2013-19, included questions about specific bridge alternatives. The Longboat Pass Bridge PD&E materials do not. During the Cortez Bridge study, the DOT used surveys that included the questions: • Are you in favor of replacement or rehabilitation of Cortez Bridge? • Should the bridge require replacement, what type of improvement would you like to see built? Why? Respondents could tick boxes for the options: high-level fixed bridge, midlevel drawbridge, low-level drawbridge or “other.” Such queries do not appear on the Longboat Pass Bridge PD&E questionnaires DOT consultants said were mailed March 9 to 1,589 people across two ZIP codes, along with a newsletter. The mailing was part of an official comment period that started online March 16 and ended April 2 on the project’s website, swflroads.com/sr789/longboatkey/. DOT communications specialist Brian Rick said in a March 30 email to The Islander that the two newsletter mailings the department carried out are typical public outreach for this project type, while the questionnaire was an optional component the department decided to include. Additional questionnaires and/or surveys may be used as the study progresses, Rick added. One of the build alternatives the DOT is considering for the Longboat Pass Bridge is a high fixed-span structure. At the study’s public kickoff meeting March 23, Longboat Key Mayor Ken Schneier said a 65-footclearance fixed-span bridge is not a viable alternative,

Place portrait photo here

page 1 of a survey the DOT utilized during the early phases of the Cortez Bridge project development and environment study in 2013. unlike the current longboat pass Bridge pD&E questionnaire, the Cortez survey had queries about bridge replacement versus rehabilitation and structure sizes. islander Screenshot

because it could lead to a situation where sailboats with masts taller than 65 feet are trapped in Sarasota Bay. Surveys played heavy role in Cortez Bridge study Surveys with questions about specific alternatives were used at least five times during the Cortez Bridge PD&E, beginning with a handout at the February 2013 Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival. Of the 168 surveys that were filled out at the festival, 51% favored rehabilitating, as opposed to replacing the current 17-foot-clearance drawbridge that spans the Intracoastal Waterway and connects Cortez on the mainland to Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island. Of those who favored bridge replacement, 51% percent ticked the box for a high-level fixed bridge. More than half of the surveys returned in April and May 2013 — including those handed out at an April 30 public kickoff meeting — were in favor of rehabilitating the Cortez Bridge over replacement. At the two alternatives public meetings, held in August 2014 and August 2016, public opinion appeared to shift.

The DOT received 59 surveys at the first meeting, of which 59% favored bridge replacement. Of those who favored replacement, 43% preferred a midlevel drawbridge alternative, while 40% favored a high-level fixed-span bridge. At the second meeting, 67% of the 426 surveys returned favored replacement. Of those, 64% favored the high bridge alternative. In August 2017, the DOT conducted a public hearing, the last official opportunity for public input into the Cortez Bridge PD&E. Public opinion appeared to change once again — of the 165 surveys that were returned in the days following the meeting, 50% favored maintaining the current bridge, while 38% favored replacement. Of the responses that favored replacement, 75% preferred the high-bridge alternative, compared to 24% for a 35-foot-clearance drawbridge. Despite the final survey results, the DOT announced in September 2019 that they would move forward with a 65-foot-clearance fixed-span replacement. That decision is being challenged in federal court by a coalition that includes the city of Bradenton Beach, former County Commissioners Joe McClash and Jane von Hahmann and two Cortez residents. Citing the ongoing litigation, Rick declined to comment on the DOT’s megabridge selection process. Comments about the PD&E can be submitted on the project’s website or sent to project manager Patrick Bateman at patrick.bateman@dot.state.fl.us.

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Cortez megabridge design committee holds 6th meeting By Kane Kaiman islander reporter

Mega-beauty? The Cortez Bridge Aesthetics Committee met for a sixth time April 1. The 11-member group of local resident-volunteers is working with the Florida Department of Transportation to select ornamental features for the 65-foot-clearance fixed-span bridge the department has scheduled for construction in 2026-27. Five committee members attended the virtual meeting, including Jeff Vey and Connie Morrow. Vey lives at Bridgeport, a Bradenton Beach condominium complex that will border the proposed bridge. Morrow owns condos in Bradenton Beach and Cortez. The bridge spans the Intracoastal Waterway between Bradenton Beach and Cortez. DOT consultant Adrian Moon led the meeting, accompanied by DOT design project manager Roxann Lake and consultant Doug Hershey. Though design meetings are open to the public, no one else attended. The committee made the following progress: • Chose a “wave” infill pattern for the bridge’s pedestrian railings; • Decided lighting beneath the bridge will be limited to the outside face of each pier; • Narrowed choices for retaining wall motifs. The committee began meeting in August 2020 and has chosen the shape of the bridge’s piers, as well as made the decision to include soft, changeable lighting beneath the structure. The group also settled on the construction of four bridge overlooks, two on each side of the main channel in the ICW. The megabridge, slated to replace the 17-footclearance drawbridge, is facing a challenge in federal court from a group that maintains it will destroy the character of Cortez. The coalition, which includes the city of Bradenton Beach, former Manatee County Commissioners

A mock-up of a design for the approximately 20-foot-tall wall that will be built next to the Cortez Mobile Home park clubhouse in Cortez if construction of a 65-foot-clearance fixed-span bridge takes place as scheduled in 2026-27. The Cortez Bridge Aesthetics Committee discussed the wall image April 1. islander Screenshot

A view of Cortez road April 1 from an angle similar to the DOT mock-up looking from the Cortez Mobile Home park. The park recreation hall, right, is somewhat obscured by a trailer. islander photo: Kane Kaiman

Joe McClash and Jane von Hahmann and two Cortez residents, Linda Molto and Joe Kane, advocates for the construction of a 35-foot-clearance drawbridge. A high bridge would include walls approximately 20 feet tall on the mainland on each side. On the Cortez landing side, walls would slope from a 20-foot peak near the water to ground level near 125th Street West, a distance of about 528 feet. Moon and Hershey told The Islander a new bridge of any height will necessitate the construction of high walls on the Bradenton Beach side due to the landing length. However, since the navigable channel is off center on the bridge span, a 35-foot-clearance bridge would not require high walls on the Cortez side, they said. Moon told committee members that, no matter what type of bridge gets built, no design decisions would be wasted. “I know there’s conversations going on elsewhere

about bridge height. None of your work is throwaway. All the stuff that we’ve done, the decisions you’ve made, the decisions you will be making, can be applied to any structure height,” he said. Lake said the DOT is working to get the minutes and video recordings of the committee meetings on the project’s website, cortezbridge.com. She estimates that process will take two weeks. The committee will meet two or three more times before the DOT moves forward with its Phase II design plans that will incorporate the group’s aesthetic choices, Lake said. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, April 22. People interested in attending can email Lake at roxann.lake@dot.state.fl.us. The April 1 committee meeting recording can be viewed at https://transcripts.gotomeeting.com/#/s/ e6039cd6ef45e91d7063edfb9197801f296c8c9ed1fcb164ec471c5db7f15c77.

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page 10 THE ISLANDER | islander.org April 7, 2021 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The Islander Calendar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

CLUBS & COMMUNITY

ONGOING ON AMI

ON AMI

Throughout April, “Line<Color<Form,” three-dimensional works Saturday, April 10 by Susan Maas, Island Gallery West, 5368 Gulf Drive, Holmes 9 a.m.-4 p.m. — Friends of the Island Library “Under the Big Beach. Information: 941-778-6648. Tent” book sale, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Throughout April, Jodi Tshida and Dee Pastorius, featured Information: 941-778-6341. artists, Artists’ Guild Gallery, 5414 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. ONGOING ON AMI Information: 941-778-6694. Saturdays, 8:30 a.m., Kiwanis Club of Anna Maria Island breakAHEAD ON AMI fast and meeting, Gulf Drive Cafe, 900 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton May 1, Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce Beach’n Beach. Information: 941-778-1383. Food Truck Festival, Holmes Beach. Tuesdays, noon, Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island lunch meeting, in-person at Bridge Street Bistro, 111 Gulf Drive S., Bradenton ONGOING OFF AMI Beach, and via Zoom. Information: 941-920-2505. Through May 16, “Frans Hals: Detecting a Decade,” John and Tuesdays into May, Anna Maria Farmers Market, City Pier Park, Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. 103 N. Bay Blvd., Anna Maria. Information: 941-708-6130. Fee applies. Information: 941-359-5700. ONGOING OFF AMI Through May 16, “Larry Rivers: Boston Massacre from the Ringling collection,” John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 First Fridays, 10 a.m., Parkinson’s Support Group, Paradise Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. Fee applies. Information: 941-359- Center, 546 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Information: 941-9265700. 6413. Through June 27, “Kabuki Modern,” John and Mable Ringling AHEAD OFF AMI Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. Fee applies. InforApril 17, Anna Maria Island Privateers Thieves Market, Bramation: 941-359-5700. Through June 27, “Roy Lichtenstein: Monet’s Garden Goes denton. April 29-May 3, Sarasota-Manatee Originals Forks and Corks Pop!” Mary Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St., Sarasota. Food and Wine Festival, various locations. Fee applies. Information: 941-366-5731.

KIDS & FAMILY AHEAD ON AMI

Compiled by lisa Neff Email calendar@islander.org. AHEAD OFF AMI May 14, Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament, Bradenton.

GOOD TO KNOW SAVE THE DATES Thursday, April 8, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Thursday, April 22, Earth Day. Saturday, May 1, May Day. Sunday, May 9, Mother’s Day. Saturday, May 15, Armed Forces Day. Thursday, May 27, last day of school. Monday, May 31, Memorial Day. Monday, June 14, Flag Day. Sunday, June 20, Father’s Day. Sunday, June 20, summer solstice. Sunday, July 4, Independence Day. Monday, Sept. 6, Labor Day. Tuesday, Sept. 7, autumnal equinox.

At the Ringling This image depicts a kabuki actor as Oiwa, a tragic and terrifying heroine from the kabuki play “ghost Story of Yotsuya.” The John and Mable ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, is featuring “Kabuki Modern” through June 27. info: 941359-5700.

OUTDOORS & SPORTS

AHEAD ON AMI July 4, Anna Maria Island Privateers July 4 Parade, islandwide. TENTATIVE April 16, Manatee County seashell shore walk, Bradenton Beach. April 22, Manatee County Audubon outing at Lefﬁs Key, BraGET LISTED denton Beach. POST IN THE CALENDAR

OFF AMI

Send listings to calendar@islander.org. The deadline is the Wednesday before the publication date. Include the date, time, location and description of the event, as well as a phone number.

Saturday, April 10 2 p.m. — Tortoise Talk: Gopher Tortoise Day Celebration, Robinson Preserve, 99th Street Northwest and 17th Avenue Northwest, Bradenton. Information: 941-742-5923.

A Hair Day Salon & Spa

Visit www.islander.org for the best news on AMI.

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We welcome Irene, with her loads of experience, specializing in Up Do’s, Cuts and Color! Try Shelly’s Swedish massage $45, Hot Stone $55, or Deep Tissue $65. Massage prices good thru April. Faith, Katy, Irene and Shelley are here to serve you!

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Island happenings

April 7, 2021 THE ISLANDER | islander.org page 11 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Compiled by lisa Neff Email calendar@islander.org.

School photos sought The Tibbals Miniature Circus model is displayed at the John and Mable ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota. The ringling will celebrate World Circus Day Saturday, April 17. islander photos: Courtesy The ringling

Circus acts, circus arts celebrated at Ringling

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art will celebrate circus arts and circus acts as it marks World Circus Day. The observance will be Saturday, April 17. “We are thrilled to participate in the 11th World Circus Day,” said Jennifer Lemmer Posey, Tibbals curator of circus at the Ringling. “This special day celebrates the legacy of the historic circus and educates visitors on the circus of today. The Ringling serves as a great resource for those interested in circus all over the world.” The celebration will include performances by the Circus Arts Conservatory at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on the

Lesson in color Cheryl Jorgensen, of the Artists’ guild of Anna Maria island, will lead an online class at noon Sunday, April 11. Students will learn to mix paint for colors, shadows. for more, go to amiartistsguildgallery.com. islander Courtesy photo

Ringling grounds. Also, Ringling restaurants will offer circus-themed food and beverages, including cotton candy and popcorn, and the education department will conduct “a colossal assortment of learning activities,” according to a news release. At the Historic Asolo Theater, “Under the Big Top with Buster Bailey” will be on the screening loop, showing scenes of circus life and performances. To honor circus tradition, children 17 years of age and under will be admitted free with an adult. The Ringling requires visitors to wear face masks when inside all venues and to practice social distancing on the grounds. The museum is at 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. For more information, call the museum at 941359-5700.

Remember school days at the Cortez Rural Graded School? The Florida Maritime Museum is interested in class photos, community images and interior shots of the former 1912 schoolhouse, where the museum is housed. “If you’d like to make an appointment to bring the photos to the museum, we can scan them immediately so you do not have to leave your pictures with us. Class photos, shots of inside the school, and community events—we’d love to see them all!” read a March 30 announcement from the museum, 4415 119th St. W., Cortez. For more information, contact FMM’s Tori Chasey at 941-708-6121.

Center plans spring fun

A Center of Anna Maria Island winter holiday tradition — a family fun day with a visit from Santa — was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. So the center, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria, is planning a fun day in the spring. An announcement said the Saturday, April 24, event would honor longtime supporters Chuck and Joey Lester and feature rock climbing and other outdoor activities, a musical performance by Trevor Bystrom, hamburgers from Duffy’s Tavern and hot dogs from the Anna Maria Oyster Bar. The day also will feature a 50/50 drawing and educational programs involving Eckerd College and Mote Marine Laboratory. Hours are 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Admission will be donation-based, as the fun day kicks off a center fundraising campaign to raise $100,000. For more information, call the center at 941778-1908.

Texts for sale under big tent

The Friends of the Island Library will hold the “Under the Big Tent” book sale 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 10. The event will be in the parking lot of the Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Shoppers must wear face masks. For more information, call the library at 941-7786341. Submit social news to news@islander.org. Please, include time, date and location for events, as well as a contact name and phone number for publication. And, thanks for sharing!

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page 12 THE ISLANDER | islander.org April 7, 2021 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Litter tossed, later found on AMI

Jim Hassett of Bradenton Beach shows a find made while volunteering to collect trash and other litter in Bradenton Beach March 21, part of a series of cleanups coordinated by the Anna Maria island Moose lodge No. 2188. finds from the Moose lodge’s recent cleanup in Bradenton Beach.

David Shevchik assists with removing litter in Bradenton Beach during a cleanup coordinated by the Moose and held March 21.

GoodDeeds

Assistance offered on AMI

• The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce offers free face masks. Information: 941-778-1541. • The Roser Food Bank welcomes applicants who live and/or work on Anna Maria Island for food assistance, Roser Church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria. Information: 941-778-0414. • AID offers help to those who live on the island, go to church on the island, attend school on the island and work on the island. Information: 941-725-2433

Volunteer opportunities on AMI

The organizations in GoodDeeds offer opportunities for people to volunteer on and around AMI. Send your listing to calendar@islander.org.

Milestones

Bonnie Dubin collects trash from the beach for the AMi Moose lodge No. 2188 cleanup, held March 21. islander photos: Courtesy Terry gebhardt

Assistance sought on AMI

• The Roser Food Bank seeks donations. Roser Memorial Community Church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria, administers the pantry, supported by All Island Denominations. Information: 941-778-0414. • The Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department seeks “self-guided volunteers” to clean trails and beaches, take photos and other tasks. Info: michelle.leahy@mymanatee.org or 941-742-5923. • The Anna Maria Island Historical Society, 402 Pine Ave., Anna Maria, seeks volunteers, including docents for the museum. Information: 941-778-0492. • Moonracer Animal Rescue seeks volunteers to offer foster and forever homes for rescued animals. Information: 941-345-2441. — lisa Neff

Longboat Key center to boost home health care

The Paradise Center has partnered with Youthful Aging Home Care to bring more home health aides and companions to Longboat Key. “We hope there are retirees here on LBK who would look forward to having a very part-time job helping their neighbors,” center executive director Suzy Brenner said in a March 29 news release. “It’s also a great way to combat loneliness, which many of us have suffered with during the pandemic.” Through the center, Youthful Aging Home Care is offering a free home health aide and companion training program online, supervised by their nursing staff. Upon completion of the training, a mentoring program will provide supervised experience for the trainees, while being paid. Employment is guaranteed for graduates and assistance is available for setting up the online training if needed. “Having a pool of candidates who are already on the key will make it easier for our seniors who simply want a companion for a few hours, or someone to help make dinner,” Brenner said. People interested in more information can contact Dee Newberry at Youthful Aging Home Care at dee@youthfulaginghomecare.com or 941706-2695. The Paradise Center is a nonprofit dedicated “to enhancing the quality of life on Longboat Key by promoting accessible health care and providing year-round lifestyle enrichment programs.” For more information, go online to www. theparadisecenter.org or call 941-383-6493. — lisa Neff

Golden year Vicky and Terry Schaefer of Holmes Beach are celebrating a 50th anniversary — the official date was April 3. Their romance dates to their time as students at the university of Missouri. They married and raised two children while living in the St. louis area. When they first came to Anna Maria island, they fell in love with its charm and became permanent residents in 2006. Terry Schaefer is a Holmes Beach commissioner. islander photos: Courtesy Holly Kunze

RoadWatch Eyes on the road

The Florida Department of Transportation posted no notices for the week. Vicky and Terry Schaefer of Holmes Beach wed 50 For the latest road watch information, go online to years ago. They became permanent residents of the swflroads.com or dial 511. island in 2006 and Terry Schaefer is serving as a city To check traffic via road cameras, go to fl511. commissioner. com. And, a reminder, a fare-free trolley operates daily Milestones Send notices of milestones in on Anna Maria Island. — lisa Neff readers’ lives to news@islander.org.

April 7, 2021 THE ISLANDER | islander.org page 13 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

County promotes underused rental assistance program By ryan paice islander reporter

Manatee County is promoting an underused financial relief program as another program’s application window closed. County staff were “making another push” the week beginning March 29 to remind residents about relief funding through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, according to a March 30 news release. The program provides up to 12 months of funding to county residents with delinquent rent and utility payments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic’s financial impact. The program is funded with $12 million the county received through the U.S. Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The money could assist with rental payments for up to 1,500 people every month through November. On Anna Maria Island as of April 2, there were an estimated 694 full-time renters out of 3,127 occupied residential units, according to point2homes.com. Among the full-time renters, there were 28 in Anna

Maria, 97 in Bradenton Beach and 569 in Holmes Beach. The figures do not include vacation rental properties, which would not be eligible for relief. Applicants must be at or below 80% of the area median income, or $43,850/year for a one-person household. The county gives priority to applicants below 50% of the area median income, or $26,800/year for a one-person household, and people with documented unemployment for more than 90 days. However, there may not be a need to determine priority. Only 430 county residents — less than a third of the maximum — had applied for assistance as of March 30. County information outreach manager Nicholas Azzara wrote in a March 31 email to The Islander that unused money allotted for the program would revert back to the state or federal governments where it originated. Azzara said he didn’t know why people weren’t

applying, but he and county staff were working to inform residents about the aid. “In addition to posting about the ERA regularly on social media and working with reporters to relay work to your audiences through the paper, radio and TV, we’re putting informational flyers about the program everywhere we can think of,” Azzara said. The outreach effort has included sending more than 60,000 flyers for distribution to students and staff of the School District of Manatee County, emailing landlords and airing announcements on the Manatee County Area Transit fleet, including the island trolleys. The news came as the county ended its final run of promotions for the mortgage assistance program, providing up to $10,000 for homeowners with delinquent mortgage payments since March 2020 due to the pandemic. The window to apply closed April 2. For more information about the rental assistance program through the county, go online to www. mymanatee.org/renthelp or call the county helpline, 311.

Anna Maria planners switch from lot splits to pedestrian safety By Amy V.T. Moriarty islander reporter

Anna Maria city planners March 23 called for more time to consider amending an ordinance on lot splits and were set to workshop the matter at an April 5 meeting. The planning and zoning board took up the issue at its Feb. 22 meeting in response to a request to approve a lot split at 302 Coconut Ave. But board members tabled that request, while expressing concern about increasing density and the number of large vacation rental homes. They instead tasked city planner Chad Minor with research, specifically: How many double lots exist that could be split? The proposal to split 302 Coconut Ave. was to go before the board again April 5, as The Islander went to press. Minor’s research indicated 53 lots are eligible for a split — large enough to be divided into two lots, with at least 7,500-square-feet each and the minimum 50 running feet of frontage. The available lots are based on information from the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office, Minor said. City commissioners would have the final say in a lot split, but recommendations from the planning board are given weight in that decision.

A motorist maneuvers March 22 on Magnolia Avenue around a delivery truck. islander photo: Courtesy Melissa Anderson

In other matters P&Z member Melissa Anderson, wife of city Commissioner Joe Muscatello, shared about 50 photographs March 23 with the board, saying they depict unsafe conditions resulting from narrow roads, lack of

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sidewalks and delivery and construction vehicles. The photographs were mostly taken on Magnolia Avenue between North Shore and Gulf drives, Anderson said. Safety concerns have been a topic of discussion by city planners for several months. P&Z member Barbara Zdravecky cited bicyclists and pedestrians riding and walking several people abreast at edge of the road, saying the situation is worse than in years past. Also of concern, she said, are delivery and construction vehicles, diminishing sightlines for others. Mayor Dan Murphy told planners he has a team of experts studying traffic patterns and street use. “It comes down to time, labor and expertise and how many cooks do you put in the kitchen at the same time,” Murphy said. The P&Z is set to meet at 2:30 p.m. Monday, May 17 at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive.

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i.wed

The Islander Wedding Directory T

ACCOMMODATIONS ACCOMMODA ATI

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Bungalow Beach Resort DIRECTLY ON THE BEACH! Classic 1930s island-style resort. 800-779-3601 bungalow@bungalowbeach.com www.bungalowbeach.com

MUSIC/ENTERTAINMENT Chuck Caudill Entertainment Beach weddings and events. DJ, live guitar and more from an experienced island professional. 941-778-5676 • www.chuckcaudill.com Gulf Drive Band The Best! Classic Danceable Tunes Musical Entertainment DJ for Weddings, Receptions. Call: 941-778-0173. email: gulfdriveband@gmail.com

TO BE INCLUDED IN IWED, CONTACT ISLANDER SALES DIRECTOR TONI LYON, 941.928.8735 OR toni@islander.org

page 14 THE ISLANDER | islander.org April 7, 2021 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Gathering

Judy Hildman will address the roser Women’s guild at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, in the church fellowship hall, 512 pine Ave., Anna Maria. islander Courtesy photo

Roser women to learn about AMI women at guild talk

The Roser Women’s Guild will host a video-talk about the “Women of Anna Maria.” The guild, during a meeting at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, will hear via video from Judy Hildman, a docent at the Anna Maria Island Historical Society museum for 15 years. “We will be honoring the memory of Anna Maria Island residents Marilyn Shirley and Priscilla Seewald, enjoy a time of fellowship and we’ll view the video with Judy Hildman,” a news release from Roser stated. Face masks and social distancing will be required. In addition to the video viewing at the meeting, Roser will stream the video with Hildman online at www.roserchurch.com/roser-guild. For more information, call the church at 941-7780414.

Chapel to host blood drive

The Longboat Island Chapel will host the Suncoast Blood Center for a drive Friday-Saturday, April 9-10. Friday hours will be 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday hours will be 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Donors will receive a gift card to a grocery store, as well as a discount coupon to the Lord’s Warehouse Thrift Shop, which is open 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. The blood drive will coincide with a drive to colWorship and events calendar lect nonperishable food for local charities. REGULAR WORSHIP The chapel is at 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. Monday-Friday For more information, call the office at 941-3838:30 a.m. — St. Bernard Catholic Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive, 6491. Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-4769.

Tidings

Obituary

C. Melissa Williams

C. Melissa Williams, 53, of Perico Island and formerly of Holmes Beach, died Feb. 11. A celebration of life for Ms. Williams is planned for 4-6:30 p.m. Friday, April 16, at the store she managed with her husband, Frank, Island Mail and Print in the Anna Maria Island Centre shopping plaza, 3230 E. Bay Drive, Holmes Beach. Williams Frank Williams said the celebration will be held in the vein of the Artwalk and Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce networking events that his wife loved to plan and execute: “We’ll have live music, some of her favorite foods and a special Melissa-recipe cocktail, ‘Melicious.’” Ms. Williams worked as a graphic designer at The Islander before starting a business with Frank in 2006, SteamDesigns, a graphic design studio, art gallery and fine art printing business. They were awarded small business of the year in 2009 from the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce. She branded dozens of businesses locally, including Anna Maria Island Vacations — the flip-flop logo — Isola Bella Italian Eatery and Ross Built, as well as logos and advertising for Eat Here and the Doctor’s Office, along with marketing for the Beach Bistro. She had a passion for the history of the island and its preservation and the arts, and collected islandrelated historical postcards. And she was an avid baseball and soccer fan, a supporter of Arsenal and the Pittsburgh Pirates. In July 2019, the couple took on management positions at Island Mail and Print, transitioning her graphic designs — and a new logo for the store — and his giclee printmaking business to the mail store. Everyone who knew or worked with Ms. Williams is welcome at the celebration of her life. Memorial donations will be accepted at the event for HOPE Family Services and Moonracer No Kill Rescue’s “cat room.”

Thursdays 9:30 a.m. — Episcopal Church of the Annunciation, 4408 Gulf 4903. Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-1638. 9 a.m. — Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Saturdays Longboat Key. Information: 941-383-6491. 4 p.m. — St. Bernard Catholic Church. 10:30 a.m. — St. Bernard. Sundays 10:45 a.m. — Episcopal Church of the Annunciation. 8 a.m. — Episcopal Church of the Annunciation. 11 a.m. — Longboat Island Chapel. 8:30 a.m. — St. Bernard Catholic Church. ONGOING EVENTS ONLINE WORSHIP OFFERED 8:30 a.m. — Roser Memorial Community Church, 512 Pine Wednesdays Ave., Anna Maria. Information: 941-778-0414. Christ Church of Longboat Key, christchurchlbk.org. 10 a.m. — Women’s Bible study, Christ Church. 9 a.m. — CrossPointe Fellowship, 8605 Gulf Drive, Holmes CrossPointe Fellowship, crosspointefellowship.church. 6:15 p.m. — Wednesday supper, CrossPointe. Beach. Information: 941-778-0719. Episcopal Church of the Annunciation, amiannunciation.org. 6:45 p.m. — Wednesday Night Blast, CrossPointe. 9:30 a.m. — Episcopal Church of the Annunciation. Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, gloriadeilutheran.com. Thursdays 10 a.m. — Roser Church. Harvey Memorial Community Church, Facebook. 9:30 a.m. — RoserRobics ﬁtness, Roser Church. 10 a.m. — Christ Church of Longboat Key Presbyterian USA, Longboat Island Chapel, longboatislandchapel.org. Mondays 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. Information: 941-900Roser Church, roserchurch.com. 9 a.m. — Men’s Bible study, Christ Church, via Zoom. Tuesdays 9:30 a.m. — RoserRobics ﬁtness, Roser Church. SAVE THE DATES April 13, Ramadan. April 23, St. George’s Day. May 4, National Day of Prayer. July 24, Pioneer Day. Sept. 6-7, Rosh Hashanah. Sept. 13, Yom Kippur.

Gathering

Gathering is the religion page for The Islander. We welcome news from local places of worship, as well as their photographs and calendar listings. Please, email your news to calendar@islander. org and news@islander.org.

Working the net on land Beachgoers play volleyball March 30 at Manatee public Beach, 4000 gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. The weeks before Easter weekend brought crowds to island beaches and congestion to island roads. islander photo: ryan paice

COMMUNITY CHURCH

Essential Truths WHY THE BIBLE?

SUNDAY WORSHIP 8:30 AM or 10:00 AM

Growing in Jesus’ Name

In the SANCTUARY and ONLINE Go to www.RoserChurch.com Click WORSHIP-SIGNUP , WATCH LIVE or WATCH LATER

Sunday Service 10:00 AM Please Register to Attend • Masks Required

941-900-4903 The Rev. Dr. Norman Pritchard Visitors & Residents Welcome Watch our 10:00 AM service live: www.bit.ly/cclbksermons or www.christchurchlbk.org (follow YouTube link)

Text ROSER to 22828 to receive the weekly eBulletin. The CHAPEL is open during Who Wrote the Bible? Weekly YouTube presentations office hours for prayer & meditation. or Zoom class! www.RoserChurch.com/Dirk 941-778-0414 • 512 Pine Ave, Anna Maria • FOLLOW us on Facebook @RoserChurch

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April 7, 2021 THE ISLANDER | islander.org page 15 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Easter sunrise, early worshippers

A panoramic view of the Easter Sunrise Service at the Manatee public Beach wraps from north to south on the gulf of Mexico. islander photos: Bonner Joy participants at the 56th annual Kiwanis Club of Anna Maria island Easter Sunrise Service at the Manatee public Beach in Holmes Beach look toward the cross, stationed at the podium, and the east, awaiting sunrise at 7:18 a.m., midway through the service. Kiwanis volunteers passed the collection plate, announcing later that $7,855 from the event will be shared among Kiwanis and the island churches.

The rev. Ed Moss of Crosspointe fellowship delivers the Easter sermon, “The relevance of the resurrection.”

lEfT: Vocalist Morgan lawson and guitarist russell Brier provided music and Chuck Caudill ran the sound system during the Easter Sunrise Service. Kiwanis members roger Domme, orange vest, and robin Kinkopf take up the collection for the Easter service.

Holmes Beach police Chief Bill Tokajer keeps an eye on the Easter morning service at the Manatee public Beach. He estimated the worshippers to number 1,700 to 2,000.

PLEASE, TAKE NOTE!

The Islander has moved!

Welcoming new patients. Kids, too! Start 2021 off in the clear! Call today for an appointment.

The “best news on AMI” has purchased and relocated to a condo ofﬁce. We’re now across from HB City Hall and behind the Ugly Grouper. You’ll ﬁnd us at 315 58th St., Holmes Beach. So stop by and check out our new, groovy digs. We’re ready to serve you! Same phone and email.

Jamie lawson O.D., Kenneth lawson O.D. 5632 26th St. W., Bradenton 941.751.4668, BayshoreEyeCare.net

The island’s best news for 29 years! 941.778.7978 news@islander.org

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church

SPRING FOOD DRIVE Collecting non-perishable food items & monetary donations to benefit Loaves & Fishes and the Roser Food pantry

Saturday April 17

10 AM – Noon

6608 Marina Drive – Holmes Beach 941.778.1813 – gloriadeilutheran.com

page 16 THE ISLANDER | islander.org April 7, 2021 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Bradenton Beach dredge project gears up By Kelsey Mako islander reporter

On your marks, get set. Soon there will be smooth sailing. The Bradenton Beach dredging and seagrass mitigation project will begin this month with the goal to create a more navigable channel. The mitigation contractor was set to begin staging its equipment April 2, according to city attorney Ricinda Perry. Staging — involving setting up pipes and putting up safety walls and signage — will continue this week. The contractor, AquaTech Eco Consultants LLC, will begin the seagrass mitigation portion of the project, staking out the planting areas. Mitigation, essential to dredging projects because it reduces losses incurred from stirring up the bay bottom by putting in new plants, will take place before dredging. “You dig, you have to also do some positive things

with that digging,” said Perry. Dredging will begin in mid-April or early May. The project is on track to be completed by early September, with a state deadline for completion of the project by Dec. 31. Dredging will take place from the South Coquina Boat Ramp, 1465 Gulf Drive S., northward to the Historic Bridge Street Pier, 200 Bridge St. Perry said the project is important to Bradenton Beach because the channel is extremely shallow, causing boats to run aground. The project, being completed by Duncan Seawall, Dock and Boat Lift, is estimated to cost $925,485. Funding is through the city’s community redevelopment agency, which supports improvement projects that aid in growth, restoration and tourism in the downtown, historic area of Bradenton Beach, which includes the city pier. The CRA received $500,000 in state appropriations and $300,000 from the West Coast Inland Navigational District.

At the Historic Bridge Street pier, 200 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach, April 1, near the northern end of the channel, dredging and seagrass mitigation are anticipated. islander photo: Kelsey Mako

Coquina Beach tree removal, improvements continue to Memorial Day

The first part of phase two of the Coquina Beach stormwater improvement project will continue through Memorial Day. Trees are being removed from the parking lot at the Bradenton Beach Park managed by Manatee County. Eighty-seven Australian pines, an invasive and nonnative species, are being removed during this phase and will be replaced by native trees. Tree removal is a preface to the project and should be finished within the next week or two, said county strategic affairs manager Ogden Clark. Subphase one also involves digging, putting in pipes and drains and laying porous concrete in the parking lot near the south entrance on Gulf Drive. Porous concrete allows small amounts of water to sink into the ground, reducing flooding. Before the start of the project, stormwater took two to three days to go down. Subphases two through four will involve the same type of work in different sections of the beach parking lot. The project, funded with the Manatee County Tourist Development tax money — the bed tax — is projected to cost $3,447,313.77. The project remains on track to be completed by January 2022. More information on Coquina Beach improvements and other projects can be found at amiprojects.io. — Kelsey Mako

Visit islander.org for the best news on AMI.

AME Calendar

THANK HANK Y ! ! YOU! WWEE T YOU OU W E THANK

WE THANK YOU!

All of us at BARNES WALKER wish to thank our many legal and real

• Through April 7, English/language arts state test, third-grade. • Thursday, April 8, FSA writing, fourth- and fifth-grades. • Monday, April 19, 3:45 p.m., school advisory committee meeting, via Microsoft Teams online platform. • May 4-5, English/language arts state test, fourth- and fifth-grades. • May 11-12, science state test, fifth-grade. • May 19-20, FSA math, third-, fourth- and fifth-grades. • Friday, May 21, AME field day, TENTATIVE. • Thursday, May 27, last day of school. Anna Maria Elementary is at 4700 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. For more information, call the school at 941-708-5525. Send school news and photos to news@islander.org. Please include a contact.

PLEASE, TAKE NOTE!

All of us at BARNES WALKER wish to thank our many legal and real WEWalker TW HANK YOU ! to All of of us us at at Barnes BARNES ALKER wish to thank thankour our many legal and real ®

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estatefor clients, , friends, and referral sources All of us business at BRealtors ARNES Wsupport. ALKER wish to thank our many legal and realon Anna Maria Island your and Without your support, attorneys, W E for Tour HANK YOU ! and referral®sources on Anna Maria Island your clients, Realtors , friends, and referral sources on Anna Maria

nd for your business and ® support. Without your support, our attorneys, estate clients, Realtors , friends, andwould referral sources Anna Maria and ourbusiness great staff, BARNES Wand ALKER never haveon been named: and support. Without your support, our Island for your business support. Without your support, our attorneys, for your business and support. Without your support, our attorneys, forstaff, your business and support. your support, our attorneys, ourIsland great Band ARNES W ALKER would never been named: All of staff, usWithout at BARNES Whave ALKER wish to thank our many legal and real attorneys our great Barnes Walker

and our great staff, BARNES WALKER would never have been named: Tgreat HEnever 2021 LARGE Bnamed: USINESS OF THEbeen YEAR would been and our staff, Bhave ARNES W ALKER would never have named: ur great staff, B ARNES ALKER would never have been named: ® estateWclients, BY Realtors , friends, and referral sources on Anna Maria ANNAL MARGE ARIA ISLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE THETHE 2021 BUSINESS OF THE Y.EAR TTHE 2021 LARGE BUSINESS OF and THEsupport. YOF EAR THE Island forARGE your Without your support, our attorneys, HE 2021 L BUSINESS YEAR BY business B Y THE 2021 LallARIA ARGE BUSINESS YEAR THEappreciate ANNA M ISLAND CHAMBER OF CTHE . BYOFOF We those who have contributed toOMMERCE our success! THE ANNA MofARIA ISLAND CHAMBER COMMERCE . and our great WALKER would never have been named: THE ANNA MARIA HAMBER OF COMMERCE . BISLAND Ystaff, BCARNES Visit us THE ANNA MARIA ISLAND Cat:HAMBER OF COMMERCE. The “best news on AMI” has purchased and relocated to www.BarnesWalker.com We appreciate all of those5914 who have to our We appreciate all of those who havecontributed contributed tosuccess! our success! a condo ofﬁceat 315 58th St., Holmes Beach. We’re now Marina Drive Holmes Beach, FL 34217 across from HB City Hall and behind the Ugly Grouper. We appreciate all of T those who have contributed to our success! (941) 778-7721 HE Visit us at:2021 LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Same owner, staff, phone, email. New digs. Visit us at: www.BarnesWalker.com We appreciate all of those who have contributed to our success! B Y 5914 Marina Drive www.BarnesWalker.com Holmes Beach, FLDrive 34217 5914 Marina Visit usM at:ARIA ISLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. T HE A NNA (941) 778-7721 Holmes Beach, FL 34217

The Islander has moved!

E:\Educational Materials\Anna Maria Island Chamber\CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AD.docx

www.BarnesWalker.com

Materials\Anna Maria Island Chamber\CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AD.docx (941) Visit778-7721 us at:E:\Educational 5914 Marina Drive

Holmes Beach, FL 34217 www.BarnesWalker.com E:\Educational Materials\Anna Maria Island Chamber\CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AD.docx 778-7721 5914 Marina(941) Drive

The island’s best news for 29 years! 941.778.7978 news@islander.org

April 7, 2021 THE ISLANDER | islander.org page 17 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

AME hops through spring holiday Easter celebrations looked different at Anna Maria Elementary School. Fewer celebrations than in years past took place in classrooms the week beginning March 29 and classes that did partake in festivities adhered to COVID-19 protocols. Easter celebrations varied by grade level and the discretion of individual teachers, said principal Jackie Featherston. Kindergartners and first-graders more likely took part in holiday activities. Kelly Crawford’s kindergarten class participated in an outdoor Easter egg hunt April 1 with a fifth-grade class. The hunt was meant to be a fun, academic activity, as eggs contained paper slips with learning tasks, such as counting by 10s or reading sight words, Crawford said. Food was not a big part of the celebrations since

Science and crafts

By Kelsey Mako

AME thirdgrader Eli lewis is tasked with building a car March 25 using craft materials. A goal was to craft cars that move without being pushed. islander photo: Courtesy AME/ Karen paul

pandemic safeguards concerning food require that snacks sent to AME must be prepackaged and quarantined, meaning they should come directly from retailers. AME students had April 2 off for Good Friday. Featherston said she was not concerned about the long weekend increasing coronavirus exposures. Following spring break, AME did not see an increase in COVID-19 cases or virus exposures. “With spring break, we fared pretty well. I’m expecting the same for Easter,” Featherston said March 29. Next on the calendar for AME students is achievement testing.

Anna Maria Elementary kindergartner Elle Blackburn and fifth-grader Julia Baugher open eggs April 1. Mary Miller’s fifth-grade students helped Kelly Crawford’s kindergarten students each hunt 10 eggs on the school campus, 4700 gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. islander photos: Kelsey Mako

AME fifth-grader livia Sauls and kindergartner Michael McCullough take a seat April 1 while on an outdoor egg hunt. Older students read slips of paper hidden inside each egg that academic questions or instructions for movement — hopping or running in place.

fifth-grader Cale rudacille and k-kids logan Bobo and Joey rosas model Easter accessories April 1. The boys’ fathers also attended AME.

Tiki & Kitty’s

Let’s go shopping!

Tiki and Kitty, shopping pros with a keen eye for style and value, know you enjoy shopping small, local and vintage and you’re invited to come along on their adventures. Now that the spring season is blooming, we know you want to shop! Cat’s Meow has 7,700-square-feet of vintage, unique and repurposed items. Plus, there’s a mancave and a clothing boutique offering something for every taste and style. Be sure to stop by the market, say

Your place for fun, funky

“Hey” and peruse the amazing assortment of fun and funky finds. Blue Flamingo offers hip and trendy upcycled and repurposed goods, furniture and decor, from antique cameras to garden features, candles, jewelry and work by local artisans. They also offer Dixie Belle paints. Blessed and Distressed is a tastefully designed store — so inviting, you’ll want to stay and visit — filled with collectibles and work by local artists at Palma Sola Square, around the corner from WinnDixie. It offers 30-plus vendors and artists, including

quirky!

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vintage, upcycled, shabby chic, fanciful frocks and local crafts and art. You won’t be disappointed. You Never Know Thrift has everything you could want: clothes, kitchen utensils, small appliances, furniture, DVDs and autographed sports memorabilia. The inventory is constantly changing. So keep going back. You never know what you will find. Scavengers Marketplace welcomes you to peruse the goodies for a good cause at the Island Shopping Center in Holmes Beach. Purchases at the store benefit Moonracer No Kill Pet Rescue — our favorite pet rescue group, which is based at The Islander. Founder Lisa Williams is office manager and, along with board member/Islander sales rep Toni Lyon, they lead the rescue efforts. FYI: Scavengers also carries Fusion Paints. And don’t forget, tell people you meet along the way, “The Islander sent me.”

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Indoor market with 15 vendors & artisans Vintage, Unique & Shabby Chic Furniture Coastal, Nautical & Rustic Home Décor Antiques & Collectibles Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm Sunday 12-5pm Fri-Sat 10am-7pm Sunday 12pm-5pm Island Shopping Center

5402 Marina Dr. Holmes Beach 941-900-1552

page 18 THE ISLANDER | islander.org April 7, 2021 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Cops & Courts

BBPD investigates bike thefts

Staff reports

Jacksonville motorist arrested by HBPD for DUI Holmes Beach police arrested a Jacksonville man March 20 for driving under the influence of alcohol. An officer noticed a motorist driving recklessly along Manatee Avenue and conducted a traffic stop on Nicholas McCutcheon, 22. The officer saw several open alcohol containers and smelled the scent of alcohol. He also noted that McCutcheon had bloodshot eyes and slurred his speech. McCutcheon failed field sobriety tests and, at the Holmes Beach Police Department, he performed two Breathalyzer tests that returned results of 0.170 and 0.173 blood/alcohol content. The legal blood/alcohol

Streetlife

Staff reports

Island police reports

Anna Maria March 25, 200 block of Coconut Avenue, noise. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint about a car alarm sounding for a long time. As deputies looked for the owner of the vehicle, the owner arrived and silenced the alarm. March 25, 9701 Gulf Drive, intoxication. The MCSO dispatched a deputy regarding a report of an intoxicated person lying in the street. The deputy located the person, who did not have identification, and sent them off on the Monkey Bus. March 25, 100 block of Palmetto Avenue, noise. The MCSO received a complaint of “lots and lots of people” being loud. The deputy found no violation. March 26, 100 block of Spring Avenue, noise. The MCSO dispatched a deputy regarding a complaint of loud partiers and underage drinking. Deputies found no violations. March 26, 100 block of Spring Avenue, noise. The MCSO received a complaint of loud music and underage drinking. A deputy found people at a party but noted noise levels were not violated and found no evidence of underage alcohol consumption. The deputy spoke with the people and the party broke up. March 27, 100 block of Pine Avenue, intoxication. The MCSO dispatched a deputy regarding a complaint of a seemingly intoxicated person riding a bicycle. The deputy spoke with the bicyclist, who then rode away. March 28, Anna Maria City Pier, 100 S. Bay Blvd., nuisance. The MCSO received a complaint regarding Jet-Ski riders close to the beach and other people. The

content limit for driving under the influence is 0.08 in Florida. He was arrested on a second-degree misdemeanor and transported McCutcheon to the Manatee County jail. He was released the next day after posting a $120 bond. An arraignment will be at 8:25 a.m. Thursday, April 22, at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. The second-degree misdemeanor charge carries varying punishments, including fines and up to nine months in prison for a first conviction. — ryan paice

watercraft riders were gone when deputies arrived. March 28, 300 block of South Bay Boulevard, trespass. The MCSO dispatched a deputy regarding a complaint of people digging holes and putting umbrellas on private property. The people were gone when deputies arrived. March 28, 800 block of North Shore Drive, trespass. The MCSO received a complaint regarding people on private property. The deputy did not find anyone at the property. March 28, 200 block of Chilson Avenue, noise. The MCSO dispatched a deputy regarding a complaint of a large party and vehicles blocking the roadway. The deputy found no violations. March 29, 400 block of Magnolia Avenue, noise. The MCSO received a complaint of loud partiers. The deputy found no violation and spoke to the property occupants, who moved their gathering indoors. March 30, beachfront at 100 Spring Ave. The MCSO dispatched deputies regarding multiple reports of paddleboarders flashing lights beyond the buoys as if in need of assistance. Deputies found the paddleboarders making their way to shore. Further information was not available. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office polices Anna Maria. Bradenton Beach March 24, Coquina Beach Boat Ramp South, 1507 Gulf Drive S., warrant. A Bradenton Beach police officer found a vehicle parked after hours. The officer found three occupants sleeping in the vehicle and learned one had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for contempt of court. The occupant was arrested and taken to Manatee County jail. March 26, 500 block of Gulf Drive North, theft. BBPD dispatched an officer to a complaint of a bicycle theft. The officer filed a report for the theft. March 26, 300 block of Gulf Drive North, bur-

Bradenton Beach police were “working a bike theft with suspects involved.” Detective Sgt. Lenard Diaz said March 24 the department received a report March 20 that two bikes were stolen from a residence. One was a motor-assisted model and both were secured with strong locks, Diaz said. One bike was recovered March 21, after a friend of the victim saw a woman cycling east along Cortez Road West toward Bradenton and notified the victim. The victim and their friend located the woman and the bicycle at a 7-Eleven near the intersection of Cortez Road West and Palma Sola Boulevard in Bradenton. A Manatee County Sheriff’s deputy responded and the bicycle was returned to the owner, Diaz said. The woman who had been riding the bicycle told police she received it from an acquaintance and was unaware it was stolen. The motor-assisted bike remains missing. — Amy V.T. Moriarty

MCSO seeks rock shop thief

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office was investigating the March 12 theft of $30 in merchandise from Anna Maria Rocks. Shortly after 1 p.m., the manager at the store, 9908 Gulf Drive, saw a female person, possibly a teenager, pocket a couple of items while browsing with a friend, according to the report from MCSO. The manager called deputies to the shop but the alleged thief had left. The MCSO is investigating the incident as a petit larceny. — Amy V.T. Moriarty

Island watch: In an emergency, call 911. To report information, call the MCSO Anna Maria substation, 941-708-8899; Bradenton Beach police, 941-7786311; or Holmes Beach police, 941-708-5804. glary. BBPD received a complaint that money was stolen from a house while the occupants slept. Police filed a report to investigate the burglary. March 28, 100 block of 10th Street South, noise. BBPD received a complaint about a loud party. Officers found several people talking loudly and issued a warning. Bradenton Beach is policed by the Bradenton Beach Police Department. Cortez March 24, 11900 block of Cortez Road West, fraud. The MCSO dispatched a deputy on a complaint someone fraudulently used an identity to open a bank account. The deputy filed a report. The Manatee County Sheriff ’s Office polices plEASE, SEE streetLIFe, NEXT pAgE

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April 7, 2021 THE ISLANDER | islander.org page 19 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Bradenton woman arrested inBB home invasion A 34-year-old Bradenton woman faces two felony and one misdemeanor charges for allegedly breaking into a Bradenton Beach home April 1. Ashley Jodat will appear at 9 a.m. April 23 in Manatee County 12th Judicial Circuit Court. She’s accused of burglary of an occupied dwelling, a second-degree felony, possession of a controlled substance, a thirddegree felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a first-degree misdemeanor. If convicted, Jodat faces up to 15 years in prison for the burglary charge and up to five years for the felony drug charge. A Minnesota man told police he awoke at about

3:30 a.m. April 1 to find a woman locked in the bathroom of his 100 Highland Ave. apartment. According to his statement to police, he got the woman out of the bathroom and brought her outside, where he called the police. A search by police of Jodat’s pockets and a bag she was carrying yielded several items stolen from the apartment including about $350 cash. They also found a glass pipe and a baggie with a substance that tested positive for the drug using a police field drug testing kit. Jodat was released after posting a $7,500 bond. — Amy V.T. Moriarty

Bradenton man arrested for Bradenton Beach break-in A Bradenton man faces a felony charge for an April 1 break-in that left a Bradenton Beach trailer covered in blood. Police said Raul Zaragoza, 37, told them he was “very drunk and on drugs” when he smashed two windows at about 1:30 a.m. to let himself into a trailer he said his girlfriend claimed belonged to her. But the trailer belongs to a couple not home at the time of the break-in, according to the police report. Police reported finding Zaragoza standing in the blood-covered trailer with gashes on his hands from the broken windows. Zaragoza will appear at 9 a.m. April 23 in ManastreetLIFe CONTiNuED frOM pAgE 18

Cortez. Holmes Beach March 24, 300 block of 55th Street, noise. An officer from the Holmes Beach Police Department responded to reports of noisy people. He heard loud noise coming from a property and used a decibel meter to measure the volume. The officer issued a citation and advised the party to move indoors. March 24, 4100 block of Fifth Avenue, noise. An officer responded to noisy people. He used a decibel meter to obtain a reading and issued a citation. March 27, Manatee Public Beach, 4000 Gulf Drive, alcohol. An officer noticed a vehicle parked at the beach after hours. He walked to the beach, saw two people drinking alcohol and issued citations. March 27, Kingfish Boat Ramp, 752 Manatee Ave., battery. Officers responded to reports of a fight and found multiple parties that told different stories of regarding the events. An aggressor couldn’t be identified and no parties wanted to press charges or needed medical care. March 27, Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive, alcohol and trespass. An officer noticed a person riding a bicycle on the skate park ramps while drinking alcohol. The officer trespassed the person and issued a citation. March 27, 5500 block of Holmes Boulevard, noise. An officer responded to reports of noisy people. He used a decibel meter to obtain a reading and issued a citation. March 28, 5300 block of Gulf Drive, alcohol. An officer found a group of people on the beach drinking alcohol. He issued citations. March 28, 5300 block of Gulf Drive, alcohol. An officer noticed a group of people drinking alcohol on the beach. He issued citations. March 28, Manatee Public Beach, 4000 Gulf Drive, alcohol. An officer noticed a person walking in the parking lot with an open beer can. The officer issued a citation. March 28, 5200 block of Gulf Drive, alcohol and

tee County 12th Judicial Circuit Court on a charge of burglary of an unoccupied dwelled, a second-degree felony that carries a minimum sentence of 21 months in jail. He also is accused of misdemeanor theft of a bicycle charge and if convicted could face up to five years Guardian by the Gulf in jail. A 10-year lifeguard veteran, Mike Winterman takes Zaragoza was released on a $7,500 bond. — Amy V.T. Moriarty

Island watch: In an emergency, call 911. To report information, call the MCSO Anna Maria substation, 941-708-8899; Bradenton Beach police, 941-7786311; or Holmes Beach police, 941-708-5804. marijuana. An officer on patrol saw people passing an open bottle of alcohol and a bong containing marijuana. He issued citations to two people. March 28, 100 block of 52nd Street, alcohol and marijuana. Officers were dispatched in reference to a group of people smoking and drinking on the beach. They searched the group and found open alcohol containers and a marijuana vaporizer. The officer issued citations. March 29, 100 block of 52nd Street West, alcohol. An officer found a man walking with an open container of alcohol and issued a citation. March 29, 100 block of 50th Street, Marchman Act. An officer responded to reports of a person acting suspiciously and found an intoxicated man with an empty bottle of alcohol. The man could not walk and had nowhere to stay. The officer transported him for treatment to Bradenton. March 30, 100 block of 48th Street, noise. An officer responded to reports of noisy people and heard a loud conversation coming from inside the property. He used a decibel meter to obtain a reading and issued a citation. HBPD polices Holmes Beach. Streetlife is based on incident reports and narratives from the BBPD, HBPD and MCSO.

a shift March 30 at the Manatee public Beach, 4000 gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, where he’s assigned for six months. islander photo: Kelsey Mako

Motorists: Put it down

Heed the warning: “Put it down.” Local law enforcement agencies and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles launched a monthlong campaign April 1, reminding motorists of distracted driving laws and inviting people to pledge to help keep roadways safe. “Far too often, we see tragedies that could have been prevented if motorists had simply kept their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel while driving,” Terry L. Rhodes, executive director of the state highway safety department, said in a news release. In 2020, Florida reported more than 48,000 distracted driving crashes in Florida — 75% of which were caused by the driver being inattentive behind the wheel. The crashes resulted in nearly 300 fatalities and more than 2,700 serious bodily injuries. On average in 2020, 900 distracted drivers crashed every week. Distracted driving is anything that takes a motorist’s hands off the wheel, eyes off the road or mind off driving, disrupting visual and cognitive awareness. Texting while driving is one of the most dangerous of distracted driving behaviors, according to the state. — lisa Neff

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Hippity hoppity on the Moose beach

lEfT: Kids ages 5 and under race to collect eggs at the beach behind the Anna Maria island Moose lodge, 110 gulf Drive. S., Bradenton Beach, shortly after the Easter egg hunt began April 3. islander photos: Kelsey Mako BElOW: Kids ages 6-10 scramble to collect the remainder of the Easter eggs April 3 on the beach at the Moose lodge.

Island Moose hosts Easter egg hunt

Kids had an eggcellent time on the beach thanks to the Anna Maria Island Moose Lodge. Moose Lodge No. 2188 in Bradenton Beach held an Easter egg hunt for kids April 3 on the beach at the lodge. At 10 a.m., a shotgun start marked the beginning of the hunt, and children 10 and under rushed on the sand to pick up eggs. Children also had the opportunity to take photos with the Easter bunny and the lodge mascot, Tommy Moose, while Moose volunteers handed out treats, baskets and bunny ears. Before the egg hunt began, volunteers placed on the sand about 1,500 plastic eggs, each containing a piece of candy, said lodge administrator Byron Dalton Sr. There was a section with eggs for kids ages 5 and under and a section for ages 6-10. Moose volunteers Sherrie Fragapane, Bonnie Dublin and Joe Klingler helped to make the event possible, said Moose governor Steve Boniberger. — Kelsey Mako

Contractor in final stretch for WMFR admin building

WMfr Chief Ben rigney and Deputy Chief Jay Johnson stand March 30 in front of the district’s new administration building, where the pair will enjoy new offices when construction finishes in late April or early May. islander photos: ryan paice

A member of the Creative Contractors crew installs ceiling rails March 30 in the hallway of WMfr’s new administration building.

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Gulf fish farm gets new look from federal government By lisa Neff islander Editor

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration is revisiting a permit for discharging fish farm pollution in the Gulf of Mexico about 45 miles from Anna Maria Island. The EPA issued the permit last fall, as the Trump administration accelerated efforts to approve aquaculture projects in the Gulf. But environmental activists are challenging the Velella Epsilon fish farm project proposed by Hawaiibased Ocean Era Inc. and, earlier this year, the Biden administration signaled a new course or a new look. Ocean Era proposes placing a “net pen” in about 130 feet of water to “grow” 20,000 fish a year. The pen would be about 17 meters in diameter, made with copper alloy mesh on a polyethylene frame. A buoy on the surface would identify the cage’s location. The EPA’s initial review said the pollution would have “no effect” on any federally listed seabirds and would not likely adversely impact fish, marine mammals and reptiles in the area. The fish inside the pen would consume about 27,268 pounds of feed per month and the farm would produce and discharge solid waste, industrial waste and biological material — including excess feed and feces — into the Gulf. The permit could result in the daily discharge of 36 pounds of ammonia nitrogen and 309 pounds of solid waste in an area of the Gulf that’s habitat for giant manta rays, sawfish, sea turtles, manatees and six species of Gulf whales. “For our project — at a demonstration scale, on a single-point mooring, 40 miles offshore — the risks for any significant impact are infinitesimally small,” Neil Anthony Sims, Ocean Era’s founder and CEO, told The Islander April 1. He added, “Yet the risks of inaction are demonstrably real and significant: American consumers eating less seafood impacting our health, or continuing to rely on imported seafood, or increased impacts on freshwater, land use and greenhouse gases from expanding terrestrial livestock production.” Sims said opponents’ concerns are not based on sound science. More than a year ago, Holmes Beach commissioners approved a resolution raising concerns that “offshore aquaculture will put Florida’s environment, beaches, marine resources and local economies at risk.” The city also expressed “opposition to these activities and urges the federal government not to pursue such practices off Florida’s coast.” More recently, the Don’t Cage our Ocean Coalition of more than 50 groups sent a letter to the White House calling on the new administration to support domestic,

Ocean Era llC plans to create a fish farm — a floating aquaculture pen — in the gulf of Mexico. The project in 2020 received a permit for pollution discharge from the u.S. Environmental protection Agency. islander Courtesy images

sustainable wild-capture fishing instead of aquaculture development. “Marine finfish aquaculture … uses giant floating net pens and cages that routinely discharge fish waste, excess feed and chemicals into open waters,” the letter states. “These finfish aquaculture facilities contaminate the marine environment with pollutants that contribute to harmful algal blooms, widespread coral die-off and other threats.” The groups also said fish farms hurt local economies, especially fishing families. The Ocean Era project would be about 50 miles from Cortez, one of Florida’s last working fishing villages. “Despite widespread opposition, the EPA has issued a permit allowing for the release of untreated waste into waters surrounding the proposed Gulf of Mexico facility, Velella Epsilon,” the letter reads. It continues, “The U.S. Army Corps is currently poised to grant Velella Epsilon the second permit necessary for construction in the Gulf.” The groups called on the administration to enact an executive order supporting the domestic seafood market and wild-capture fisheries. The groups also want the administration to:

A map in a federal permit application indicates the location of a proposed aquaculture project about 45 miles off AMi’s coast in the gulf of Mexico.

• Support the Keep Finfish Free Act preventing authorization of commercial finfish farming in federal waters until Congress enacts authorization to regulate the farms; • Halt development of the Velella Epsilon project in the Gulf. President Joe Biden already issued an executive order directing federal agencies to review actions taken under the Trump administration and consider revising or rescinding them in accordance with the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. So the EPA Environmental Appeals Board has asked the EPA to review and report on the pollution discharge permit issued last fall for Ocean Era. Sims said, “Ocean Era is greatly comforted by the assurances of the new Biden administration that they will allow their decision-making to be driven by the best-available science.” Did you know? Federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico extend seaward from the about three nautical mile boundary of each Gulf state to 200 miles offshore.

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Nesting notes By Kelsey Mako

Code enforcement prepares for sea turtle season

It’s almost lights out for the sea turtles. Code enforcement officers are preparing for sea turtle season on Anna Maria Island. Code enforcement departments in Holmes Beach, Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach have different ordinances, but each city runs about the same, said Holmes Beach code compliance supervisor JT Thomas. Officers in Holmes Beach are called code compliance officers and officers in Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria are called code enforcement officers. Thomas said code compliance officers are checking Holmes Beach properties along the beach to ensure safe lighting for sea turtles. “We don’t want to wait until there is an incident,” Thomas said. Artificial lighting is problematic for sea turtles because their instincts lead them to crawl toward light sources. Artificial lights can disorient turtles, leading them away from the Gulf. Safe lighting means lighting that is sea turtle friendly certified by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The bulbs utilize long-wavelength light, meaning they are amber, red or yellow in color. Safe lighting also may require a shield. Building official Steve Gilbert is filling in as the code enforcement officer for Bradenton Beach until a new officer is sworn April 12. So Gilbert also is making sure waterfront properties in Bradenton Beach have friendly lighting ahead of nesting season. Nesting season is when female sea turtles — mostly loggerheads on AMI — come to shore and dig holes to lay their eggs in the sand and, later in the cycle, when hatchlings emerge from those holes. Thomas said education is a part of seasonal prepa-

Holmes Beach code compliance supervisor JT Thomas stands in a hole left on the beach March 30 near 78th Street that must be filled. He called the city public works department to tackle the job. islander photos: Kelsey Mako

rations. In many vacation rentals on AMI, brochures inform people about the island, including sea turtle species and the nesting process. Holmes Beach code compliance administrative assistant Kim Charron emailed businesses and gave them brochures and businesses cards beginning in March and continuing this month. Thomas also has handouts, T-shirts, sunglasses and stickers to educate people about and encourage them to work with code compliance officers to safeguard the turtles. Gilbert goes to businesses to remind them about turtle season, particularly if he suspects there might be

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a lighting issue that needs to be resolved. Turtle season officially begins May 1 and continues through October. During season, Holmes Beach code compliance officers will go out two nights a week to remind people along the beach to turn off visible lights and close shades and blinds. To check lighting, spectroscopes and turtle safelight guide cards are used by Holmes Beach code compliance officers. The cards are easy to use. Light that is not sea turtle friendly will appear blue, green or purple in through the card. Light that is safe appears aqua. A spectroscope is an instrument used to record and measure properties of light. Gilbert said Bradenton Beach code enforcement officers go out randomly, preferring not to say when. In addition to checking lighting, code officers make sure beach conditions are adequate for nesting. This involves ensuring dunes and sea grapes are not interfered with, holes are covered and any beach furniture is removed during the season. To educate community members, Holmes Beach officers take volunteers out at night to look for problem lights and beach conditions, as well as remove any chairs or tents left on the beach. Due to the pandemic and social distancing requirements, Thomas likely will have six volunteers this year instead of 15 volunteers. All code enforcement departments on the island work with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring during nesting season. Code officers have the authority to knock on doors and ask people to shut off lights and AMITW is licensed to touch turtles and eggs. Both Thomas and Gilbert planned to attend a webinar on lighting April 20 for more information on how to better protect sea turtles. The Anna Maria code enforcement department was reached.

A spectroscope allows code compliance officers to see if lighting from properties along the beach is safe for sea turtles.

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By Lisa Neff

Spring into action for manatees

March 31 was one of those when it rains, it pours days despite about 12 hours of sunshine. That morning, a couple of sunny e-blasts arrived to my mailbox, proclaiming March 31 to be “Manatee Appreciation Day.” Hooray! said the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Bradenton. Hurrah! said the statewide Save the Manatee Club. Neff But the cheer also came with cautions about perennial threats — boat strikes and habitat loss — to our beloved sea cows from the nonprofit ManaSota-88, a declaration that manatees are in crisis from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and word of an investigation into manatee mortality by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Then came more news, making clear: Not everyone appreciates manatees enough to safeguard their habitats. March 31 was the second day wastewater from the former Piney Point phosphate plant was released into Tampa Bay, with state-sanctioned pollution flowing into the natural harbor and shallow estuary that empties into the Gulf of Mexico. March 31 also was the day news broke of a study showing Florida’s manatees are chronically exposed to chemicals in herbicides — like Roundup — that could affect their immune and urinary systems. Florida researchers found the weed-killer gly-

and warm-water refuge and they are herbivores, needing seagrass and other vegetation to flourish. The manatees tested were not in Manatee County but the use of glyphosate isn’t unique to Brevard and Citrus counties, it’s the most widely used herbicide in the country, with 280 million pounds a year used across 285 million agricultural acres, and more applied in yards, parks, even waterways to control invasive aquatic plants Glyphosate is pervasive in U.S. water bodies. Some countries have banned glyphosate but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to allow its use, even as the agency says the herbicide affects 96% of critical habitats and 93% of threatened A florida manatee. in the spring and summer, the or endangered species. florida fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ManaSota-88 has recommended stronger manatee encourages boaters to be on the lookout for migrat- protection laws and, in the meantime, a moratorium on ing or grazing manatees. islander Courtesy photo new watercraft facilities — from residential docks to marinas and boat ramps. Also needed are stronger — or enforced — antiphosate in the plasma of 55.8% of 105 manatees tested between 2009 and 2019 and the concentration of the pollution laws at the state and federal level. Polluting waters and poisoning the land, will sicken, kill and compound increased during the decade studied. Manatees depend on freshwater for drinking water drive wild species to extinction.

On the water: Go slow, look out below

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reminds people on the water to slow down and look for manatees. As water temperatures warm, manatees naturally disperse from their winter habitats, traveling to other areas of the state and beyond. So the FWC says: Stay alert and avoid manatees while traveling through Florida’s waterways. Through Nov. 15, seasonal manatee zones require boaters to slow down in certain areas to prevent manatees in their summer habitats from being injured or killed by motorboats or personal watercrafts. Boat strikes continue to be a major threat to Florida manatees. In 2020, FWC and partners rescued 29 manatees injured from watercraft collisions and more died

because of watercraft impacts. On the water, follow these guidelines: • Wear polarized sunglasses; • Avoid boating in shallow areas to prevent damaging seagrass and avoid resting and grazing manatees; • Look for large circles on the water, indicating the presence of a manatee; • Look for a snout in the water; • Follow posted manatee zones. Also, physically helping a manatee may cause it more harm. Instead, report injured, sick or dead manatees to the FWC at 888-404-3922.

Burrowing in A gopher tortoise sits in a burrow. florida marks gopher Tortoise Day Saturday, April 10, and the Manatee County parks and Natural resources Department has planned a lesson for the public about the land turtle. A “Tortoise Talk” will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 10, at robinson preserve, 1704 99th St. NW, Bradenton. Attendees will get a chance to see a gopher tortoise, crawl through a human-size replica of a burrow and learn about how to protect the keystone species that can provide shelter for at least 360 other animals. islander photo: Courtesy Carollyn parrish

— lisa Neff

Water Conservation Month arrives

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, which includes Anna Maria Island, wants people to tap into a conservation lifestyle. April, historically one of the driest months of the year locally, is Water Conservation Month. Some tips for the taps: • Run the washing machine and dishwasher when full; • Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator; • Don’t rinse dishes for the dishwasher; • Install high-efficiency showerheads; • Check irrigation systems for leaks; • Turn off your irrigation systems and only water as needed; • Consider installing a rain barrel.

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KRC women’s champion takes 7th title By Kevin P. Cassidy Islander Reporter

A field of eight women competed in a scratch play — no handicap — single-elimination tournament over several weeks beginning in February to determine the eventual Key Royal Club champion. Jenny Huibers and Debi Wohlers were the last two standing and faced off March 17 in extremely competitive 18-hole match to decide the 2021 ladies’ championship. The two women battled it out Cassidy and were even through 17 holes, but Wohlers won the last hole to defend her 2020 title — her seventh straight year as top women’s golfer. Congrats to both players from The Islander. In regular golf action at the Holmes Beach club, the men played their weekly modified-Stableford system match March 29. The team of Tim Friessen, Buddy Foy, Ken Nagengast and Earl Richie were on fire, combining for a plus-12. Individual honors were shared by Ron Buck, Nagengast and Ritchie with each of them carding a plus-4.

The women were on the course March 30 for a nine-hole individual-low-net match in three flights. Roxanne Koche’s 2-under-par 30 gave her a twostroke victory in Flight A over Helen Pollock, Margrit Layh and Judy Christensen, who tied for second place at even-par 32. Kay Neal fired a 1-under-par 31 to take first place in Flight B. Pam Alvord came in second at 1-over-par 33. Terry Westby carded a 3-under-par 29, the low-net round of the day and a first-place finish in Flight C. Peggi Clauhs took second with an even-par 32. The men were back on the course April 1 for a nine-hole scramble. The team of Ken Butler, Mike Gillie, Jeff Jump and Jack Lowry combined on a 3-under-par 29 to earn clubhouse bragging rights. Horseshoe news Only two teams managed the 3-0 record in pool play and battled for the day’s title in March 31 horseshoe action at the Anna Maria City Hall pits. Bob Rowley and Tim Sofran jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 22-17 victory over Tom Skoloda and Norm Langeland. Two teams also advanced to the knockout stage during the April 3 games. Steve Doyle and Bob Heiger had an easy stroll into the winner’s circle with a 23-3 victory over Tom Farrington and Tom Betty in the championship game. Play gets underway at 9 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. Warmups begin at 8:45 a.m., followed by random team selection. There is no charge to play and everyone is welcome. No games at center With the champions decided and the spring-summer season yet to start, the fields were quiet at the Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. The youth soccer league was to begin competition

ABOVE: Trent McNeil of Tennessee shows off one of many redfish he caught on live shiners and released March 23 on a family fishing trip with Capt. Aaron Lowman.

Lucky 7 Debi Wohlers, left, winner, and Jenny Huibers went down to the wire in their March 17 match to decide the 2021 Key Royale Club Ladies Club Champion. This was Wohler’s seventh straight KRC title. Islander Photo: Courtesy Tom Nelson/KRC

Tuesday, April 6, with Spirit Day, and matches will begin the week of April 13. Consecutive matches will be played Tuesdays, starting at 6 p.m. Registration for adult kickball concludes Friday, April 9. Teams can be 8-15 players with the cost per team $500, or $650 per team with a sponsorship. Games will be played Mondays, starting at 6 p.m.. Adult soccer will be played starting at 6 p.m. Thursdays, with the first matches set for April 8. For more information about center sports, call the center at 941-778-1908.

RIGHT: Yvonne Peters, a regular angler at the Rod & Reel Pier, shows off a 22-inch flounder she reeled up April 2 from the surrounding waters of Tampa Bay.

Alex Kriser, 16, visiting from Chicago, shows off one of many redfish hooked up on shiners March 28 while fishing inshore in Sarasota Bay. All catches were released. Alex and his crew were guided by Capt. Warren Girle

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Fishing Charters Capt. Warren Girle

INSHORE RE Redﬁsh Snook

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LIGHT G TACKLE C • FLY Over 30 years experience in local waters • USCG Licensed Full / Half Day Trips • 941.387.8383 (H) • 941.232.8636 (C) www.captainwarren.com Facebook: Captain Warren

April 7, 2021 THE ISLANDER | islander.org Page 25 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Inshore, offshore species taking the bait, kings highlight catch By Capt. Danny Stasny Islander Reporter

Springtime fishing around Anna Maria Island is in full swing. Catch-and-release species such as snook and spotted seatrout are really making their presence known throughout the waters of Tampa Bay and the surrounding bodies of water. The mangrove shorelines are showing healthy populations of snook as the three-year closure due to red Stasny tide nears its end in May. The same goes for the spotted seatrout. Respectable numbers of the toothy fish are inhabiting the deeper grass flats in the bays and Intracoastal Waterway. Also, encouraging: A number of large breeder-size trout are being caught-and-released. Moving offshore, kingfish are the highlight of the week. Kings 10-30 pounds are being found in depths starting at 30 feet. Free-lining live shiners on a long shank hook is resulting in numerous kingfish bites. Slow trolling with threadfin herring on a stinger rig also is working and especially effective when trying to cover a large area or while trying to locate a school. On my Southernaire charters, I’m finding a good pattern by targeting catch-and-release trout and snook on the flats. For the trout, deeper areas of 4-6 feet are yielding many fish 15-20 inches. I’m also seeing quite a few exceeding 20 inches, which is promising for future stocks of fish. As for the snook, casting baits as close to the mangroves as possible is luring these fish to bite. Most hookups are from fish running 20-28 inches. Lastly on cool, calmer days, venturing into the Gulf of Mexico is providing some action for my clients on migratory fish — Spanish mackerel and kingfish. Capt. Warren Girle is working in the Gulf of Mexico on the calm days with light breezes. Freelining live shiners on a long chain hook is resulting in kingfish and macks. In areas where the pelagics are present, Girle’s clients are spotting and catching

Big ’cuda bite Chad Kramer, of Olympia, Washington, hoists a great barracuda with the help of Capt. David White of Anna Maria Charters while on a charter fishing trip. The fish ate a Red Cuda Tube.

numerous sharks. Fresh-cut chunks of Spanish mackerel as bait is yielding hammerheads up to 7 feet long, as well as numerous blacktip and spinner sharks in the 5-foot range. Moving to the flats of Sarasota Bay, Girle is catching and releasing numerous large spotted seatrout. Trout exceeding 20 inches are being hooked while casting live shiners over shallow grass flats where sandy potholes exist. Catch-and-release snook are being caught in the same areas. Lastly, casting live shiners around residential docks is leading Girle’s anglers to a good bite from catch-and-release redfish. Capt. Aaron Lowman is finding good action while fishing the Gulf of Mexico. He reports kingfish, bonito, sharks and catch-and-release grouper are regularly being caught in depths of 40-50 feet of water where hard bottom exists. Moving inshore, Lowman is targeting catch-andrelease snook along the mangrove shorelines in Tampa

FWC casts for comments on snook, redfish, seatrout

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will hold virtual workshops to gather public comments about the short-term management of snook, redfish and spotted seatrout in southwest Florida. In August 2018, the FWC made a series of temporary, precautionary regulation changes to conserve snook, redfish and spotted seatrout following a prolonged red tide in late 2017 through early 2019. Ultimately, the state made fishing for the inshore species catch-and-release only in waters from Pasco County through Gordon Pass in Collier County through May 31. Ryan Georgio, visiting from Chicago, caught several Now FWC staff is collecting comments on how to snook on shiners and released them March 27 while manage the species after the limited catch-and-release on a guided fishing trip in Sarasota Bay with Capt. measures expire. Warren Girle. The workshops will be conducted online and tailored for specific areas, including: • Sarasota Bay area; Tuesday, April 6; • Tampa Bay area and north, Thursday, April 8. Date AM HIGH PM HIGH AM LOW PM LOW Moon The workshops will begin at 6 p.m. April 7 11:43a 1.6 10:00p 1.9 4:14a -0.2 4:07p 1.1 To participate, go online to fwc.adobeconnect. April 8 11:52a 1.7 11:01p 1.9 4:53a -0.1 4:57p 0.8 com/redtide. April 9 12:02p 1.7 11:50p 1.9 5:24a 0.1 5:36p 0.6

Anna Maria Island Tides

April 10 12:11p 1.8 — April 11 12:32a 1.8 12:21p April 12 1:11a 1.7 12:33p April 13 1:49a 1.6 12:48p April 14 2:29a 1.5 1:09p

— 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3

5:49a 6:10a 6:28a 6:44a 6:58a

0.3 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.9

6:11p 6:44p 7:17p 7:52p 8:29p

Bay. While targeting the linesiders, Lowman is finding catch-and-release redfish mixed in the bite. Also on the flats, Lowman is putting anglers on some good-size catch-and-release spotted seatrout, as well as ladyfish and jack crevalle. Lastly, catching sheepshead over Tampa Bay structure is making it possible for the clients to take home fish for dinner. Jim Malfese at the Rod & Reel Pier says pier anglers using live shrimp as bait are enjoying the catch on a variety of species. Sheepshead are present and are readily eating live shrimp offerings. Using a bottom rig and casting under the pier is yielding the best results. While using this technique, pier fishers also are hooking into some black drum and catch-and-release redfish. Both the drum and reds are 18-23 inches with a few bigger fish mixed in. Capt. David White says offshore fishing is going well for his Anna Maria Charters. Bottom fishing is yielding his clients a mix of red grouper and mangrove and yellowtail snappers. Free-lining live shiners over offshore wrecks is working, especially for the go-to fish, blackfin tuna. Moving inshore, White is finding macks taking the bait over deep grass flats and structure in Tampa Bay. While fishing docks and along the beaches, White is setting his clients up for black drum. Finally, flats fishing is producing plenty of action on catch-and-release snook and trout. Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.

Fishing tip! If you hook a bird, remember: Reel, remove, release!

0.3 0.2 0.0 New -0.1 -0.2

AM City Pier tides; Cortez high tides 7 minutes later — lows 1:06 later

Southernaire Fishing Charters

Licensed

page 26 THE ISLANDER | islander.org April 7, 2021 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

AMI TOURISM: Endless Season

February tourist tax revenues february 2016: $1,524,518 february 2017: $1,516,302 february 2018: $1,640,165 february 2019: $1,813,708 february 2020: $2,114,161 february 2021: $1,928,629 Source: Manatee County Tax Collector

Beachgoers flock March 30 to Manatee public Beach, 4000 gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. “By afternoon, the beach will be covered with people,” Holmes Beach code compliance supervisor JT Thomas said. islander photos: Kelsey Mako

Tourism continues rebound despite bed tax dip By Amy V.T. Moriarty islander reporter

Tourist tax dollars dipped locally in February despite an early start to the 2021 tourist season. While the Manatee County tourist tax collection since July 2020 has showed improvement over past years, this year’s February tax was lower when compared to February 2020. February’s tax revenue totaled $1,928,629, a decline of 8.78% from 2020’s $2,114,161. The tax is the 5% charged on rentals of six months or less collected by the government. The February revenues were reported April 1 by the Manatee County Tax Collector. The February bed tax collection showed growth over January, indicating a continued economic rebound nearly a year into the pandemic. Of the $884,571 collected from rentals in the island’s three cities in February, the tax collector’s report shows $491,018, or 25.46%, was collected in Holmes Beach Anna Maria accommodations generated $266,810, or 13.83%, and the $126,743 collected from Bradenton Beach was 6.57% of the county total. Bradenton Beach was the only island city to show

increased bed tax collection in February compared to January, as both Holmes Beach and Anna Maria were down $19,196 and $9,326 respectively. The island continued to generate the most bed tax dollars for the county in February. More February numbers: • Unincorporated Manatee County, $697,246, 36.15%; • Bradenton, $129,438, 6.71%; • Longboat Key, $210,013, 10.89%; • Palmetto, $7,401, 0.38%. February yielded a net collection of $1,870,809 after the state’s 3% commission. The March numbers are expected in early May. The February and March tax funding will be discussed at the next Manatee County Tourist Development Council meeting, set for 9 a.m. Monday, April. 19, at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd., Palmetto. About the TDC The TDC makes recommendations to the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners regarding the operation of projects in the tourist development plan and how tourist development tax revenue may

Josh and Ashley reimer and their son Axel, visiting Anna Maria island from Annapolis, Maryland, spend the morning March 30 fishing at the Historic Bridge Street pier, 200 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach. later, they said, they were planning beachtime.

be spent. The TDC includes chair Misty Servia, vice chair Vernon DeSear, Ed Chiles, Eric Cairns, Jack Rynerson, Jiten Patel, Rahul Patel, Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown and Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant. For more TDC information, contact Monica Luff at 941-729-9177 or monica.luff@bacvb.com.

Anna Maria to seek Mote funding from TDC By Amy V.T. Moriarty islander reporter

Anna Maria is on a fishing expedition. And funding to set the line for a Mote Marine Laboratory outreach center on the Anna Maria City Pier could come from tourist development funds. Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy is set to present the pier-Mote project along with a request for $500,000 to fund the buildout when the Manatee County Tourist Development Council meets at 9 a.m. Monday, April 19, at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd., Palmetto. Murphy and Mote president Dr. Michael Crosby signed a memorandum of understanding March 19 for the project. The memorandum stipulates the city is responsible for funding for the $500,000 buildout of the 1,800-square-foot space at the T-end of the Anna Maria City Pier, 100 S. Bay Blvd. The memorandum also stipulates funding would come from tourist development tax dollars or sources other than property taxes, Murphy said. When the Mote project emerged in February as a clear favorite of six suggested uses for the vacant building on the pier, Murphy reached out to Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Elliott Falcione to get the city’s request for project funding in front of the TDC.

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The TDC usually meets in alternate months and makes recommendations to the Manatee Board of County Commissioners regarding projects in the tourist development plan and bed tax revenue spending. The tourist development funds come from the 5% tax on accommodations of six months or less. After Hurricane Irma in 2017 damaged the historic pier, the TDC allocated funding toward the new pier construction. Mote also has received tourist development funds and TDC chair Misty Servia, a county commissioner, said she is a supporter of Mote projects. Sourcing funding for the buildout is the only finan-

cial responsibility the city has for the outreach center as the estimated $400,000 annual overhead cost would be funded by Mote, which also is building a new science and education aquarium in Sarasota. Mote opened its aquarium on City Island in Sarasota in 1980 and already operates two satellite education and outreach centers — at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary’s Eco-Discovery Center in Key West and at the Florida Keys History Discovery Center in Islamorada. Admission to the Anna Maria-Mote center would be free, though Crosby said March 19 there could be charges for programs and classes.

Center, BACVB present concert series

A computer drafted image of the proposed layout of a Mote Marine laboratory outreach center in the 1,800-square-foot building at the T-end of Anna Maria City pier, 100 S. Bay Blvd. islander photo: Courtesy Anna Maria

The Visit Bradenton Gulf Islands 2021 Concert Series will launch May 13, with an outdoor performance by Southern-style Marshall Tucker Band. The concert, and another event approved by the city, will be at the Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. The series at the center is sponsored by the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. The series is planned to feature country artist Crystal Gayle June 11; Journey June 17 and the Grass Roots July 2. The Marshall Tucker concert will begin at 7 p.m. on the center soccer/football field with seating in marked pods and social distancing required. For more details about ticket sales and prices, go online to www.centerami.org or contact the itickets box office at 800-965-9324 or www.itickets.com. — lisa Neff

April 7, 2021 THE ISLANDER | islander.org page 27 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Passport check-in

biz

The first people to present their Explorer passports at the Anna Maria island Chamber of Commerce pose with their T-shirts, awarded to those who receive at least five stamps from participating businesses in each island city and Cortez. The passport program is a business incentive program by the chamber. They can be reached at 941-7781541, or at the office, 5313 gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. islander photo: Courtesy laura Micciche/ AMiCofC

Amy V.T. Moriarty

This concierge serves you

Looking for directions, guidance, things to do? The answers are a hop, skip, jump and an email or phone call away. This “director of contagious enthusiasm” can guide, assist and arrange from her vantage point in the lobby of the area’s largest hotel. And at the Compass Hotel by Margaritaville on Perico Island, Susanne Arbanas does not limit her concierge services to guests. When she partnered with Compass, 12324 Manatee Ave. W., Perico Island, in 2020, Arbanas suggested the hotel “make it beneficial for everyone” and open their doors wide to her concierge services, she told The Islander April 1. The hotel jumped at the idea. Arbanas, who worked more than 20 years in the airline industry beginning in the mid-1980s as a flight attendant for Continental Airlines, knows good service. When she returned to the United States from Sydney in 2008 after running Virgin Airlines operations at the Australian airport for nearly 10 years, Arbanas started an island business: Anna Maria Island Concierge Service. As owner and operator, Arbanas sought a title that suited her business and personality — and “director of contagious enthusiasm” stuck. Arbanas said she was a ahead of the times when she started the service, as the island wasn’t as busy as now, and she closed shop in 2011. But she didn’t stop being an enthusiastic island advocate. Compass and other businesses she’s partnered with have encouraged her to continue her enthusiasm. Part of the secret to Arbanas’ success is her keen enhancement to her clients is through a network of eye for emerging trends and knack for recognizing hospitality industry professionals in Manatee and Sarasota counties. what people want. Some might see other professionals as competi“Observing is very important,” Arbanas said, noting she likes to follow the area chambers of com- tors but, in an industry designed to promote happiness merce, the Manatee County Tourist Development and experiences, Arbanas sees the other managers and Council and the Bradenton Area Convention and Visi- business owners at area resorts as colleagues. Everyone has a little something different to offer tors Bureau to stay on top of trends. LindseyKLeech@gmail.com guests and, by working together, they can provide the Another way she is able to offer experience-based www.teamduncan.com

Susanne Arbanas leans against her concierge desk at Compass Hotel by Margaritaville on perico island. islander photo: Courtesy Compass Hotel

best experience, Arbanas said. So for your next boat tour, fishing trip, tickets to the theater, opera, orchestra or a museum, an Orlando or Tampa attraction or dinner theater, you might want to lineup — virtually — at her desk. You can reach Arbanas at sarbanas@compassannamaria.com or the hotel front desk, at 941-245-1810.

BizCal

COMPILED BY LISA NEFF

AMI CHAMBER

Save the dates May 1, Beach ’n Food Truck Festival, Holmes Beach. May 14, golf tournament, Bradenton. Fees may apply for events. For more information, contact the chamber at 941-778-1541.

Cell: 941.737.3491 Office: 941.779.0304

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page 28 THE ISLANDER | islander.org April 7, 2021 ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

I S L A N D E R C L A S S I F I E D S ITEMS FOR SALE

ITEMS FOR SALE Continued

HELP WANTED Continued

ElEgANT BABY grAND: Kawai plater piano with bench and cassettes, $1,000. pick up from west Bradenton. 304-444-2756.

ANTiQuE OffiCE chairs: perfect for eclectic dining set. Circa 1950 from Anna Maria City Hall. inquire at The islander newspaper, 315 58th St., Holmes Beach. 941-778-7978.

lOOKiNg fOr A safe driver to provide scheduled rides for kids of a Holmes Beach family to/from the island to off-island events (school, sports, etc.). please contact: annamariarick@ gmail.com.

TWO WHiTE CHAirS: Height at seat, 22 inches. good quality. $60 for both. 941-778-1264.

FREEBIE ITEMS FOR SALE

WiNDBrEAKEr: NEW, HOODED, rain resistant, red. large, 36-inches long. $40. No text. 941761-1393.

individuals may place one free ad with up to three items, each priced $100 or less, 15 words or less. frEE, one week, must be submitted online. Email classifieds@islander.org, fax toll-free 1-866-3629821. (limited time offer)

WAlNuT ENTErTAiNMENT CENTEr: Thomasville, three-pieces. Can easily be a bar, too! $75. 813-391-5187.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SHip’S WHEEl TABlE: Capt. J. lindroth original masterpiece of inlaid wood and brass. 19-inches tall, 45-inch diameter. $1,500. Also, related pieces. marinateal@gmail.com.

Will purCHASE YOur old Anna Maria island property plat book (abstract of title). Text with images to 803-205-6500.

ANTiQuE pArTNEr DESK: All wood, $1,000. Marked down to $500. inquire at The islander, 315 58th St., Holmes Beach. 941-778-7978.

Sandy’s Lawn Service Inc. ESTABLISHED IN 1983

WANTED: YOur OlD cellphone for recycling. Deliver to The islander, 3218 E. Bay Drive, Holmes Beach.

LICENSED & INSURED

frEE guN lOCK courtesy of project Childsafe, florida fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Holmes Beach police Department. pick up at The islander office, 3218 E. Bay Drive, Holmes Beach. Don’t be sorry, be safe.

Residential & Commercial Full-service lawn maintenance. Landscaping ~ Cleanups Hauling ~ Tree Trimming.

Paradise Improvements

941.792.5600

Kitchen and Bath Remodeling Specialist Replacement Doors and Windows

Andrew Chennault

FULLY LICENSED AND INSURED Island References Lic#CBC056755

GARAGE SALES

CBC 1253471

RDI CONSTRUCTION INC. Residential & Condo Renovations Kitchens • Bath • Design Service Carpentry • Flooring • Painting Commercial & Residential

References available • 941-720-7519

MOViNg SAlE: 9 a.m.-? Sunday, April 11. polywood Adirondack lounge chairs, brand new blue couch, miscellaneous furniture, kitchen items, TVs, area rug, many more items. 5505 gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.

Honey is 5 years old. She is up to date with vaccinations, spayed and looking for a loving family. To meet this sweetie, call Lisa Williams at 941-345-2441 or visit The Islander ofﬁce in Holmes Beach. For more about pet adoption or to adopt Honey, visit moonraceranimalrescue.com.

PETS HElp rESCuED pETS! Volunteer, foster, computer help needed! Moonracer Animal rescue. Email: moonraceranimalrescue@gmail.com. TrANSpOrTATiON

N C I S

B O D E

A L L E Y S P O O H O P I P B L A M E

M A A L O X

O C T O P I

A P E R C U

D E M O N P E R K I E S T

Y A P I O O W A E T Y H A S A U V G E L E I N N O E S T S H U G S

S A N K

C U T I T

O T H E R

P R O F E S S

E D I T H

A C L

K O A N R A

KiDS fOr HirE ads are frEE for up to three weeks for island youths under 16 looking for work. Ads must be placed in person at The islander office, 3218 E. Bay Drive, Holmes Beach.

SERVICES NEED A riDE to airports? Tampa $65, St. pete, $55, Sarasota, $30. gary, 863-409-5875. gvoness80@gmail.com. i DON’T CuT corners, i clean corners. professional, friendly cleaning service since 1999. 941779-6638. leave message. BuSiNESS-TO-BuSiNESS JD’s Window Cleaning looking for storefront jobs in Holmes Beach. i make dirty windows sparkling clean. 941-9203840. BEACH SErViCE 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, 941-795-7411. CAC184228. rESiDENTiAl-BuSiNESS ClEANiNg by Jessie. 10-plus years’ experience. Top-brand cleaning products. Honest, mature, trustworthy. references from long-term clients. i work alone so no crew in your home. i have bimonthly openings. Text or leave a message at 941-526-9900.

LAWN & GARDEN CONNiE’S lANDSCApiNg iNC. residential and commercial. full-service lawn maintenance, landscaping, cleanups, hauling and more! insured. 941-778-5294.

lOOKiNg fOr AN EArlY BirD? You can read Wednesday’s classifieds on Tuesday at www.islander.org. And it’s frEE!

PLEASE, TAKE NOTE!

fOr SAlE: HYDrOpOrT Jet-Ski/ kayak floating dock, $300. 941-405-4379. Holmes Beach.

ANSWERS TO APRIL 7 PUZZLE S P E E D

KIDS FOR HIRE

BOATS & BOATING