Worst-case
AMI.
Suzi Fox,
best-
Storm forces 2nd detour
Looking back.
Ian’s sends damaging winds to BB.
cortez no worse for wear after Ian.
Save the date. 10-11
What’s up on AMI.
chamber prepares
busy Bayfest.
Storm aid,
Obituar
Ian disrupts classes.
WMFR responds to house fire mid-storm.
BB voters face charter options.
Get in the game.
Cops
Nesting notes.
Resiliency
storm.
Power-hungry biz
CLASSIFIEDS.
Isl Biz:
the image, taken at 9:10 a.m. Sept. 28, shows Hurricane Ian in the Gulf of Mexico, approaching Florida. the storm, at the time, had sustained winds of 155 mph and storm bands covered much of Florida. By afternoon, the category 4 storm made landfall in southwest Florida at cayo costa state park in charlotte county, according to the National Hurricane center. Islander Photo: Nasa Earth Observatory/ Joshua Stevens
the Best News on Anna Maria Island Since 1992 islander.org
Anthony taylor gets help from son, Kye, 3, shoveling sand Sept. 16 into a bag at a sandbag station near the Florida Maritime Museum in cortez. Islander Photo: Kane Kaiman
Hurricane Hanks in Holmes Beach sends a plywood message to Ian Sept. 26. Islander Photo: Brenda Basiley
Abridged People drive by a sailboat lodged against the north side of the cortez Bridge Sept. 28. Islander Photo: Kane Kaiman
National Guard convoy inspects AMI Sgt. Karakolev from the Florida National Guard’s Bradenton base leaves his convoy Sept. 29 to cross North Bay Boulevard in Anna Maria to check the city pier for damage from Hurricane Ian. Karakolev told the Islander the convoy was inspecting Anna Maria Island but had found minimal damage. Islander Photo: Ryan Paice
Storm aid, opportunities. 14
“Evacuate.”
“Catastrophic storm surge.”
“Worst-case scenario.”
Islanders and those nearby on Perico Island and in Cortez packed up and left their homes and busi nesses late Sept. 26 and early Sept. 27 under orders from Manatee County to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Ian.
As Ian left a battered Cuba in its wake, local emer gency management professionals were preparing for a major storm to hit the Tampa Bay area, probably the worst storm to hit the area since the hurricane of 1921 that devastated Cortez.
By mid-day Sept. 27, whether the island evacuees sheltered near or far, there was buzz from professional storm trackers — as one Weather Channel reporter put it, “There’s incredible uncertainty to that cone of uncertainty.”
Then uncertainty became inevitability — Ian was going to make landfall to the south, south of Sarasota County in Charlotte County, in one of the fastest grow ing areas of the state.
On Sept. 28, the worst-case scenario became the reality not for AMI but for Fort Myers, Boca Grande, Port Charlotte and other communities to the south, where Ian caused catastrophic damage and loss of life, prompting hundreds of search-and-rescue opera tions.
Ian made landfall at 3:05 p.m. Sept. 28 at Cayo Costa — a state park accessible only by ferry on an island on the Gulf of Mexico at the southern tip of Charlotte Harbor — as a monstrous Category 4 hur ricane, one of the strongest storms to hit the United States.
In Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties, Ian flooded buildings, cut off the only access roads to Sanibel Island and Pine Island, destroyed a waterfront pier in Naples and, across the state, knocked out electricity to
about 2.6 million properties.
Ian’s impact was felt across the state and then into Georgia and the Carolinas with heavy rainfall, wide spread flooding and wind.
An early assessment in Manatee County, announced Sept. 30, estimated residential damages at $31 million and commercial damages at $6 million.
On and around AMI, there was severe damage to some mobile homes but mostly Ian downed signs, tore at shingles, tumbled trees and scattered fences.
So islanders began returning Sept. 29 and Sept. 30 to find little change from the day they left.
“Irma was much worse,” Anna Maria resident Shelby Joyce told The Islander Sept. 29. She wasn’t the only person to refer to a more locally impactful storm five years ago.
But islanders did deal with inconveniences of Ian
a relaxing 90-minute cruise, featuring dolphin, sandbar and sunset cruises — fun for the whole family!
Islander photographer Jacob Merrifield caught this shot Sept. 29 of a sailboat crashed into the northwest side of the cortez Bridge during high winds and choppy surf in the Intracoastal Waterway from the northern storm bands of Hur ricane Ian. the Florida Depart ment of transportation did not close the bridge but, later in the day, during a bridge open ing, the bascule stuck and the bridge was closed. traffic was rerouted for several hours.
— a lack of water and sewer upon their first return and a prolonged lack of electricity.
The county shut down water on the island to pro tect infrastructure and then restored water service Sept. 30, with a caution to boil water for 24-48 hours.
Lift stations, shut down ahead of the storm, also were powered up on the island Sept. 30.
Electric service was the continued concern into the weekend and on into the new week, as restored power was spotty in the three island cities.
Officials said while FPL worked on the system, generators were powering traffic lights at key inter sections and more than 100 sewer lift stations county wide.
FPL, in a news statement, said it had more than 21,000 people, including mutual aid from 30 states, working around the clock to restore service.
Suzi Fox, the adventurous, compassionate, kindhearted leader behind the effort to protect sea turtles and their habitat on Anna Maria Island for 30 years, died Sept. 30 at FCA Blake Hospital in Bradenton, surrounded by her loving family.
She moved to Florida from Michigan in 1977 and worked her way from Miami-Dade and a job in Coconut Grove running sailboat rentals to Anna Maria Island, where she worked in hospitality, eventually working the front desk at Tortuga Inn. She began to volunteer in the 1990s for Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and eventually took over leadership.
She first applied for the state permit to monitor sea turtle nesting on AMI in 1996, after the previous director failed and lost the state permit.
Ms. Fox had been on a long road to recovery after a car crash in May that left her facing many surgeries and physical therapy, but she was determined to get back to the beach and to her advocacy for sea turtles.
Sea turtle nesting season — May-October — was already underway on AMI when the crash occurred.
Before bad weather rolled in, surf was building and birds searched for a meal on Anna Maria Island’s shore.
Islander Photo: chris Whittaker
Members of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch filled in for Fox in the subsequent months and they are left to form a succession plan for the permit with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Manatee County contract to maintain sea turtle data related to the beach renourishment project on AMI.
A service is being planned, but likely will not be announced until November. Memorial donations may be made at islandturtlewatch.com or by mail to AMITW, 6409 16th Ave. Drive W., Bradenton FL 34209.
Ms. Fox is survived by her son Dereck, wife Katharine and granddaughters Elizabeth and Ashley, all of North Carolina; sister Nanci and husband Gene Banman of California; sister Kendra of Gulfport; cousin Linda Erfourth of St. John, Michigan; and Spike the Wonder Dog, who is going to live with Nanci.
Her kindness, sense of humor and loving nature will be greatly missed by many.
Her legacy will be to sea turtles, that they forever have a habitat on Anna Maria Island.
— Bonner Joy
Paid parking on AMI?
20%. Yes, about time.
By Lisa Neff39%. No, I already pay enough in taxes.
0%. No, will increase traffic trouble.
30%. Maybe, depends on location.
11%. Didn’t we debate this already?
Where did you weather Ian?
A. Stayed home.
B. Sheltered with friends/family.
C. Public shelter.
D. Booked accommodations.
E. Traveled far and away.
To answer the poll, go online to islander.org.
Watermelon salad balsamic reduction watermelon arugula olive oil basil mint fetaSuzi Fox. Islander File Photo: Lisa Neff
the Anna Maria city Pier was closed Sept. 29 post-Hurricane Ian. the pier, built to replace the historic pier damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017, suffered no structural damage in Ian, accord ing to Mayor Dan Murphy. Islander
It takes a communal effort to clean up after a hur ricane.
Even if the storm makes the brunt of its impact somewhere else.
Mayor Dan Murphy discussed the city’s postHurricane Ian cleanup and restoration efforts Sept. 30 with The Islander.
Murphy said preparations for the storm, such as evacuating residents, storing municipal vehicles offisland and boarding up city hall, were “easy” and went without issue.
“The hard part is coming back,” he said.
Murphy said he returned to the island around 4 a.m. Sept. 29 with public works staff and police escorts in an effort to clear the streets and begin restoration work throughout the city.
Luckily, Ian resulted in little damage to the city and its properties.
The Anna Maria City Pier, which was built to
replace the historic pier damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017, suffered no structural damage, according to Murphy.
City hall, 10005 Gulf Drive, and shade sails which remained up at City Pier Park, 103 N. Bay Blvd., also were not damaged during the storm.
Some of the only damage found at the city’s prop erties included a fallen gumbo limbo tree in City Pier Park’s playground.
The island reopened to the public by 10 a.m. Sept. 29, but much of it remained covered in fallen tree branches and debris from the storm.
City staff had cleared loads of debris from the municipality’s roadways and was working to restore damaged traffic signs within the city as of Sept. 30, according to Murphy.
“I can only be complimentary of the response of my staff,” Murphy said. “They all pitched in whatever was necessary.”
Murphy called for property owners and residents to restore their private properties by piling up fallen
branches and debris by their curbs for collection start ing Oct. 3.
“We need the city to look clean and welcoming and orderly. That’s how you restore order within a city. If you leave it looking like chaos, you get chaos,” Murphy said. “People need to come home and clean up their properties and, when they do, I want to be there ready to pick up the debris.”
“I don’t want the city to look like a hurricane disas ter area. Even if it is one,” he added.
The next step for the city will be to clean up debris on its beaches, then restore municipal operations, according to Murphy.
Murphy said city staff was set to resume limited operations at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive — including building department operations if power couldn’t be restored to the city annex — by Oct. 3.
“We will see what we can do to help from a code point of view,” Murphy said. “I want them on the street, visible, where people can stop them and ask them if they need particular help.”
Photo: Jacob Merrifield
By Ryan Paice Islander Reporter
Traffic in Holmes Beach went from bad to worse thanks to Hurricane Ian.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer told The Islander Sept. 30 the storm caused minimal damage throughout the city but damaged trees impacted power lines near the city’s entrance, causing a second detour.
The first detour is due to work on city center improvements, which began just a week before the storm.
The project involves adding roadway markings, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, street lighting and landscaping to a stretch from the intersection of Gulf and Marina drives to the 5600 block of Marina Drive.
Construction currently covers a stretch of Marina Drive from its intersection with Gulf Drive to 56th Street, resulting in the use of Gulf Drive as a north- and southbound detour.
Work was put on hold for the storm but city engineer Sage Kamiya wrote in a Sept. 30 email to The Islander that construction was set to resume by Oct. 3 and the detour would remain in place.
The second detour was put in place Sept. 30 after city staff discovered storm-damaged trees leaning on power lines and a tilted utility pole at the intersection of Manatee Avenue and East Bay Drive.
West Manatee Fire Rescue staff visited the scene and determined it was not safe for pedestrians or vehicles to pass the leaning utility pole and power lines, according to Tokajer.
“It’s too far over to not be dangerous,” Tokajer said.
So, the city barricaded the area and set up a detour for vehicle traffic.
Westbound motorists on Manatee Avenue hoping to drive north needed first to take a left, south, onto East Bay Drive, before taking a right onto Gulf Drive,
Anna Maria City No notices.
which leads all the way to Anna Maria.
Eastbound motorists also took Gulf Drive and/ or Sixth Avenue to East Bay Drive to reconnect with Manatee Avenue.
“We’re waiting on (Florida Power & Light),” Tokajer said Sept. 30.
Later in the day, according to Tokajer, FPL
By Lisa NeffAnna Maria City Hall, 10005 Gulf Drive, 941708-6130, cityofannamaria.com.
Bradenton Beach
Oct. 5, 9:30 a.m., CRA. CANCELED Oct. 5, 2 p.m., ScenicWAVES. CANCELED Oct. 6, 6 p.m., commission. CANCELED Oct. 12, 10 a.m., department heads.
Bradenton Beach City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N., 941-778-1005, cityofbradentonbeach.com.
Holmes Beach
Oct. 5, 5 p.m., planning. Oct. 11, 5 p.m., commission.
Are you getting ready for the fall on AMI? You can improve your odds for success and reach The Islander’s readers — residents, seasonal visitors and vacationers — looking for things to do. Shop, dine, events and indoor and outdoor fun. For advertising info, call or text 941-778-7978.
Oct. 12, 9 a.m., clean water.
Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive, 941708-5800, holmesbeachfl.org.
Oct. 6, 9 a.m., commission (land use). Oct. 11, 8:30 a.m., commission.
County administration building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton, 941-748-4501, mymanatee.org.
Oct. 11, 2 p.m., Coalition of Barrier Islands Elected Officials, Bradenton Beach City Hall. Oct. 17, 2 p.m., Island Transportation Planning Organization, Holmes Beach City Hall. Note: Ian may have disrupted some schedules.
attempted to restore power to a line leading west from near the Kingfish Boat Ramp and the tree caught fire — but was quickly extinguished.
Traffi c was further impacted by the temporary closure Sept. 30 of Cortez Bridge, which forced some motorists to detour to the Anna Maria Island Bridge on Manatee Avenue.
Additionally, a motorist in a low-speed vehicle lost power and caused a traffic jam while driving across the Anna Maria Island Bridge earlier Sept. 30, according to Tokajer.
“Robinhood Rentals decided it was a good idea to drive their golf carts from a storage lot at 75th and Manatee to the island over the bridge,” Tokajer said. With a hint of sarcasm, he added, “It was wonderful. A lot of thought went into that.”
Tokajer said he notified the company that golf carts and LSVs can not be driven in a 45-mph or over zone and any crossing the bridge would receive citations moving forward.
Mayor Judy Titsworth wrote in a Sept. 29 text message to The Islander that the city did not suffer any major damage from the storm.
“City did well. Limb damage mainly. Minimal to no flooding,” Titsworth wrote. “We dodged a bullet and are so thankful.”
LEFt/BELOW: Fallen trees damaged by Hurricane Ian lean on the utility lines Sept. 30 near the intersection of Manatee Avenue and East Bay Drive in Holmes Beach forcing a detour for eastand northbound traffic. Islander Photos: Holmes Beach Ian gets ugly with the sign at Ugly Grouper in Holmes Beach. Islander Photo: courtesy Jeannie Bystrom“Plop, plop. Fizz, fizz. Oh what a relief it is.”
Whether you’re old enough to remember the 1978 hangover relief song in a TV commercial from Alka Seltzer or not, you must be feeling the relief from our brush with Hurricane Ian.
Anna Maria Island, Perico Island, Cortez and west Bradenton were relieved of major damage.
Signs, fences and debris were blown about. And trees fell, some on power lines.
Fortunately for us, Florida Power & Light is obligated to expedite service in storm outages. And they do. But the tree trimmer they contract with doesn’t have the same urgency.
As was the predicament as of Oct. 2, at the corner of Manatee Avenue and East Bay Drive, where a large Australian pine tree leaned and bowed the utility lines, causing an adjacent utility pole to lean over the road, where a detour was established.
In a side note, as FPL attempted to restore power Oct. 1 to a line passing by Kingfish Boat Ramp, the leaning tree briefly caught fire.
It is, no doubt, the cause for some homes and businesses in Holmes Beach remaining through Oct. 2 — or longer — without power.
Never mind that the county and state do little to maintain trees on their rights of way. Yes, Australian pines are exotics but when height and limbs are maintained, they can be a force for nature.
Meanwhile, I think the FPL infrastructure is the real culprit. It’s archaic. Poles and dangerous wires? Let’s tell FPL we want underground utilities and we want them now. Or we go solar.
Back at the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center, we’re going to have to ask the county administrator to tell us the truth related to storm conditions so we can act appropriately and make wellinformed decisions.
Telling us we will have a storm surge of 15 feet long after the probability of Ian making landfall in Manatee County had been downgraded, as well as warning of 150-mph winds after the storm turned east toward Charlotte County and announcing that island residents had refused to evacuate — as is their right — is just wrong.
And turning the water off? If it was to protect the county’s water infrastructure, why wasn’t it turned off countywide? If it was meant as punishment for islanders who stayed behind — shame on county officials.
Next time there’s an emergency, let’s put truth before bulls***, vindication and scare tactics.
— Bonner Joy, news@islander.org
Anna Maria resident and businessman Mike Coleman, who died earlier this year, did a lot for Pine Avenue in Anna Maria.
The best may be the living memorial he left at 311 Pine Ave.
About 13 years ago, he built a new home at that address. The builders cut the large roots on the south side of a huge buttonwood tree and during a subsequent storm, the tree topped over onto the power lines.
Now, most people would have cut the tree down to save the wires.
Not Mike Coleman.
He called me to look at the situation. His one question: Can the tree be saved?
Yes, I said, but it will take time and money.
He said: Do it.
Now, without a lot of details, I dug out old soil under the 12-inch diameter root ball. With a 30-ton crane, we topped the tree out of the wires into the new lower-level hole. It went into the deeper hole perfectly, even tipped a little to the south.
We put three planks up on the north side to prop the tree in place while it grew new roots.
There are two 20-inch diameter trunks growing out of that root ball.
It has to be one of the biggest buttonwoods on this coast.
Take a look and give a salute to Mike Coleman’s living memorial.
Rob Crafts, Cortez
The Islander accepts letters up to 250 words. Letters must include name, address and a contact phone number. Only the name and city are published. Please, email news@islander.org.
Before the storm the Manatee county Public Library archives say the photo shows “Joe Guthrie’s large dock and building before the destruction of the Hurricane of 1921.” the dock in cortez was built 1905-15.
Islander Photos: Manatee county Public Library System
Babe by the bridge the county library archives show the date for the photo as March 13, 1932. A child, clyde Priest, sits posed in front of the old Longboat Pass Bridge from Longboat Key. the bridge was built in the 1920s but damaged by a storm and then washed out by high tides in 1932.
• The Mana-Sota 88 environmental group called for a public hearing on Perico Harbor Marina’s proposal to dredge 3.14 acres of seagrass to build a 225 wet slips at the marina.
• Members of the Bradenton Beach Corridor Management Entity approved a proposal from the police chief for a paid-parking system using computer-controlled meters.
• Anna Maria Commissioner Chuck Webb said state law required the city approve the Villa Rosa subdivision project on South Bay Boulevard where developers planned 11-15 homes.
• Bradenton Beach Commissioner Ric Gatehouse proposed repealing the city’s cell tower ordinance, which he said was linked to an agreement that “stinks to high heaven.”
• A former islander, David Viens, was convicted of killing his wife and then cooking her remains at a California restaurant they owned. The jury in Los Angeles took about three hours to reach a verdict.
• Holmes Beach officials said a fired building official had been disciplined for “exaggerated leniency to marginal and over-the-line practices
Find the Islander dating to November 1992 online at the UofF Digital Newspaper collection at ufdc.ufl.edu.
The Islander weekly for a nominal $54 per year. We also offer online e-edition
— a page-by-page view of the weekly news for only $36 per year,
Bradenton Beach was seeing a quick recover ing from what damage Hurricane Ian’s wind and rain delivered in the city.
However, some homes in the Pines Trailer Park, 103 Church Ave., suffered serious damage during the storm.
cosbyAnd at the Sandpiper Resort in north Bradenton Beach, several mobile homes were damaged by high winds.
Police Chief John Cosby, who has served as the city’s emergency manager for 33 years, told The Islander Sept. 30 some city buildings suffered only minor damage during Ian and overall the damage to the island was minimal.
The police station, public works building and city hall suffered minor roof damage, with water intrusion occurring into the main office at the police station, according to Cosby.
The Historic Bridge Street Pier at the east end of Bridge Street made it through the storm unscathed.
Meanwhile, Cosby said, a few vessels sank in the anchorage, but none in the area nearest the pier.
The entire island, a Level A zone, went under evacuation orders effective 8 a.m. Sept. 27 due to the threat of Ian’s storm surge and high winds.
Cosby said almost everyone in Bradenton Beach evacuated and the few people who stayed were in newer homes. Post-Ian, no injuries were reported, but those who stayed went without water and electricity.
Two days after Ian’s landfall in Charlotte County, water and sewer had been restored to the area.
And Cosby said Sept. 30 he hoped power soon would be restored, as there were crews on the island working on the lines.
The city has been has been burying utility lines in some areas, where Cosby said their efforts allowed for a faster recovery time because there were fewer downed lines to deal before Florida Power & Light worked to restore service.
Cosby said the lack of downed lines also made it easier on emergency personnel to serve the city.
At city hall Sept. 30, staff was ready to return to normal operations — when power returned. Records, computers and servers had been removed as a precau tion but were returned to the offices.
Cosby described the cooperation between the firstresponders on the island “phenomenal” and lauded the efforts at coordination involving Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer and West Manatee Fire Rescue Chief Ben Rigney.
“It’s the best working relationship that we’ve had in a while,” Cosby said.
All three island cities, as well as Manatee County, the state of Florida and the federal government declared states of disaster ahead of Ian.
Governments take such action to expedite the response before, during and after a storm.
the Manatee county Emer gency Manage ment center is staffed Sept. 30, two days after Ian’s landfall south on the Gulf coast. Islander
Hurricane Ian was gone but storm impacts remained across Manatee.
In a news briefing Sept. 30 at the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center, Commis sioners Kevin Van Ostenbridge and Reggie Bellamy joined emergency management deputy director Steve Litschauer and county administrator Scott Hopes for updates on damages and to review steps being taken to bring back normal operations.
Van Ostenbridge, who chairs the county board and represents the island district, said, “Our crews have been out since storm conditions have subsided. But we do want to try and manage expectations.”
He said it could be several days before utilities for portions of Manatee County were operating, as rescue and utility assets were being focused on harder hit areas south of Manatee.
Hopes said the county received reports of more
than $31 million in residential damages and $6 mil lion in commercial damages and the numbers were expected to rise.
Meanwhile, Florida Power and Light had more than 199,000 customers in Manatee and 85,500 were without power that day.
Hopes spoke about the barrier island cities: “We brought back utility service to the barrier islands this morning, both AMI and Longboat Key.”
An island evacuation, effective Sept. 27, was lifted and people had begun returning to AMI early Sept. 29.
The county’s public beaches remained closed to remove debris and Coquina was still closed at press time.
Hopes said he had surveyed coastal Manatee from the air and saw overall damage to the island appeared light.
“We really fared tremendously well,” Hopes said.
Wedding
INCLUDED:
941.778.7978
Photos: Robert Anderson
Manatee county administrator Scott Hopes speaks Sept. 30 during a news conference concerning damage assessments after Hurricane Ian. From preparation to response and relief, the briefings took place at the county emergency operations center.
“There’s not much to tell,” Capt. Richard Correa texted The Islander Sept. 28.
Correa lives on a 30-foot sailing scow in Sarasota Bay south of the Cortez waterfront and watched Sept. 27 as Hurricane Ian sucked water out of the bay, exposing oyster beds and the ocean floor.
“It was windy, rainy, choppy. No water in the bay,” he said after the clouds parted in the afternoon. “Good news is I found a beer in the bottom of the cooler.”
The Cortez waterfront Sept. 28 looked much the same as it did before the storm.
The FISH Net Camp, Raymond “Junior” Guthrie’s stilt-house, the A.P. Bell fish house and docks and Star Fish Market and Restaurant appeared unscathed.
Inland areas of the fishing village fared worse as winds toppled fences and palm trees and threw vegetation onto streets.
Matt Krohn, his wife and Renee Lee were at work the morning of Sept. 28 clearing debris from the yard of their home and fiberglass boat workshop at the
corner of Cortez Road and 123rd Street West.
Wind and water collapsed their fence.
“Most of it was because the state came and cut down all the mangroves, all of our protection, and then we were kind of vulnerable to it,” Matt Krohn said.
“With the wind blowing this way the whole time, it just worked stuff loose after a while, especially being so wet.”
H2O Watersportz dock manager Dale Decola rolls up a rooftop sign in preparation for Hurricane Ian Sept. 26 at the watercraft rental and charter company’s cortez headquarters, 4110 127th St. W. Islander Photo: Kane Kaiman
The Krohns hunkered down in their RV and home adjacent the shop during the storm. They were without power for more than 24 hours.
“It got pretty good but I’m glad it wasn’t worse,” Krohn said, noting the damage experienced by communities south of the Bradenton-Sarasota area.
One hurricane has devastated Cortez, occurring in 1921. The storm flooded the village and residents seeking shelter travelled by boat to the Cortez Rural Graded School, now the Florida Maritime Museum, on 119th Street West.
“It’s almost the 100-year anniversary. That kind of made it seem spookier, I think. That it might have been coming. It was sure close,” Krohn said.
The Krohns and Lee expect cleanup to take about seven days but they aren’t rushing to finish.
“We’ll make a party out of it,” Krohn said.
It was windy, rainy, choppy. No water in the bay. Good news is I found a beer in the bottom of the cooler.
— Capt. Richard Correa Renee Lee, left, Matt Krohn and his wife deal with the aftermath of a downed fence Sept. 28 on the Krohn property on cortez Road and 123rd Street West in cortez. Islander Photo: Kane KaimanThroughout October, Anna Maria Island Artists’ Guild features artwork by cancer survivors, Artists Guild Gallery, 5414 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: 941-778-6694.
Throughout October, artist Charlotte Sorsen’s “Walking on Clouds” exhibit, Island Gallery West, 5368 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: islandgallerywest.com, 941-778-6648, @islandgallerywest.
Wednesday, Oct. 5
10 a.m. — Senior Adventures visit James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Pete, departing from Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Fee applies. Information: 941-778-1908.
Saturday, Oct. 8
9:30 a.m. — “Ask a Fisherman,” Florida Maritime Museum, 4415 119th St. W., Cortez. Information: 941-708-6120.
8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. — Cortez Cultural Center Arts and Crafts Sale, 4404 16th St. W., Cortez. Information: 941-538-0945.
8:30 a.m-12:30 p.m. — Nautical Flea Market, Florida Maritime Museum, 4415 119th St. W., Cortez. Information: 941-708-6120.
Through Nov. 27, “Queens of the Air and Empresses of the Arena,” the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. Fee applies. Information: 941-360-7390, @ TheRingling, ringling.org.
Fee applies. Information: 941-896-2667, mfastpete.org, @mfastpete.
First Fridays, 6-9:30 p.m., Village of the Arts First Fridays Artwalk, 12th Street West and 12th Avenue West, Bradenton. Information: villageofthearts.com, @villageofthearts.
Second and fourth Saturdays, 2-4 p.m., Music on the Porch jam session, presented by the Florida Maritime Museum and Cortez Cultural Center, outdoors, 4415 119th St. W., Cortez. Information: floridamaritimemuseum.org, fmminfo@manateeclerk.com, @FloridaMaritimeMuseum.
“Caught in the Storm: 100 Years of Florida Hurricanes” exhibit, Florida Maritime Museum, 4415 119th St. W., Cortez. Information: floridamaritimemuseum.org, fmminfo@manateeclerk.com, @FloridaMaritimeMuseum.
Through May 2023, 9 a.m-2 p.m., Downtown Bradenton Public Market, Old Main Street, Bradenton. Information: 941-932-9439.
Oct. 22, Second Annual Halloween Bar Crawl and Food Drive, Anna Maria.
Oct. 29, Realize Bradenton’s Main Street Live, Bradenton.
Nov. 3-13, Island Players’ “I Ought to be in Pictures,” Anna Maria.
Nov. 12-March 26, the Museum of Fine Art’s “True Nature: Rodin and the Age of Impressionism,” St. Petersburg.
Nov. 23, Realize Bradenton’s Main Street Live, Bradenton.
Dec. 2-3, Realize Bradenton’s Bradenton Blues Fest, Bradenton.
Dec. 31, Realize Bradenton’s Main Street Live, Bradenton.
Thursday, Oct. 6
6 p.m. — Teen Yoga, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: mymanatee.org/ library, 941-778-6341, @manateelibraries. Friday, Oct. 7
10 a.m. — Forty Carrots, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: mymanatee.org/library, 941-778-6341, @manateelibraries.
8 a.m.-6 p.m. — Pumpkin Palooza day camp, Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Fee applies. Reservations required, Information: 941-778-1908.
Saturday, Oct. 8
10 a.m. — Origami crafting, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: mymanatee.org/library, 941-778-6341, @manateelibraries.
Tuesday, Oct. 11
10 a.m.— Preschool yoga, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: mymanatee.org/library, 941-778-6341, @manateelibraries.
First Wednesdays, “SOAR in 4” family night, The Bishop Museum, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton. Fee applies. Information: 941-746-4131, bishopscience.org, @BishopScienceFL.
Oct. 15, Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce’s Bayfest, Anna Maria.
Nov. 19, Bridge Street Holiday Tree Lighting, Bradenton Beach.
Dec. 3, Holiday Lighted Boat Parade, Bradenton Beach.
Dec. 17, Bradenton Beach Area Merchants Christmas on Bridge Street celebration, Bradenton Beach.
Wednesday, Oct. 5
Noon — Coloring Club, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: mymanatee.org/library, 941-778-6341, @manateelibraries.
Thursday, Oct. 6
2 p.m. — Sunshine Stitchers Knit and Crochet, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: mymanatee.org/library, 941-7786341, @manateelibraries.
Friday, Oct. 7
2 p.m. — Hispanic Heritage: “Cuban Ranchos of Manatee County” talk, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: mymanatee.org/library, 941-778-6341, @manateelibraries.
Wednesday, Oct. 12
Noon — Off Stage Ladies of the Island Players luncheon, the Porch, 9707 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria. Fee applies. Information: 941932-2798.
Fridays, 11:30 a.m., Mahjong Club, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: mymanatee.org/library, 941-7786341, @manateelibraries.
Saturdays, 8:30 a.m., Kiwanis Club of Anna Maria Island meeting, Bradenton Beach City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach. Information: 941-778-1383, amikiwanis.com.
Wednesdays, noon, Mahjong Club, Island Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. Information: mymanatee.org/library, 941-7786341, @manateelibraries.
Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m., Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island lunch meeting, Slicker’s Eatery, 12012 Cortez Road W., Cortez. Information: 512-944-4177, amirotary.org.
Second Tuesdays, 4 p.m., Cortez Village Historical Society meetings, Cortez Cultural Center, 11655 Cortez Road W., Cortez. Information: 941-840-0590, cortezvillagehistoricalsociety.org, @ CortezVillageCulturalCenter
Oct. 15, Suncoast Waterkeeper’s Brunch for the Bay, Palmetto.
Oct. 15, Love it Like a Local cleanup, Bradenton Beach. Oct. 21, Anna Maria Garden Club meeting, Anna Maria. Oct. 22, Kiwanis Club of Anna Maria Island 70th anniversary luncheon, Longboat Key.
Oct. 22, American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, Longboat Key.
Oct. 29, Moonracer No Kill Animal Rescue Golf Goes to the Dogs tournament, Palmetto. POSTPONED
The Paradise Center on Longboat Key will host its second annual “satellite” walk for breast cancer awareness Saturday, Oct. 22.
“We are thrilled that the organizers of the main event at Nathan Benderson Park are allowing us to host this walk again, simultaneously, on Longboat Key,” said the center’s executive director, Suzy Brenner. “It provides an opportunity for breast cancer survivors, thrivers and their supporters in our community to come together closer to home.”
In 2021, the center raised more than $5,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Brenner is captaining the team, the “LBK Paradise Striders,” along with Liz Yerkes of Longboat Massage.
People are invited to walk, jog or stride a threemile loop which begins at center, 546 Bay Isles Road, and continues through the Longboat Key Club Harbourside community starting at 9:30 a.m.
Kaye Bell and company are ready to transform maritime sundries into schooling for local small fry.
The Florida Maritime Museum and Cortez Village Historical Society, of which Bell is the president, will hold the 24th annual Cortez Nautical Flea Market Oct. 8 on museum grounds and Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage Preserve property.
Proceeds will fund exhibits and fishing industry educational programs for children.
“We lost a lot of time over the past couple of years due to the pandemic,” Bell said Sept. 26. “We had been planning educational programs for children and weren’t able to carry them out, so the market will help move those community projects forward.”
CAleNDAr cONtINUED FROM PAGE 10
Nov 5, “Celebrating Brilliance: The Bash at the Bishop,” Bradenton.
Nov. 11, Old Soldiers and Sailors Veterans Day Parade and Ceremony, Anna Maria.
Nov. 18, Anna Maria Garden Club Plant Sale, Anna Maria.
Dec. 16, Anna Maria Garden Club meeting, Anna Maria.
Tuesdays through Nov. 13, 6 p.m., open volleyball, Center of Anna Maria Island, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria. Information: centerami.org, @TheCenterofAMI, 941-778-1908.
AMI Dragon Boat Team-Paddlers from Paradise practices and meetups, various times and locations. Information: 941-4622626, mrbradway@gmail.com, @PaddlersFromParadise.
Saturdays, 9 a.m., Robinson Runners run, walk stroll, Robinson Preserve NEST, 10299 Ninth Ave. NW., Bradenton. Information: 941-742-5923, crystal.scherer@mymanatee.org, mymanatee.org.
Saturdays, 9 a.m., Mornings at the NEST, 10299 Ninth Ave. NW., Bradenton. Information: 941-742-5923, mymanatee.org.
Oct. 15, Keep Manatee Beautiful cleanup, Bradenton Beach.
During the free 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. event more than 30 vendors at booths near the museum parking lot, 4415 119th St. W., and surrounding the Cortez Cultural Center, 11655 Cortez Road W., will sell fishing gear, marine equipment, craft items, art and food.
In the cultural center lot, CVHS will sell books about Cortez’s history, baked goods and hot dogs, as well as hold a silent auction.
Susanna Spann, an award-winning, Cortez-based watercolor artist, will sell her wares near the cultural center.
Soupy Davis and the Band will play for marketgoers, who also can tour the FISH Boatworks, a workshop adjacent the cultural center.
In the vendor space near the museum parking lot, Friends of the Florida Maritime Museum, a nonprofit
Oct. 5, World Teachers Day.
Oct. 14, National Dessert Day.
Oct. 29, National Cat Day.
Oct. 31, Halloween.
Nov. 1, Día de los Muertos.
Nov. 6, daylight saving time ends.
Nov. 8, Election Day.
Nov. 11, Veterans Day.
Nov. 13, World Kindness Day. Nov. 24, Thanksgiving.
Please call ahead for events this week, as power outages and other issues associated with Ian could cause cancellations.
Before and after the walk, there will be local business vendors in the parking lot at the center to offer drinks, snacks and other giveaways.
For more information, include ways to participate, contact Brenner at 941-383-6493.
that supports the museum’s mission, will stage “Ask a Fisherman” discussions.
Visitors can speak to commercial mullet fishers 9:30-10:30 a.m. and bait fishers 11 a.m.-noon to learn more about their livelihoods.
The Islander sponsors the market.
Attendees can park for free in the FISH Preserve adjacent the FISH Boatworks, 11655 Cortez Road W.
For more information, visit the Florida Maritime Museum Facebook page, floridamaritimemuseum.org/ events or call 941-708-6120.
• National Hurricane center: @NWSNHc, @ NHc_Atlantic.
• National Weather Service: @NWS, @NWStampaBay
On the web
• County emergency management: mymanatee.org.
• State emergency management: floridadisaster. org.
• FEMA: fema.gov.
• National Hurricane center: nhc. noaa.gov
News
• The Islander: islander.org
• Bradenton Herald: bradenton.com
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune: heraldtribune.com
Bart Blankenship, seated with partner Jennifer Poole, plays a canoe paddle electric guitar behind their instrument table near the Florida Maritime Museum at the 2021 cortez Nautical Flea Market. Islander Photo: Kane Kaiman
By Kane Kaiman Islander Reporter
The early merchant gets the booth.
Vendors wasted no time reserving spaces along Anna Maria’s Pine Avenue for the 21st annual Bayfest street festival.
The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, which coordinates the free event, sold more than 130 spots by early September, a feat they didn’t accomplish in 2021 until days before the festival.
The rapid reservations — and the formation of a waiting list — are a sign that Bayfest is back in full force after a 2020 gap year due to the pandemic, chamber president Terri Kinder said Sept. 26.
Last year’s festival was well attended and Kinder expects crowds to be at least as big this year.
In addition to a food court and arts and craft vendors, the 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, celebration will feature a classic car show. Live music will again be staged near the Anna Maria City Pier.
The event is a boon to Pine Avenue businesses, which benefit from increased foot traffic and first-time visitors, Kinder said.
The celebration also benefits local students seeking chamber scholarships, as a portion of the chamber’s beverage sales at the event go to the organization’s scholarship fund.
This year, the outfit will be selling 90% of its beer and sodas in aluminum and other recyclable containers to decrease the celebration’s environmental impact.
SERVPRO of West Bradenton, Island Real Estate, Ameris Bank, College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving, Sato Real Estate and LaPensee Plumbing, Pools and Air donated koozies for the drinks.
For more information, visit annamariaislandchamber.org/event/21st-annual-bayfest/, email info@annamariaislandchamber.org or call 941-778-1541.
The Center of Anna Maria Island is offering instruction in capoeira, a Brazilian martial art form that incorporates movement, music and culture.
The six-week series for “absolute beginners” involves classes at 6 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.
A news release said, “This series is a sequence of classes that are designed specifically for people who are interested in capoeira but have little or no experience with the art.
“In the series, you will learn the basic movements of capoeira, as well as how to apply them in this dynamic game.”
The all-ages instruction costs $80 for members and $90 for nonmembers of the center, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria.
The center also is hosting instruction in playing “American Mah Jongg.”
The class will be at 10 a.m. Tuesdays at the center beginning Oct. 18.
The cost is $100 for member and $110 for nonmembers.
A specialty fitness class at the center, Pedaling for Parkinson’s Stationary Cycling Class, will run Tuesdays at 1 p.m. Oct. 11-Nov. 22. There is no fee to participate but the class size is limited to nine people.
For more, call the center at 941-778-1908.
Kinder
Mike Sales entertains at the 2021 Bayfest, presented on Pine Avenue in Anna Maria by the Anna Maria Island chamber of commerce. this year’s festival will be Saturday, Oct. 15. Islander File Photo
Getting ready for Ian Mark Sickles and Galvan Hernandez install protective covers on the windows of a house Sept. 26 on church Avenue in Bradenton Beach in expectation of Hurricane Ian’s arrival. Islander Photo: Robert Anderson
Gail Straight, left, founder of Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation center in Bradenton Beach, along with volunteers Brenda Basiley and Jose Luis Herrera, show off three baby skunks that survived Hurricane Ian. the center, funded with private grants and donations, weathered the storm and power returned Oct. 2. Soon after the bridges to AMI reopened Sept. 29, the first rescued animal — a baby squirrel — arrived to the center. Wildlife now is sheltering the skunks and 100-plus squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, opossums and other critters — and feeding them all. “Having power restored has made the impossible seem possible again,” Basiley wrote in an email to the Islander. “It is the simple things we take for granted until we have to do without.” Islander Photo: Jim Basiley
School District of Manatee County schools remained closed Oct. 3 for maintenance and custodial crews to continue work to restore systems to working conditions in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
The district reported Sept. 30 that 15 schools were without power, including Anna Maria Elementary in Holmes Beach.
“While area power providers are working intently — clean-up efforts, damage repairs and restocking of food supplies at schools cannot begin until power is available,” a district news release stated.
In addition, infrastructure needs such as working traffic signals, need to be fully restored to safely transport students to and from schools, according to spokesman Mike Barber, director of communications.
He said employees involved in the work to restore
The Center of Anna Maria Island reopened Oct. 3 after closing for Hurricane Ian.
The center, 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria, reopened with partial power to offer services, including a day camp for children, as schools remained closed Oct. 3.
The center also serves as a post-hurricane shelter in partnership with the American Red Cross.
For more information, call the center at 941-7781908.
schools for instructional readiness were being contacted by their supervisors regarding those efforts.
Schools shut down Sept. 27, ahead of the storm and to prepare for at least 17 buildings to serve as public shelters. The shelters opened to evacuees from Anna Maria Island at 8 a.m. Sept. 27.
The district maintains an active social media network, especially on Twitter — @ManateeSchoolsGoodNews.
— Lisa Neff
• Through Oct. 6, Fire Safety Week.
• Friday, Oct. 7, record day, no school.
• Monday, Oct. 10, 3:30 p.m., PTO membership meet.
• Wednesday, Nov. 2, 1:50 p.m. early release.
• Monday, Nov. 7, 3:30 p.m., PTO board meeting.
• Tuesday, Nov. 8, Otis Spunkmeyer cookie sales.
• Tuesday, Nov. 15, 5:30 p.m., PTO dinner in the cafeteria, 6:30 p.m., fourth-grade play in the auditorium.
• Nov. 21-25, Thanksgiving holiday, no school.
• Dec. 7, STEM night.
• Dec. 5-8, Scholastic Book Fair.
Anna Maria Elementary is at 4700 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.
For more information, call the school at 941-708-5525.
CrossPointe Fellowship, 8605 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. Info: 941-778-0719, crosspointefellowship.church, @CrossPointeFellowship.
Worship: Sundays, 9 a.m.
Ongoing: Wednesdays, 7 a.m., men’s Bible meeting; Wednesdays, 6 p.m., supper; Wednesdays, Night Blast, 6:45 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. women’s Bible meeting.
Episcopal Church of the Annunciation, 4408 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. Info: 941-778-1638, amiannunciation.org, @EpiscopalChurchoftheAnnunciationatHolmesBeach.
Worship: Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.; Sundays, 9:15 a.m.
Ongoing: Wednesdays, 8 a.m., men’s meeting.
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 6608 Marina Drive. Holmes Beach. Info: 941-778-1813, gloriadeilutheran.com.
Worship: Sundays, 9:30 a.m.
Ongoing: Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m., social gathering, private home; Sundays, 10:15 a.m., coffee and fellowship.
Harvey Memorial Community Church, 300 Church Ave., Bradenton Beach. Information: 941-779-1912.
Worship: Sundays, 9:15 a.m.
Roser Memorial Community Church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna
Winds associated with Hurricane Ian uprooted trees near Gloria Dei Lutheran church in Holmes Beach. Islander Photo: Jeannie Bystrom
Maria. Information: 941-778-0414, roserchurch.com, @roserchurch.
Worship: Sundays, 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m.
Ongoing: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m., Roser Robics; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Roser Thrift Store; second and fourth Thursdays, 11 a.m., Just Older Youth group programs with brown-bag lunch; Thursdays, 5:30 p.m., Roser Ringers rehearsal; 7 p.m., Thursdays, choir rehearsal; Sundays, 8:30 a.m., adult Sunday school.
St. Bernard Catholic Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive, Holmes Beach. Info: 941-778-4769, stbernardcc.com, @stbernardcc.
People in Manatee County and at least 10 other Florida counties can apply for federal assistance at www.disasterassistance.gov, 800-621-FEMA (3362) and also by using the FEMA app for smartphones.
Also, federal Small Business Administration disaster loans are available to businesses, homeowners, renters and nonprofit organizations in Manatee and the other Florida counties approved for individual assistance.
Applicants can apply at disasterloanassistance. sba.gov under declaration #17644.
For help with the process, people can call 800659-2955 or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
About 1.6 million Floridians carry flood insurance and they are advised to report any loss immediately to their insurance agent or carrier.
FEMA advises people to be sure to ask them about advance payments.
To learn more about filing a flood insurance
Longboat Key resident Benny Parrish fills sandbags Sept. 26 for his next-door neighbor at the coquina South Boat Ramp sandbag station. the station was set up by Manatee county in response to the threat of Hurricane Ian. “When you live in the village as long as we have, you realize you have got to take care of your neighbors,” Parrish said of Longboat Key. Islander
Worship: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.; Saturdays, 4 p.m.; Sundays, 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
Ongoing: Mondays-Fridays, 8 a.m., rosary; Wednesdays, 7:30 a.m., Rosary on the Beach at Manatee Public Beach; Saturdays, 3:30 p.m., confession.
Christ Church of Longboat Key Presbyterian USA, 6400 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. Info: 941-900-4903, christchurchoflbk.org, @CCLBK.
Worship: Sundays, 10 a.m.
Ongoing: Wednesdays, 10 a.m., Women’s Bible Study; Mondays, 9 a.m., Men’s Bible Study.
Longboat Island Chapel, 6200 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. Info: 941-383-6491, longboatislandchapel.org, @longboatislandchapel.
Worship: Sundays, 10 a.m.
Ongoing: Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Lord’s Warehouse Thrift Shop; Wednesdays, 10 a.m., Bible study; Mondays, 4 p.m., choir rehearsal.
Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Info: 941-383-3428.
Worship: Fridays, Shabbat, 5:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.
Ongoing: Fridays, 6:45 p.m., choir call.
Please, send listings and updates to calendar@islander.org. Include a contact phone number to publish.
Gathering Gathering contains news from local places of worship and faith-based organizations. Please, send listings and updates to calendar@islander.org. Include a contact phone number to publish.
claim, go online to floodsmart.gov.
Mental health resources also are available. Survivors experiencing emotional distress can call or text the federal Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-9855990.
The hotline provides free 24/7 crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster.
Florida residents who need to leave their home due to damage can visit www.floridadisaster.org/shelterstatus for addresses of general and special needs shelters.
Medically dependent residents who need electricity to operate medical equipment, transport services to evacuated due to a medical condition or need help getting medication during a disaster can register for assistance at FloridaDisaster.org/SNR.
Also, visit Hurricane Ian | FEMA.gov for information and resources available for Florida residents affected by the storm.
People applying for assistance should have the following information at hand:
• A current phone number;
• An address at the time of the disaster and the address where they are staying;
• A Social Security number;
• A list of damage and losses;
Banking information for a direct deposit;
If insured, the policy number, agent and/or the company name.
— Lisa NeffTo volunteer as part of the Hurricane Ian recovery, visit Florida’s official volunteer portal at volunteerflorida.org.
There can be volunteer opportunities for months, often years, after a disaster. So also look to a list of agencies with volunteer opportunities on the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website at www.nvoad.org.
Donating cash can be the best way to help after a disaster.
When people support voluntary organizations with financial contributions, it helps ensure a steady flow of important services to the people in need after a disaster.
People can find ways to donate at www.volunteerflorida.org/donatefdf or text DISASTER to 20222.
Before donating any supplies, people should connect with organizations working in an affected area to identify what is needed, how much is needed and when it is needed.
Clothing donations are not an option. Used clothing is never needed in a disaster area and unwanted donations can overwhelm charities on the ground because they need to be received and sorted — or sometimes disposed.
— Lisa NeffWorship With Us At Our Church
Sunday Ser vice 10:00 AM
The Rev. Dr. Nor man Pritchard
Men’s Bible Study: Monday @ 9:00
Women’s Bible Study: Wednesday @ 10:00 Visitors & Residents Welcome Watch Our 10: 00 AM Ser vice Live: www bit ly/cclbksermons or www christchurchof lbk org (follow YouTube link)
SUNDAY WORSHIP 8:30 AM in the Chapel 10:00 AM in the Sanctuary Nursery • Children’s Church ONLINE � Watch LIVE or LATER RoserChurch.com
Text ROSER to 22828 to receive the weekly eBulletin
The CHAPEL is open during office hours for prayer and meditation 941-778-0414
beautiful place to explore your faith...”Photo: Robert Anderson
When it rains, it pours.
West Manatee Fire Rescue fire marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski told The Islander Sept. 30 that district staff responded to a structure fire at 7703 Second Ave. NW, Bradenton, during Hurricane Ian.
Kwiatkowski said the district was under lockdown from 11 a.m. Sept. 28, the day of Ian’s landfall in Florida, through 6:45 a.m. Sept. 29 for the staff’s safety through the natural disaster.
During lockdown, WMFR does not actively respond to most calls. Instead, district staff note the details of each call so they can be investigated after lockdown is lifted.
The structure fi re was fi rst reported to WMFR around 7 p.m. Sept. 28 but the district didn’t respond until a call around 1:30 a.m. Sept. 29 reported a teenager had entered the burning building and might not have exited.
Kwiatkowski said staff contacted the Manatee County public safety emergency communications center about the call and received clearance from county administrator Scott Hopes to break lockdown and respond to the house fire.
WMFR staff responded with a fi re engine and ladder truck and extinguished the fire which, following an investigation later that day, was believed to have been started by the property’s swimming pool heater.
Kwiatkowski said a downed power line also resulted in some radiant burn damage near the front of the property.
The teenager who reportedly entered the building was found outside the house and uninjured, according to Kwiatkowski.
Kwiatkowski added that the home was unoccupied at the time of the fire as its owner had evacuated ahead of Ian’s landfall, so the incident resulted in zero injuries.
However, the property is a “total loss” due to the fire damage, according to Kwiatkowski.
Jack Anthony Abene, 91, of Bradenton, died at home Sept. 16.
He was born Nov. 2, 1930, in Tampa.
He worked at the Island Players theater in Anna Maria for 18 years — all the way till his final days.
He loved the theater and it loved him back. He put his heart into building sets and making improvements, and on the stage.
His kind heart and gentle spirit will be greatly missed by family and friends.
Visitation was to be 2-4 p.m. Oct. 4 at Robert Toale and Sons Funeral Home at Manasota Memorial Park, 1221 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton. A graveside service will take place 11-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, at Myrtle Hill Memorial Park in Tampa.
Condolences for the Abene family may be shared at www.ManasotaMemorial.com
Mr. Abene is survived by son Mike; daughter Nancy; grandsons Sean and wife Ashley and Beau and wife Erin; and great-grandchildren Arianna, Joanna, Bennet and Gabriella.
Otherwise, WMFR Chief Ben Rigney told The Islander Sept. 29 that hurricane preparation and recovery went smoothly in the district.
Rigney said WMFR began double-staffing Sept. 27 ahead of the storm and assisted in evacuating Anna Maria Island and the village of Cortez without issue.
District staff addressed 44 backlogged calls — two from the island — after lockdown was lifted the morning of Sept. 29, according to Rigney.
Rigney said WMFR also put its new administration building at 701 63rd St. W., Bradenton, to use as an emergency operations center for local government and law enforcement entities, including the Holmes Beach Police Department and Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
The district purchased the property in 2019 for $295,000 and completed construction by 2021 of the admin building, which was designed to withstand hurricane-force winds and act as an EOC during natural disasters, for almost $1.5 million.
Rigney said several entities, including the HBPD, parked emergency vehicles at the property so they could be safely deployed after the storm subsided. He added that the MCSO marine unit stayed the night at the admin building.
“It worked out really well,” Rigney said. “It’s been very effective so far.”
Rigney also said WMFR deployed a fire engine with four personnel to the Fort Myers area for assistance in post-storm recovery efforts.
You can peruse the Islander newspaper archive, dating back to its launch in November 1992, at ufdc. ufl.edu.
A Home for Seniors helps families find assisted living, memory care, home care, and independent living communities.
We are one of the only senior referral and placement agencies in the U.S. that follows clinical best practice guidelines.
We offer in-person RN assessment prior to placement and we only employ caring individuals that have run and operated senior living communities.
AND OUR SERVICE IS 100% FREE TO YOU.
Email ahfseniors@gmail.com or call 941-780-0281 www.ahomeforseniors.org
need a good laugh? visit the emerson quillin signature store. humor, art, gifts 317 Pine Ave., Anna Maria • emersonshumor.com
working with theA structure fire Sept. 29 at 7703 Second Ave. NW, Bradenton, which West Manatee Fire Rescue staff extinguished in the winds and rain of Hurricane Ian. Islander Photo: courtesy West Manatee Fire Rescue
Will Bradenton Beach voters elect to end term limits?
Their Nov. 8 general election ballots will include a question proposing such a change to their city charter.
A charter is a governing document originally adopted by the electorate and amended by voters through referendum. Every Florida city operates under a charter and one method of amending the document is for a review commission to draft and propose changes to be considered by voters at the polls.
Bradenton Beach commissioners were advised by city attorney Ricinda Perry earlier this year to review the charter and put questions before voters during the midterm elections rather than the off-year election.
Earlier this spring, after their appointments by the commission, charter review committee members Ed Straight, Anne Leister, Jim Hassett and Dan DeBaun with Perry leading the process, recommended fi ve amendments for the ballot.
They include:
• Amendment 1. Forfeiture of office. Currently the charter vests authority in three arbitrators to hold forfeiture of office proceedings against an elected official.
Should voters revise the charter to eliminate the procedure and replace it with the former forfeiture provision utilizing the city commission to conduct the proceedings?
A vacancy on the commission occurs when a commissioner or mayor leaves office before the expiration of his or her term. If by forfeiture, such forfeiture must be declared by a majority of the remaining commissioners.
If the amendment passes, the city will no longer require arbitration and will handle such a situation by commission vote.
• Amendment 2. Temporary at-large filling of vacancies . The charter requires a commissioner to reside in the ward they represent.
Should the voters amend the charter to establish a procedure to temporarily fill a ward seat for one term with an at-large commissioner if no ward resident is available to serve?
If approved, the commission could appoint a candidate to fill a vacant ward seat from any ward.
• Amendment 3. Filling of vacancies by appointment. The charter requires a special election to fill a vacancy of mayor or commissioner that results in a wait of more than six months from the next general
municipal election.
Should the charter be amended to allow for all vacancies to be appointed by the city commission?
The amendment would allow the commission to appoint a candidate to fill a vacancy rather than hold an election.
• Amendment 4: Qualifications and terms of office
Should the voters amend the charter to remove term limits and maintain two-year terms for all elected positions with an effective date of June 16, 2022, to allow currently seated elected officials the ability to run for office if otherwise termed out?
Among the amendments proposed, the biggest impact for the city will be felt on term limits, which do not exist in Anna Maria and Holmes beach
Elected officials in Bradenton Beach serve twoyear terms with a limit of three consecutive terms.
If approved, the amendment would eliminate the restriction on the number of consecutive terms an elected official can serve, effective with the 2022 election.
Commissioner Marilyn Maro is uncontested in her bid to retain her Ward 2 seat in November. So her name isn’t on the ballot but voters still will determine her ability to keep her seat — when they decide the question on term limits.
Maro has served as Ward 2 commissioner for three consecutive terms. She was appointed to a two-year term in 2016 and was elected in 2018 and again in 2020.
If voters decide to eliminate term limits, then Maro will stay in office.
If the vote for the elimination of term limits does not go through, Maro can not remain in office.
Tiki and Kitty are loving their fall shopping trips! We’re always ready to visit our favorite thrifts and boutiques.
Cat’s Meow has 7,700 square feet of vintage, unique and repurposed items. You may want to lace up your skates, as this large vintage skating rink has plenty to offer bargain, antique, unique hunters. Plus, there’s a mancave and a cool clothing boutique. You don’t want to miss this vast collection of vendors.
Blue Flamingo is home to hip and trendy upcycled and repurposed goods, furniture and decor, garden features, candles, jewelry and work by local
Scavengers Marketplace Presents
Commissioner Ralph Cole also is uncontested in his bid to return to the dais. He’s served three terms as a commissioner but his terms have not been consecutive.
• Amendment 5: Actions requiring an ordinance. The city charter sets forth actions that require an ordinance.
Should the city amend the charter to remove employee personnel benefits and procedures from this section and instead require actions regarding benefits and procedures to be adopted through resolution?
The city is asking voters to change the method of adjusting employee benefits and procedures.
An ordinance is a law made by a municipality while a resolution is a formal expression of opinion or intent voted on by an official body.
Adoption of a resolution requires a single vote while an ordinance must be read and adopted by a majority vote of commissioners at two meetings.
Voting on the amendments will begin as early as this month, with the first mail ballots going out from the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Early in-person voting will begin Oct. 29, followed by Election Day Nov. 8.
There are 683 registered voters in Bradenton Beach.
Islanders can register to vote in the Nov. 8 general election until Tuesday, Oct. 11.
For details on registration, go online to votemanatee.com, the website for the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Voting in the midterm elections already is underway — at least overseas, as the SEO mailed international ballots Sept. 23.
Voters who requested mail ballots will begin receiving them in early October, as the SEO planned to mail local ballots Sept. 30.
Early in-person voting will begin Saturday, Oct. 29, and close Saturday, Nov. 5.
Election Day — with local, state and federal races — will be Tuesday, Nov. 8, with polling 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
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. The store is in Palma Sola Square, around the corner from Winn-Dixie. It offers 30-plus vendors, including vintage, upcycled, shabby chic, fanciful frocks and local crafts and art. You won’t be disappointed.
Scavengers Marketplace regrets the island store in Holmes Beach has closed. Please visit the Palmetto store, 2100 U.S. 301, where a portion of your purchase benefits Moonracer No Kill Pet Rescue — our favorite pet rescue group. Founder Lisa Williams leads the rescue efforts and also works at The Islander as office manager.
Great work from Local Artisans Upcycled, Repurposed, Vintage Dixie Belle Paint, Fun Gifts & More! theblueflamingo.biz
FYI: Scavengers also carries Fusion Paints. And don’t forget, tell people you meet along the way, “The Islander sent me.”
30+ Local Vendors & Artists
Wed-Sat 10-5
Palma Sola Square
Winn Dixie Plaza 615 59th St. W. Bradenton 941-896-8800
10 to 5 Tues-Sat | 941.227.1936 4229 26th St. W. | Bradenton
Voters can fi nd sample ballots at votemanatee. com.
— Lisa Neff
Bradenton Beach Mayor John chappie checks in at the polls in November 2021. the 2022 general election is Nov. 8. Islander File Photo
A picture is worth a thousand words.
And sometimes a small chunk of change.
Anna Maria special magistrate Gerald Buhr continued a code violation hearing Sept. 21 against Bradenton resident Rosemary Polermo to a later date due to technical issues with the electronic images she brought to defend herself at the hearing.
Polermo’s vehicle was cited at 7 a.m. Aug. 21 on North Bay Boulevard by Manatee County Sheriff’s Deputy Paul Boos for parking where prohibited.
Polermo appealed the citation, leading to the mag istrate hearing.
Sandy Olson, the city’s code enforcement man ager, requested Buhr require Polermo pay the $50 parking citation, a $15 late fee and $157.85 in costs and administrative fees.
Polermo said she parked at the beach while it was still dark in the early morning to watch a sunrise, so she may not have seen signage prohibiting parking in the area. She added that the city’s signage isn’t clear about where and when not to park.
Polermo said she brought pictures to show the vis ibility of the signage around the time she parked her vehicle.
Buhr asked for the digital photos to be submitted into evidence but, even after delaying the case to tackle another, the images could not be printed.
The case was continued to the city’s next special magistrate hearing.
Another person cited for a parking violation didn’t have to wait for a decision — but also didn’t receive a favorable ruling.
Miami resident Jose Luis Castillo, who attended the hearing via Zoom, received a citation around 11 a.m. June 30 on Archer Way for parking his vehicle on a paved surface and facing the wrong direction.
Castillo appealed the citation the same day.
Olson asked Buhr for the same fines and fees she requested in Polermo’s case: payment of the $50 park
ing citation, a $15 late fee and $157.85 in costs and administrative fees.
Castillo said he had parked in the location for less than five minutes to deliver groceries and left the vehicle running while he stepped away.
Buhr said city code does not provide a time thresh old for parking citations, ruled Castillo violated code and ordered him to pay Olson’s requested fines and fees.
Buhr also ruled on a third case, involving Odessa resident Yosmany Cuellar, who did not attend the meeting.
Cuellar owns property at 714 Jacaranda Road, which he uses as a vacation rental despite not having registered its use with the city.
In July, Buhr ordered Cuellar to comply with city code by registering the property and to pay $165.95
Anna Maria
No new reports.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office polices Anna Maria. Bradenton Beach
in costs and administrative fees by Aug. 10.
Olson said Cuellar failed to comply with the ruling by continuing to rent the property without registering it with the city, and had never paid the aforementioned fine.
She requested Buhr order Cuellar to pay the unpaid $165.95, $157.85 in additional costs and administra tive fees, as well as a $250 daily running fine from Aug. 11 until compliance is obtained.
The fines would amount to $12,323.80 as of Sept. 28.
Buhr ruled to issue Olson’s suggested fines due to the presented evidence, as well as Cuellar’s failure to appear at the hearing and his lack of an attempt to comply with code.
The city’s next special magistrate hearing had yet to be scheduled.
No new reports.
The Bradenton Beach Police Department polices the city. Cortez
No new reports.
The MCSO polices Cortez.
Holmes Beach
Sept. 21, 5300 block of Gulf Drive, camping. An officer from the Holmes Beach Police Department saw a woman sleeping on the beach around 1 a.m. The officer woke her and issued a citation.
Sept. 22, 3900 block of East Bay Drive, camping. An officer saw a woman laying on a trolley stop bench around 3:40 a.m. The officer spoke with the woman and issued a citation.
Sept. 22, 600 block of Hampshire Lane, theft of services. A man entered the HBPD to report that he’d completed work at a property in the city but the owner was refusing to pay, breaching contractual terms between the parties. The man said he wanted to press
PLEASE, SEE Streetlife, NExt PAGE
Manatee county Sher iff’s Deputy Paul Boos, right, speaks Sept. 21 to special magistrate Gerald Buhr about a dis puted parking violation. Islander Photo: Ryan Paice
Streetlife FROM PAGE 18 charges. An officer contacted the property owner, who said he was out of town but would pay the complainant when he returns.
Sept. 22, 3900 block of Gulf Drive, no license. An officer saw a motorist back into lanes of traffic, so he conducted a traffic stop. The officer spoke with the driver, who said his license had been suspended for years. The officer issued a criminal traffic citation and court summons. The man left his vehicle at the Kingfish Boat Ramp for later retrieval by a licensed driver.
Sept. 23, 2400 block of Gulf Drive North, assisting law enforcement. An HBPD officer saw an officer from the Bradenton Beach Police Department arresting a man on the beach and offered aid. The officer spoke with a complainant, who said the man stole from a nearby store.
Sept. 23, Decoy Ducks, 5410 Marina Drive, suspicious circumstances. An offi cer responded to reports of suspicious circumstances and spoke with the complainant, who said she visited the bar the night before. She said she could not remember much of the night after only three drinks and was missing $100.
Sept. 25, 5400 block of Gulf Drive, camping. An officer saw a woman sleeping on a trolley stop bench. The officer woke the woman, who had been cited for violating the city’s camping ordinance earlier that week, and issued court summons.
Sept. 25, Manatee Public Beach, 4000 Gulf Drive, trespassing. An officer saw a man riding a bicycle and recognized him as a man recently caught on video trespassing at a residential property. The officer stopped the cyclist and issued a trespass warning.
Sept. 27, 5200 block of Gulf Drive, seize tag order. An officer responded to reports of a crash and found one of the drivers involved had a seize tag order if he was driving. Since he was driving during the incident, the officer confiscated the driver’s license plate and placed it in storage.
Sept. 27, 600 block of Concord Lane, domestic
battery. An officer responded to reports of domestic battery and found a woman who said her boyfriend struck her during an argument. The officer observed light bruising and swelling on the woman’s face. The offi cer spoke with the man, who denied hitting the complainant, and arrested him for domestic battery. The officer transported him to the Manatee County jail.
Holmes Beach Police Department polices Holmes Beach.
Streetlife is based on incident reports and narratives from the BBPD, HBPD and MCSO.
In an emergency, call 911. to report information, call the McSO Anna Maria substation, 941-708-8899; Bradenton Beach police, 941-778-6311; or Holmes Beach police, 941-7085804.
• Holmes Beach is improving the intersection of Gulf and Marina drives to include new crosswalks, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, landscaping, lighting and improve stormwater fl ow, which requires road and lane closures at Gulf and Marina drives with marked detours. Also, intersection closures are expected. Drivers are encouraged to be patient and courteous.
So are trolley riders, as the activity required the closure of the eastside trolley stop on Marina Drive north of Gulf Drive. The northbound trolley will detour, going from Gulf Drive to 56th Street, which takes motorists east to north Marina Drive.
• Manatee County’s utilities department is working on a force main project along Holmes Boulevard, which can result in traffic delays and congestion.
For the latest road watch information, go to swflroads.com or dial 511.
To check traffic cameras, go to fl511.com.
— Lisa Neff In touch with community Bradenton Beach Police chief John cosby and Lt. Lenard Diaz, left, meet with Anna Maria Oyster Bar managing partner Lynn Horne, right, Sept. 26, part of an attempt to inform Bridge Street business owners about the city’s declaration of emergency due to Hurricane Ian. Islander Photo: Robert AndersonAnna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers performed excavations Sept. 27 and then exited the beach and parked the all-terrain vehicles at a secure location until Hurricane Ian passed.
Then they awaited instructions and approval to
Esther, a loggerhead sea turtle tagged and released June 20 on Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach as part of the Tour de Turtles, stayed in eighth place through Sept. 29.
The Tour de Turtles hard-shell category started Aug. 1 and can be followed at tourdeturtles.org. The race ends Oct. 31.
Esther traveled 405 miles through Sept. 29. The turtle in the lead Sept. 29 was Dobby, who had traveled 876 miles.
Tour de Turtles is an educational effort led by the Sea Turtle Conservancy, which started in 2008 to educate and gather research data.
The Waterline Resort, Mainsail Vacation Rentals, both in Holmes Beach, and AMITW worked with the conservancy to tag Esther.
Each turtle has a cause. Esther’s is light pollution.
start again.
Storms, even rainstorms, wash away hatchling tracks and can hide the evidence of a drop hole — the hole created when hatchlings emerge from a nest at the same time.
So, what do they do?
AMITW has a list of nests and when they were marked.
If they can’t identify a hatch, they will wait the mandatory 70 days Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission requires and then excavate the nests.
About AMITW
AMITW collects data on sea turtles and shorebirds. The data is required to meet beach renourishment contracts and AMITW is compensated by the county for its service.
A map for tour de turtles shows Esther’s travels. Islander courtesy Image
Pelicans wait for a handout from fishers Sept. 10 on a dock at the Kingfish Boat Ramp, 752 Manatee Ave., Holmes Beach. Islander Photo: Ryan Paice
The power went out about 10 a.m. Sept. 28, as the wind associated with Hurricane Ian picked up and a light rain fell.
My wife and I had left northwest Bradenton the evening prior to ride out the storm with friends, another couple. The four of us expected to lose power, just not so early in the ride.
So we conversed.
We snacked.
and what it could take. We saw plenty of their sticks fall and branches thump to the ground as they bent, battling against breakage, as they swayed, struggling for survival.
And then, when darkness arrived and we could watch no more, we went to bed, which doesn’t mean we slept as the storm raged on.
In the morning, with calmer skies and cooler temperatures, my wife and I thanked our friends and headed home, west to Bradenton and the islands to see what Ian left in its wake.
Our home looked secure, our roof intact.
As was the situation five years ago after Irma, our neighborhood grounds were covered with air plants,
snapped branches and some uprooted trees.
Some trees cradled busted limbs and a few stood crooked.
But many, many more stood tall.
My wife and I put things in order and then we sat down and we watched from our back lanai.
We watched live oaks shake their spent leaves and acorns.
We watched the palm leaves hold fussy warblers.
And we watched one squirrel scamper about and scramble up from trunk to branch to higher branch in a live oak to reach a nest, a nest that withstood the wind, the rain of Ian.
We tried but consistently failed to get our smartphones to display news of the storm, send texts, answer calls and download email — that’s another story.
We cranked a human-powered emergency radio for snippets of news.
We turned to a puzzle.
We conversed some more.
All the while, we sat on the lanai facing a wall of hurricane windows and watched.
We didn’t watch Ian’s destruction.
We watched nature’s resiliency.
We watched rainwater pool from puddle to pond, attracting ibis, little blue herons and waddling mallards.
We watched a green anole discover shelter between a screen and window glass.
We watched wind-caught Spanish moss swish.
We watched one squirrel skitter about in rain and wind from drainpipe to leaf pile to tree branch. In one heroic moment, that squirrel rode a treetop in 50 mph winds.
And we watched a stand of trees withstand whipping winds and rising water.
Over and over, wind gusts knocked at the trees — live oak, holly and palms. We got to know each one
the sun rises Sept. 25 beyond the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria, three days before Ian made landfall in Florida.
Post-Hurricane Ian’s impact at the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria, where a pelican made his way across the beach.
Anna Maria Island.
Islander Photos: Jacob Merrifield
By Kane Kaiman Islander Reporter
We say, “More power to them!”
While much of the island looked like a ghost town the evening of Sept. 30, some businesses provided what services they could.
In Holmes Beach, Publix was open, operating on generator power.
Shelves appeared well-stocked and staff told The Islander they planned to continue restocking for the next two days while closing the doors early to conserve energy.
In Anna Maria, Slim’s Place owner Chris Smargisso unofficially opened the sports bar, a post-storm tradition that began after Hurricane Irma in 2017.
The bar also was relying on a generator to keep drinks cold and power TVs that Chris’s son, chef PJ Smargisso, said would feature the Florida State and Philadelphia Eagles football games Oct. 1 and Oct. 2.
Some business owners were squaring things away after Hurricane Ian, a storm that devastated areas south of Bradenton-Sarasota.
Mike DeLeo of Anna Maria’s Robinhood Rentals
AMI directed traffic at the shop, while workers towed golf carts, mopeds and scoot coupes from their safekeeping place — a vacant lot at the intersection of 75th Street West and Manatee Avenue — back onto the island.
Blueberries Cafe and Wine owners Thaina and Sergio Santinato removed overripe fruit from their Holmes Beach eatery and sanitized kitchen spaces.
The Santinatos travelled to Orlando for the storm and, on the return trip, stopped at the cafe before their Perico Island home.
They were thankful the eatery was intact.
“I’m so grateful because a hurricane like that can destroy everything,” Thaina Santinato said. “But when I saw the eye cross Fort Myers, I thought, well it’s a little selfish to think in this way, but I’m grateful it didn’t come here.”
Off the island, Cortez’s Slicker’s Eatery was undamaged by the storm, lost power for only a few hours and owner Bob Slicker echoed Santinato’s sentiment.
“I feel so bad for those people down south because it’s so horrible,” Slicker said. “It’s hard to feel grateful and then know someone else is getting it right now. It’s
a really mixed feeling.”
“But I do know this, if we didn’t get open — because we opened during the pandemic and don’t even have two years under our belt — being down for a few days is really tough for us. So I’m truly grateful just to have something going on,” he said.
The restaurant was offering a limited menu to a good crowd Sept. 30.
Other Cortez establishments near 119th Street West, including Tyler’s Ice Cream, Cortez Kitchen and Swordfish Grill also were serving a sizeable number of customers.
Cortez Kitchen and Swordfish Grill, drawing energy from the grid as normal, was broadcasting college football games and offering live music.
“The customers are really enjoying it,” Swordfish Grill manager Tom Polch said. “I think they’re just happy to see someplace that’s open, somewhere local and popular.”
Manatee county administrator Scott Hopes, with U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key behind him, holds a press briefing Sept. 27 at the emergency operations center. Some viewers and officials noted Hopes continued to give a worst-case scenario even after the forecast had changed and the storm headed east toward charlotte county. Islander Screenshot
the Stockton Bros. light up the deck Sept. 30 with spotlights and music for customers at Swordfish Grill in cortez. Islander
Photos: Kane Kaiman
Blueberries cafe and Wine owner thaina Santinato uses her phone as a flashlight Sept. 30 while still without power to check on kitchen containers at the Holmes Beach eatery.
Holmes Beach residents Bob Blake, far left, and Rob Douglas shoot the breeze at the bar Sept. 30 with Slim’s Place bartender Shari Steck and chef PJ Smargisso at the Anna Maria sports bar and family restaurant.
Pre-storm fishing candy and Junj Sen necke of Longboat Key and canada fish in shore — pre-Hurricane Ian’s arrival — Sept. 24. they caught and released several snook and an assortment of mackerel, snapper and seatrout using shiners for bait. capt. Warren Girle was their guide for the day.
Dom Livedoti tosses a horseshoe Sept. 21 for a ringer — the horseshoe ended up encircling the stake without touching the stake — while competing with friends at Anna Maria city Hall pits, 10005 Gulf Drive. Islander Photo: Ryan Paice
Jerry Drisbow of the Anna Maria Pitchers reports that the regular Wednesday horseshoe matches at the Anna Maria City Hall pits were canceled Sept. 28 due to Hurricane Ian.
Action returned Oct. 1 after a quick cleanup of the pit area, where two teams squared off in the final after each went 3 and 0 during pool play.
Disbrow and Tom Skoloda teamed for a nice 22 to 19 come-from-behind win over Bob Heiger to win the days championship.
the Rod & Reel Pier in Anna Maria is closed to fishers and diners by weather associated with Hurricane Ian, which as it approached the Gulf coast, threatened to make landfall at tampa Bay. Power remained out in most of the city of Anna Maria Oct. 2.
Islander Photo: chris Whittaker
Bradenton residents Louis Rawles, left, and Garrett Laflamme swing Sept. 29 while overlooking several fallen branches follow ing Hurricane Ian’s passage through Florida the day before.
Holmes Beach Police chief Bill tokajer directs motorists Oct. 1 at a detour onto East Bay Drive from west bound Manatee Avenue in Holmes Beach, where a power pole leaned over the road, pushed by a falling Australian pine tree. traffic was routed south and then onto Gulf Drive to proceed north. the hazard was cleared Oct. 2 and the detour ended. Several traffic signals and the sewer lift stations were operating on generators during the power outages from Hurricane Ian but the power lines servicing Holmes Beach from the leaning utility pole couldn’t be restored until the tree’s removal. Islander Photo: courtesy HBPD
Islander Photo: Ryan Paice
BIKE cRUISER, NEW tires and seat, $70, chandelier brown, like-new, $20, office chairs, white seat, black legs, $25. 941-9202494.
SIDE tABLES: BROWN with glass top. two for $25. 941-920-2494.
ANtIQUE PARtNER DESK: All wood, $500. Inquire at the Islander office, 315 58th St. Suite J, Holmes Beach. 941-778-7978.
ANtIQUE OFFIcE cHAIRS: Perfect for eclectic dining set. circa 1950 from Anna Maria city Hall. Inquire at the Islander newspaper, 315 58th St. Suite J, Holmes Beach. 941-778-7978.
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 1-866-362-9821. (limited time offer)
HELP REScUED PEtS! Volunteer, foster, computer help needed! Moonracer Animal Rescue. Email: moonraceranimalrescue@ gmail.com.
GOLF cARt RENtALS: Fun for residents and tourists! GolfcartRentalAMI.com.
2003 HONDA ODYSSEY van: $3,500. Pines trailer court. call Larry, 402-223-8068.
HAVE A BOAt and wanna catch more fish, better bait or learn the water? 50-year local fisherman, your boat, my knowledge. captain chris, 941-896-2915.
LIVE PINFISH-SHINERS delivery available. 941-705-1956, text only.
NOW HIRING HANDYMAN: Full-time professional services. $15 an hour and up, based on experience. call JayPros, 941962-2874.
REPORtER WANtED: Full- to part-time. Print media, newspaper experience required. Apply via email with letter of interest to news@islander.org.
NEED AN ADULt night out? call Maty’s Babysitting Services. I’m 16, love kids and have lots of experience. References upon request. 618-977-9630.
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, 315 58th St. Suite J, Holmes Beach.
PRIVAtE DUtY: REGIStERED Nurse. Pet lover, non-smoker, fully vaccinated, help with transportation, shopping, light cooking, cleaning. Help with following doctor’s orders, bathing, etc. 10-plus years’ experience. call or text Jessica, 412-851-0840.
MORE ADS = more readers in the Islander.
NEED A RIDE to airports? tampa, St. Pete, Sarasota. Gary, 863-409-5875. gvoness80@ gmail.com.
IS YOUR HOME or office in need of some cleaning? Well, I’m your girl! Local, reliable, professional! Please, give me a call or text, 941-773 -0461.
cLEANING: VAcAtION, cONStRUctION, residential, commercial and windows. Licensed and insured. 941-756-4570.
PRESSURE WASHING, PAVER sealing, driveway, roof, fence, pool area. Also, window cleaning. Licensed and insured. 941-5653931.
BIcYcLE REPAIRS: Just4Fun at 5358 Gulf Drive can do most any bicycle repair at a reasonable cost. Pick-up and delivery available. 941-896-7884.
cOMPANION/HOMEMAKER: Honest and reliable offering help with running errands, grocery shopping, house sitting, pet and plant care, light cooking/cleaning, transportation. References available and licensed. call Sherri, 941-592-4969.
API’S DRYWALL REPAIR: I look forward to servicing your drywall repair needs. call 941524-8067 to schedule an appointment.
HANDYMAN AND cLEANING services. Move-ins and outs. Affordable. call Fred, 941-356-1456.
ALMOSt LIKE HOME pet boarding, Days, overnights, weekends, longer periods of time. Pets are accepted on short notice, small, medium size pets only. Location west Bradenton. $20 per day. 941-896-5512.
GEttING MARRIED? I will be your wedding officiant. call Rev. James Mcubbin, 941253-6649.
HANDYMAN OR cLEANING services: Affordable rates. Fred, 941-356-1456.
PROFESSIONAL WINDOW cLEANING: Residential, commercial, Free estimates. “We want to earn your business!” 207-852-6163.
BUSINESS-tO-BUSINESS JD’s Window cleaning looking for storefront jobs in Holmes Beach. I make dirty windows sparkling clean. 941-920-3840.
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.
cONNIE’S LANDScAPING INc. Residential and commercial. Full-service lawn maintenance, landscaping, cleanups, hauling and more! Insured. 941-778-5294.
BARNES LAWN AND Landscape LLc. Design and installation, lawn and landscape services, tree trimming, mulch, rock and shell. 941-705-1444. Jr98@barneslawnandlandscape.com.
cOLLINS LANDScAPE LIGHtING: Outdoor lighting, landscaping, irrigation services and maintenance. 941-279-9947. MJc24373@ gmail.com.
SEARAY SPRINKLER SERVIcES. Repairs, additions, drip, sprinkler head/timer adjustments. 941-920-0775.
ANGELO’S LAWN cARE: Mow, edge, string trimming, blow. Starting at $20/cut. Licensed/insured. 941-217-9000.
VAN-GO PAINtING residential/commercial, interior/exterior, pressure cleaning, wallpaper. Island references. Bill, 941-795-5100. www.vangopainting.net.
tILE -tILE -tILE. All variations of ceramic tile supplied and installed. Quality workmanship, prompt, reliable, many Island references. call Neil, 941-726-3077.
GRIFFIN’S HOME IMPROVEMENtS Inc. Handyman, fine woodwork, countertops, cabinets and wood flooring. Insured and licensed. 941-722-8792.
BLINDS, SHUttERS, SHADES: Motorization. 30 years on AMI. call Keith Barnett, Barnett Blinds, 941-730-0516.
ISLAND HANDYMAN: I live here, work here, value your referral. Refinish, paint. Just ask. JayPros. Licensed/insured. References. call Jay, 941-962-2874.
HANDYMAN AND PAINtING. No job too small. Most jobs just right. call Richard Kloss. 941-204-1162.
MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUcK? It’s an old saying, but it’s still true when it comes to the Islander. Look for more at islander.org.
HOLLANDS PAINt, DRYWALL and handyman services: Interior/exterior paint, drywall repair, wall/ceiling textures, stucco repair, pressure washing. Over 25 years’ experience. All work guaranteed. References. Licensed/insured. call Dee, 256-337-5395.
ScREENING SERVIcES: Replace your old or ripped window, door or porch screens. Many screen types available. Retired veteran here to serve our community! Free estimates, call Lane, 941-705-5293.
cALL HYDRO cLEAN. Full-service pressure washing, sealing. Pavers, travertine and natural stone. Window washing too, up to three stories. call Jacob, 941-920-2094.
ANNA MARIA GULF beachfront vacation rentals. One- two- and three-bedroom units, all beachfront. www.amiparadise.com. 941778-3143.
WANt tO RENt: One-car garage in west Sarasota-Bradenton area. 845-304-0911.
ANNUAL RENtAL: 3BR/2BA, pool, canal with boat lift. Home on Key Royale. $8,500/ month. 941-713-1586.
HOLMES BEAcH 2BR/2BA newer duplex. Beautifully furnished with garage. $2,800/ month plus utilities. 941-778-2824.
ANNA MARIA 3BR/1BA historic cottage. Half block to Gulf beach and one block to Pine Avenue shopping and restaurants. Available November. $2,700/month. terryaposporos@ gmail.com. 941-778-8456.
WEStBAY cOVE cONDO: Holmes Beach. Second floor, 2BR/2BA, bay views, large lanai. Pools, tennis, one block to Gulf. December, $3,200/month. terryaposporos@ gmail.com. 941-778-8456.
VAcAtION 2023 SEASON: January, February, March, $5,000/month. 2022 pre-season, $2,000/month. 2BR/1BA steps to beach, 55-plus condo, pool. Real Estate Mart, 941356-1456.
Check out the Islander archive, all editions starting in November 1992. UofF Florida digital newspaper collection at ufdc.ufl.edu.
REtAIL SPAcE IN one of the best locations on the island. Approximately 1,500 sf available Nov. 1. 5600 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. this is the center space right under the Egrets sign. call George for information, 847-707-3859.
WINNIE McHALE, REALtOR, 941-5046146. Rosebay International Realty Inc. You need an aggressive and experienced Realtor in today’s market! Selling island homes, Sarasota and Bradenton areas. Multi-milliondollar producer! “Selling Homes - Making Dreams come true.”
tIRED OF 800 numbers? Local face-to-face real estate services at internet commission prices. Buy, sell, property management and rentals. call us. Real Estate Mart, 941-3561456.
Thanks a lot, Ian Don’t you hate it when a hurricane comes between you and new dining options?
Breakfast at Victoria’s owners Eleanora and Luigi Raso hoped to open the ItalianAmerican fusion cafe and bakery in the former Eat Here space, 5315 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, by Oct. 17.
But Hurricane Ian likely has thrown a monkey wrench into their plans by delaying kitchen installation for a few weeks.
However, the storm did not dampen their enthusiasm for opening their second restaurant.
“We want to be on the island. We would love to be open as soon as possible. And our goal is to be open for the season,” Eleanora Rosa said Sept. 28 from a hotel in Gainesville, where the Rosas holed up during the storm.
When the eatery opens, patrons can order fl atbreads, along with meat, cheese and smoked fish boards and more from the same menu as the Rosa’s Sarasota Breakfast at Victoria’s location.
At night, customers can enjoy wine and light bites.
For more information, visit breakfastatvictorias. com or call 941-923-6441.
The Wawa watch soon will be over.
Construction of a Wawa convenience store/gas station appears to be finished at the southeastern corner of
the Manatee Avenue and 75th Street West intersection in Bradenton.
Wawa public relations lead told The Islander in a Sept. 27 email that the organization was waiting until the week beginning Oct. 3 to make a decision on an
Boarding up ahead of Ian Justin Miesner, manager at Pizza Social, 308 Pine Ave., Anna Maria, nails plywood boards Sept. 27 to protect the business’ windows from damage caused by the wind and flying debris from the oncoming Hurricane Ian.
Islander Photo: Ryan Paice
Biz on the beach Karen Mixon of Mixon Farms, left, Peg Miller of the Annie Silver community center, Bradenton Beach Vice Mayor Jan Vosburgh and Bradenton Beach Mayor John chappie smile for a photo Sept. 22 at an Anna Maria Island chamber of commerce business card exchange at Bradenton Beach’s Beach House Waterfront Restaurant. the chamber’s next event will be a 7:30-9 a.m. breakfast thursday, Oct. 6, at compass Hotel, 12324 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. For more, call 941-778-1541. Islander Photo: courtesy AMIcc
opening date.
And as always… …Got biz news?
Contact Kane Kaiman at kane@islander.org or call The Islander newspaper office at 941-778-7978.
Kaiman
Taking it all down Bridge tender Inn & Dockside Bar employee Lindsay carlock works Sept. 26 with others to take down outdoor decorations at Bradenton Beach that could become projectiles. Islander Photo: Robert Anderson
Does your business celebrate achievements? Maybe you’re new in business or your staff deserves kudos. Submit your info to news@ islander.org.
Anna Maria
By Lisa Neff
Median listing home price: $3.4 million, trending up 36% year-over-year.
Median sold home price: $2.6 million.
Listings: 44 properties, $699,000-$8.4 million.
Median listing home price: $822,000, trending down 29% year-over-year.
Median sold home price: $625,000.
Listings: 36 properties, $449,000-$4 million.
Median listing home price: $1.7 million, up 32.9% year-over-year.
Median sold home price: $1.1 million.
Listings: 77 properties, $250,000-$12 million.
Source: Realtor.com
A sign meant to invoke humor at the Drift In, 120 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach takes on new significance Sept. 26 with an approaching storm. Islander Photo: Robert Anderson
AMI Chamber
Thursday, Oct. 6
7:30-9 a.m. — Chamber sunrise breakfast, Compass Hotel, 12324 Manatee Ave. W., Perico Island.
Thursday, Oct. 13
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. — Chamber luncheon, Slicker’s Eatery, 12012 Cortez Road W., Bradenton.
Oct. 15, BayFest, Anna Maria.
Oct. 27, business card exchange, Crowder Brothers Ace Hardware, Bradenton.
Oct. 31, Trail of Treats, chamber office, Holmes Beach. Info, RSVP: 941-778-1541, becky@amichamber.org.
No sales were recorded this week. Compiled by Island Real Estate. IRE sales professionals can be reached at 941-778-6066, islandreal.com.
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3340 E. Bay Drive, HB Office 941 462 4016
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hinking about what is best for your rental property? If so, choose QUALITY over quantity, and get in touch with us!compiled by Kane Kaiman
