Month: July 2023

Become a Florida-friendly angler

Written by Rusty Chinnis on July 24, 2023. Posted in Fishing, Outdoors, Reel Time.

If you’re new to Florida or need a refresher course in the basic practices of ethical angling, the Florida Sea Grant program has just the course for you – the Florida Friendly Angler Program.

With feels-like temperatures in the triple digits every day, this is a good time to prepare for cooler weather in the comfort of your home.

The free course is open to anyone, especially anglers looking to up their game. The course teaches skills and practices that help fish and the environment, a win-win for our fisheries, according to Florida Sea Grant. You will learn about three topics essential for any angler who wants to protect fisheries and the environment:

1. Best Practices for Fish Handling and Release,

2. Environmental Ethics for Anglers and

3. Introduction to Fisheries Management and Giving Back.

The course is self-paced and you can take as long as you need to complete it, but why wait? In just under two hours, you can be a fully certified Florida Friendly Angler. You will receive a certificate and a weatherproof decal if you provide a mailing address. Share this opportunity with friends and on social media using the tag #FloridaFriendlyAngler. After registering, you will be sent a confirmation email with details about how to log on. Check your spam folder if you do not see the email.

Today more than ever, it’s critical that anglers know how to properly handle the fish they catch so that those that don’t come home to dinner with you can grow up and help create the next generation of gamefish. Getting involved in protecting the environment so that future generations of anglers have some of the same opportunities we’ve had is more urgent than ever as the area grows exponentially.

The Florida Friendly Angler Program was created through a partnership with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, UF/IFAS Extension and Florida Sea Grant. For questions about the program, email course administrators Michael Sipos at Sipos624@ufl.edu or Savanna Barry at Savanna.barry@ufl.edu.

Luxury Services wins 46-6

Written by Monica Simpson on July 24, 2023. Posted in Football, Sports.

ANNA MARIA – After six weeks of adult co-ed flag football games at The Center of Anna Maria Island, team Moss Builders is the victim of the undefeated team Luxury Services. The 40-point loss is uncharacteristic of any Moss Builders team that hits the field.

In the easy win, Luxury’s QB Chase Richardson threw for five touchdowns and took the football into the endzone for six points of his own. Defensively, Richardson contributed with two flag pulls.

The Luxury defense prevented the lethal arm of Ryan Moss from being effective, holding him to just one scoring pass to James Roadman for Moss Builders. Roadman’s catch for six points compliments his defensive interception and stop.

The Moss Builders’ loss was not for the lack of effort by the defense. With 14 recorded flag pulls, the Moss D put the pressure on Richardson, sacking him once and nabbing two interceptions. Isaiah Lambert, for Moss Builders, is credited with the Richardson sack and a flag pull in addition to his single catch.

Peggy Smith, playing as the required female on the team, caught five receptions for positive yardage. Defensively Greg Moss and Nick Cavalluzzi each had four flag pulls, helping to keep the Moss Builders team in the game.

With the victory, Luxury Services’ Tim Holly had the hot hands with seven catches, including one for a TD and a two-point conversion. Holly carried the football into the endzone and had a safety to add points to the scoreboard.

Teammates Alonzo Lemus and Derrick Carey each caught five Richardson passes. Lemus scored two touchdowns, while Cary was hit for one.

Jasmine Muldoon scored six points with a catch and contributed on defense with two flag pulls.

The Cortez Deep Sea Fishing team plays Moss Builders Thursday as the last regular game of the season at 9:00 p.m.

SUN SCOREBOARD

JULY 17

YOUTH INDOOR SOCCER

WEEK 5

11- TO 13-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE

Moss Builders (3-2-0) 3

Solid Rock Construction (2-2-1) 2

Coastline West Team Wagner Realty (3-1-1) 4

Island Vacation Properties (1-4-0) 0

JULY 18

YOUTH INDOOR SOCCER

WEEK 5

8- TO 10-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE

Progressive Cabinetry (3-2-0) 8

Intentional Resilient Intuitive (0-4-1) 2

Solid Rock Construction (5-0-0) 5

AMI Dolphin Tours (1-3-1) 1

JULY 20

ADULT CO-ED FLAG FOOTBALL

WEEK 6

Salty Printing (3-3-0) 47

Gulf Drive Café (1-5-0) 27

Cortez Deep Sea Fishing (3-3-0) 46

The Banks Home Lending Team (1-5-0) 24

Luxury Services (6-0-0) 46

Moss Builders (4-2-0) 6

Solid Rock Construction (3-3-0) 31

Sandbar Seafood & Spirits (3-3-0) 13

Florida insurance nightmare grows

Written by Louise Bolger on July 24, 2023. Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

It’s like waking up from a bad dream and realizing it was only a dream and everything is just fine. However, the Florida insurance nightmare isn’t just a bad dream, it’s the new reality, and we keep taking hits.

The latest is Farmers Insurance Company pulling out of Florida, leaving 100,000 policyholders high and dry. They will no longer be writing policies for homeowners, auto and umbrella in the state. They point to storm risk and increased litigation forcing them to reimburse more funds than they feel comfortable doing, meaning they’re not making enough money selling insurance in the state of Florida.

We can’t do anything about the storms and unless Farmers is living in a different dimension, the state has always had the risk of storms. The litigation issue was addressed by the governor and Florida Legislature this past year hoping to reduce the number of lawsuits relative to claims.

As always, homeowners live in fear each renewal that their insurance will be canceled or will go up too much. You always have the option of shopping around before your next renewal in the event you do get canceled, but be careful.

Make sure the company or insurance broker you’re talking to is a real person. There is a National Association of Insurance Commissioners that can help you verify who you’re talking to. My advice, especially for homeowners who live near the water, is to try as hard as possible firstly not to get canceled and if you get an increase, bite the bullet and pay it before shopping for a lower rate.

You can make your home more insurable by changing things that will make the property less risky to insure. Fire alarms and security systems can get you several percentage points off your premium. Hurricane shutters, hurricane-proof windows and fire-resistant siding also will help.

But the elephant in the room in Florida is the age and condition of your roof. Be prepared to get a cancellation or requirement to replace the roof if it is anywhere over 25 years of age, even if there are no leaks and no claims against it. This is also true if you live in a condominium complex where the roofs are the responsibility of the association. Condo owners are getting hit all over the place with special assessments to replace roofs in order to get insurance.

Time to report the June sales statistics in Manatee County released by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee.

Single-family homes closed 17.7% more properties from last June. The median sale price was $525,000, down 4.5% from last year, and the average sale price was $678,994, down 1.7% from last year. The time to contract was 37 days compared to six days last year and the month’s supply of available properties is 2.8 months compared to 1.8 months last year.

Condos closed 12.1% more properties from last June. The median sale price was up 3.8% to $370,000, and the average sale price was up 6.6% to $471,003. The time to contract was 34 days compared to seven days last year and the month’s supply of available properties was 3.4 months compared to 1.5 months last year.

Sales are up in both areas of the residential market, keeping in mind most of these transactions were booked at least 30 days ago before the slower season really kicked in. Nevertheless, the news release from the Realtor Association states, “The residential market in Manatee County continues to thrive with strong buyer activity.”

Insurance nightmares or not, Florida is still a great state to live in. Hopefully, we’ll have a moderate storm season and improved litigation laws that will give insurers a reason to come back to Florida. That would be a happy dream

Letter to the Editor: Add beaches, not garages

Written by SUN contributor on July 24, 2023. Posted in Letter to the Editor, Opinion.

My wife and I have been homeowners in Manatee County for 30 years and permanent residents for about half that time. We now reside full-time on Anna Maria Island, where we built a new home in 2014. It is reasonable in size and it has only one elevated floor, elevated to meet the latest codes. We love this area and settled here by choice after living in three different countries and spending time in 20 others.

I wish to express my feelings about this parking garage which is causing so much frustration and dissatisfaction. Mostly, I would like to present a totally different approach.

Building a multi-floor garage is not the ideal solution. First of all, it will only contain the additional number of cars generated by all the new construction surrounding the Bradenton area for at best a year. What will we do in another year – build a second garage, and then a third, as hundreds of new homes are popping up like mushrooms all around our area?

The land area of Anna Maria is approximately 0.73 square miles or less than 2 square kilometers. During the winter season, there are approximately 6,500 residents on this Island, making it a population density of 8,900 people per square mile. The average population density in the U.S. is 37 people per square kilometer or 96 per square mile. We are therefore already 93 times more populated than the national average.

The problem is that this situation cannot be alleviated by adding more parking capacity. What we need is to create one or more new beaches outside of this small spit of land called Anna Maria Island.

Manatee County, according to Google search and the “Welcome to Manatee County” literature, has nearly 150 miles of “pristine coastline.” However, it seems that practically all the road signs indicating the direction to beaches in Manatee County point only toward Anna Maria Island.

I have heard that the cost of this garage may be as high as $45 million. Even if it should turn out to be half that much, I believe that a lot of vacant land could be acquired in that price range to establish a completely new “beach” area with plenty of parking spaces. This would tremendously reduce the usual gridlock which happens regularly when all the beachgoers guided by all the existing road signs arrive on this already crowded residential island.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Raymond J. Mathieu

Holmes Beach

Turtle nests run over on AMI beaches

Written by Leslie Lake on July 18, 2023. Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – On a daily patrol last week, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers were shocked and saddened to find multiple turtle nests that had been trampled on and run over with vehicles.

On its Facebook page, Turtle Watch posted photos of tire tracks and footprints through multiple nests with marker stakes broken and on the ground.

Vehicles are illegal on the beaches of Anna Maria Island.

“We’d like to remind everyone that tampering with, disturbing or harassing any nest, adult or hatchling sea turtle is a federal offense punishable by a fine and/or jail time,” Turtle Watch Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella said.

Disturbances to nests have the potential to impact their success, she said.

“We don’t know if any of the eggs were broken,” Mazzarella said. “We’ll find that out later in the season.”

Turtle Watch volunteers spent the morning of July 11 reposting nest stakes and documenting disturbances to at least four nests in undisclosed locations in Anna Maria and Holmes Beach.

This is the second time in a week that Turtle Watch volunteers found damaged nests, although Mazzarella said the prior incidents were likely not malicious and due to carelessness.

Mazzarella said multiple issues with nests following the Fourth of July holiday included people knocking over stakes, tearing marker tape, walking across nests, digging in the sand close to nests and putting up tents in nesting areas.

Turtle nests on local beaches are clearly marked with yellow numbered stakes and pink caution tape.

Turtle nesting season runs from May through October.

“I’d like to remind people, if you see something, say something,” Mazzarella said.

Report wildlife violations to the FWC. If your information results in an arrest or citation, you may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. You can report four ways:

• “FWC Wildlife Alert” app (download from Google Play or Apple Store)

• Text 847411 (Tip411) with the keyword “FWC” and information about the violation

• Call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922)

• Submit a tip at MyFWC.com/WildlifeAlert

If you see a nesting turtle or hatchling in distress, call Turtle Watch at 941-301-8434.

County water taxis arrive

Written by Joe Hendricks on July 17, 2023. Posted in Community News, Featured, Manatee County.

ANNA MARIA – Manatee County’s two newly-built water taxis have arrived and negotiations continue between the county and the city of Anna Maria regarding the City Pier being used as a water taxi stop.

On July 13, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione issued a press release regarding the arrival of the two newly-built pontoon catamarans that will serve as the Gulf Island Ferry Service fleet.

“The two 50-foot catamarans, as part of the highly anticipated Gulf Island Ferry Service, have splashed down in Cortez. The water ferry service is set to transport visitors and locals between downtown Bradenton and Anna Maria Island. The service is anticipated to launch later this summer,” according to the press release.

“We anticipate families parking in downtown Bradenton, hopping on the ferry at the downtown port located just off the riverwalk near Green Bridge and enjoying a beautiful boat ride out to the Island. At the same time, visitors staying on the Island can enjoy a leisure boat ride to downtown Bradenton to enjoy our amazing restaurants and attractions located on the mainland,” Falcione said in the press release.

Traveling on the Manatee River and the Intracoastal Waterway, the Clearwater-based Gulf Island Water Taxi company will operate the Gulf Island Ferry Service. The family-owned parent company, Clearwater Ferry, already runs a water taxi service between Clearwater and Dunedin. The Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is part of Manatee County government, is marketing the water taxi service.

Initially operating on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only, from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., the county-funded service will include water taxi stops at the city of Bradenton-owned Riverwalk Day Dock near the Green Bridge in downtown Bradenton, the city-owned floating dock next to the Bradenton Beach Pier and the county-owned Coquina South boat ramp in Bradenton Beach, across the street from Coquina Beach.

The county also proposes using the Anna Maria City Pier as a landing spot but the city of Anna Maria and Manatee County have not yet entered into an interlocal agreement approving the destination.

The county is willing to pay for any improvements needed at the various water taxi docking stops to ensure public safety and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), including safety railings. But the county wants each city to pay for the ongoing maintenance of any county-funded water taxi-related improvements made to their docking facilities.

The Bradenton and Bradenton Beach city commissions have already approved their city-specific, water taxi-related interlocal agreements with the county and those two city commissions agreed to pay for the ongoing maintenance of any water taxi-related improvements made by the county.

When approving the interlocal agreement earlier this year, the Bradenton Beach Commission noted the county’s water taxis are welcome to use the recently expanded floating dock as a landing area on a first-come, first-served basis like other users, but the city is not creating a reserved and designated water taxi landing area on the floating dock.

Negotiations continue

As part of the ongoing interlocal agreement negotiations that began last year, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy and the city commission would like the county to also pay for the ongoing maintenance of any water taxi-related safety improvements made to the City Pier – a provision the county has not agreed to.

During past discussions, Murphy said the City Pier cannot be used as a water taxi stop without a city commission-approved interlocal agreement with the county.

In March, the city sent the county a revised agreement that proposed the county pay for the ongoing maintenance. In June, the city received back from the county a version of the interlocal agreement that contained the following language: “Prior to the commencement of water taxi services to the dock, the county shall ensure that the dock is ADA accessible for water taxi service to the public, including constructing any ADA improvements that may be required. The cost of ADA improvements, permits or required ADA-related improvement studies required for dockage of the water taxi vessel or for related upland property are the responsibility of Manatee County and its contractor. Following installation of ADA improvements and acceptance by the city, subsequent maintenance of the cost thereof for the Pier shall remain the responsibility of the city.”

The proposed agreement discussed in June also says, “The county agrees to provide a detailed plan in advance to the Anna Maria City Commission for approval showing the proposed landing area on the pier and any modifications or improvements required for the dockage and the pier. The city has the right to cancel this agreement if it finds that such modifications or improvements are unsatisfactory to the city.”
At that time, the county had not yet provided city officials with the plan referenced in the proposed agreement.
On July 13, Murphy provided the city commission with a status update on the still unresolved agreement negotiations.

Murphy said City Attorney Becky Vose met with county officials after the city commission’s June discussion and earlier in the week he received the county’s latest proposed agreement.

“I’ve gone through that proposal. There’s still some gaps. Late last night, I received a proposed picture of the landing spot, where they would like this to land. I have not received the ADA improvements that are required nor a cost of those ADA improvements, which we would need,” Murphy said.

Vose said she engaged in lengthy discussions with Falcione and one of the assistant county attorneys.

“They, unfortunately, did not implement my requested changes,” she said.

“In the big picture, we certainly do not want to let small details interfere with this, but I’m putting together a short list of some things that need to be changed in the agreement, particularly having to do with liability issues,” Vose said.

She said the negotiations are more challenging for the city because the Bradenton Beach and Bradenton city commissioners already signed the agreements as proposed by the county.

“They just took what was presented, signed it and sent it back,” Vose said.

Murphy said, “There’s attachments missing and I’m not going to put the city in the position of recommending to you signing a contract with attachments that are blank, or not attached or not filled out. Secondly, I’m not real satisfied with the terms and conditions. I’ll come back with a recommendation one way or the other.

“I’m hoping that we can successfully do this, but if we can’t, we can’t. There’s some things you just need to walk away from and hope that things get better later. The legal issues are going to be escalated to the county attorney himself (Bill Clague) rather than to an assistant attorney. There are legal aspects of this contract that to me seem serious and not something that is in the best interest of the city. Those all have to be ironed out, but I think we need to get this off the table one way or the other in two weeks.”

Commissioner Robert Kingan said, “You would certainly think that the county would have engaged us much earlier in the process and got this sorted out at the beginning.”

“It’s a serious matter. I don’t want to be an obstacle. I don’t want bad will, but our interests have to be looked out for,” Murphy said.

Since the water taxi agreement discussions began in 2022, the mayor and commission have also continually expressed a desire for discounted water taxi fares for the service industry employees and others who work on Anna Maria Island and commute from the mainland. During Thursday’s meeting, Anna Maria Commission Chair Mark Short noted the county’s proposed agreement makes no reference to discounted fares for Island employees.

Murphy said he’ll present a “last, best and final proposal” during the commission’s Thursday, Aug. 3 meeting. At that point, the commission will approve or reject the proposed agreement.

After Thursday’s meeting, Murphy said he also received from the county a diagram that illustrates how the county proposes using the existing landing area near the T-end of the pier as a water taxi landing. That diagram was not shared during Thursday’s meeting and as of press time had not yet been provided to the media due to the city’s pending review of the plans that may require some additional pier improvements.

The water taxi service is also scheduled for discussion at the Tuesday, Aug. 1 Manatee County Council of Governments meeting taking place at the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto at 4 p.m.

Group disputes county claim that drinking water remains safe

Written by SUN contributor on July 17, 2023. Posted in Community News, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – A blue-green algae outbreak reported last week at Lake Manatee, the county’s primary drinking water reservoir, has prompted a local water quality watchdog group to question Manatee County’s claim that the water is safe, despite discoloration and an unusual odor.

In a July 19 press release, Suncoast Waterkeeper members noted that the blue-green algae, known as Anabaena or Microcystin-LR, is a cyanotoxin that may be safe from a regulatory standpoint, but not necessarily from a health standpoint.

County says blue-green algae in water ‘safe’ — Water straight from a faucet in Manatee County shows water that county officials say is “safe” for consumption. Large particles of unknown material came out of the faucet along with the water. – Kristin Swain | Sun

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, elevated levels of cyanotoxins, including Anabaena, can cause health issues in humans ranging from a rash to liver and kidney damage if ingested. The most common health effects in humans include abdominal pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, nausea, dry cough, diarrhea, blistering around the mouth and pneumonia. Continually ingesting drinking water contaminated with elevated levels of the bacteria can lead to liver and kidney damage. Anyone experiencing any of the symptoms after coming into contact with the toxin should seek medical treatment immediately and rinse off with clean water.

The EPA also warns that pets, livestock and other animals also can be adversely affected by coming into contact with contaminated water. Symptoms of cyanotoxin poisoning in animals include excessive salivating, fatigue, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea and seizures. In some severe cases, exposure can also lead to death.

In the water where the blue-green algae bloom occurs, plant and animal life may also die both during and after the bloom, resulting in fish kills in the county’s primary water supply.

County leaders say they’re treating the water with activated carbon and that anyone who is concerned about the smell or taste of the water should use a carbon filter at home.

To learn more about Anabaena and how it can affect your health, visit www.epa.gov/cyanohabs.

FWC cites three for alleged poaching

Written by Leslie Lake on July 17, 2023. Posted in Environment, Outdoors.

LONGBOAT KEY – The vigilance of three local charter captains has resulted in multiple citations against three men for the alleged poaching of marine life in local waters.

Capt. Joey Sweet, of Sweet Sunset Dolphin Tours, Capt. Katie Scarlett Tupin, of Capt. Katie Scarlett Boat Tours, and Capt. Kathe Fannon, of Capt. Kathe and First-Mate Pup-Pup Charters, had long noticed a depletion of marine life at local sandbars and suspected that poachers were to blame. They reported their suspicions to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), resulting in several citations.

According to FWC incident reports, Linh Ha, 51, of 3401 24th St. W., Bradenton, Loc Nguyen, 55, of 3230 44th Drive E., Bradenton, and Hai Nguyen, 51, of Rockford, Ill., were charged by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers on July 1 at Jewfish Key.

“The three individuals were identified to FWC officers by a vessel passing by stating they were keeping over the bag limit of shellfish,” according to the FWC report. “Upon performing a resource inspection, we found all three suspects to be over the allowable bag limit for marine life species (20 max per person/day) as well as over the bag limit for each species (2 per species/per person per day.) The subjects were in possession of 25 tulip snail, 24 crown conch, 9 fighting conch, 2 lightning whelk and 2 horse conch.”

Each man was charged with violation of the Florida Administrative Code Pertaining to Southwest Florida Shells-Harvest of Live Shellfish in Manatee County; Permitted Harvest of Shells which states: “A person may not harvest in Manatee County more than two live shellfish of any single species per day or possess in or on the Florida waters within Manatee County that are seaward of the mean high water line more than two live shellfish of any single species.”

They were also charged with Violation of Florida Administrative Code Pertaining to Marine Life-Recreational Bag Limit which states: “A person may not harvest in Manatee County more than two live shellfish of any single species per day.”

The FWC report states that at approximately 5:30 p.m. on July 1, officers were patrolling the area of Jewfish Key and received a report of three men taking excessive marine life from the north end of the sandbar.

“We observed three subjects matching the complainant’s description near a red and white personal watercraft (PWC) wading along the Jewfish Key sandbar,” according to the report. “The subjects had several hand-nets full of various species of marine life and additional marine life in the footwell of the PWC.”

Hai Nguyen was also found to have no saltwater fishing license and was issued a warning.

Since the other two men were licensed, four of the tulip snails, crown conch and fighting conch were returned to Loc Nguyen and Ha. Two lightning whelk and one horse conch were returned to Loc Nguyen, as they fell within bag limits. The remainder of the organisms were returned to state waters alive, according to the FWC.

The three men are required to appear in Manatee County Court on Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 9 a.m.

According to an FWC press release, officers have received multiple reports since summer began of individuals harvesting marine organisms near Longboat Pass in the Jewfish Key area of Manatee County.

“Over the course of the Independence Day weekend, FWC officers increased patrols in the area and performed resource inspections on multiple vessels,” the press release states. “The violations included the harvest of more than two live shellfish species per day, harvest of more than 20 individual tropical marine life species per day, the possession of undersized stone crab, the possession of egg-bearing stone crab, the possession of whole-condition stone crab, the possession of stone crab during closed season, and fishing without a valid saltwater fishing license.”

“I feel like we are just scratching the surface,” Sweet said. “We’re still seeing a lot of the same activity. Hopefully, people will take notice. I was told by the FWC that if anyone sees something, they should take down the numbers on the boats and report it.”

Call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (888-404-3922).

City hopes to incentivize permanent residents

Written by Joe Hendricks on July 17, 2023. Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – City officials are exploring the possibility of using grants and other incentives to attract and retain full-time residents.

City Commissioner Charlie Salem first proposed the idea during the commission’s June 22 budget meeting and he suggested budgeting $75,000 for a feasibility study to help determine what can be done.

Salem proposed possible tax breaks and possible building code allowances for property owners who formally and voluntarily agree to not use their home as a short-term vacation rental. He also proposed marketing Anna Maria as a place for full-time residents to live.

City Attorney Becky Vose said she’d research what can and can’t be legally done before the commission seeks a feasibility study.

On July 13, Vose provided the commission with an update on her initial and ongoing research. She said property tax reductions and rebates are not allowed in Florida.

“The state has preempted the issues having to do with ad valorem taxation, exemptions and assessments. That’s a non-starter, but that does not get rid of the possibility of giving grants to full-time residents or property owners who lease to tenants who are full-time residents,” Vose said.

Vose is still investigating the parameters of a grant program that would include participating property owners voluntarily entering into restrictive covenants that would prohibit their property from being used as a short-term vacation rental for a specific number of years.

Vose said development and building code incentives might also be possible for the construction or redevelopment of dwellings used for full-time residency.

“It’s still being looked into and I’ll come back with a comprehensive report as soon as it’s ready,” Vose said.

Vose said the city can advertise and market Anna Maria as a destination for permanent residents.

According to Mayor Dan Murphy, approximately 70% of the dwellings in Anna Maria are used as short-term vacation rentals.

Salem thanked Vose for her research and analysis and said, “I’m encouraged by the progress that we’re making, even with some changes as to how we might deliver the relief to permanent residents here. It might not be possible to do it through ad valorem (taxes) but there are other avenues we can pursue. The marketing piece is something we can do however we choose to pursue it. That’s something I think we could fast-track if the commission and mayor are interested.”

Regarding a feasibility study, Salem said, “It’s important to do a study because we are in uncharted territory. If we stay focused on the ultimate goal, which is to increase the number of permanent residents we have here and by extension make our community stronger, I think we’ll have something to be proud of.”

Commissioner Robert Kingan asked Vose if she’s aware of any other Florida city using grants to attract full-time residents. Vose said she’s not aware of any other city doing that, but she is aware of cities that use grants to incentivize desired commercial activity. Vose noted that grants, in general, are given to people in the private sector to accomplish the goals of a municipality.

Kingan asked Vose if the state might perceive a grant program as an attempt to circumvent the state’s ad valorem tax restrictions.

“I would not tie the grant to the tax assessments. I think that would be a mistake. There are numerous sources of funds the city receives that are not otherwise obligated,” Vose said.

“I think this is an exciting path to explore. I think it’s a great idea. There are places we can get money to fund a program such as this,” Murphy said.

Vose is still researching whether ad valorem property tax revenues could be used to help fund a grant program.

“It can’t come as a rebate on your property taxes,” Salem clarified.

Vose said that was correct and the incentives would not be related to how much a property owner pays in property taxes.

Salem said he’s aware of ski towns in Colorado that are having trouble finding employees because of the high rent in those areas. He believes grants are being used there to help attract employees and he intends to research that.

Vose said she looked at several grant programs in other states but there aren’t a lot of residential grant programs in Florida.

“It’s a very exciting concept and I’m hoping we’ll be able to be on the cutting edge of this in Florida,” she said.

Related coverage

Incentives proposed for permanent Anna Maria residents

Mortgage rates on the move

Written by Louise Bolger on July 17, 2023. Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

Residential mortgage rates barely budged in June, leveling off at the 6.5% mark the last week of May. Just when buyers were starting to exhale, thinking this may be as high as we go, the national 30-year average fixed-rate mortgage blew past that mark the first week of July. Talk about fireworks. According to Freddie Mac, rates finished the week ending July 6 at an average of 6.81%. One outlier from the Mortgage News Daily reported a 30-year fixed mortgage hit 7.22%.

If you’re thinking well, that’s not too bad, consider the poor buyer who is looking at a $400,000 mortgage and now faces an increase in monthly carrying charges over $100. This could be the breaking point for some buyers as far as qualifying.

And we’re not done yet. Housing market watchers expect mortgage rates to remain elevated amid ongoing economic uncertainty and the Federal Reserve’s rate hike war on inflation. The expectation is two more rate increases before the end of 2023. If they proceed with quarter-point increases, you do the math.

The Federal Reserve has clearly stated there is a long way to go to bring inflation back to its 2% goal. Since July 26 is their next meeting, we won’t have long to wait for an answer. Housing experts like Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors, feel the Fed has been hawkish as it regards rate increases. Yun says, “The rate hikes from earlier months have yet to exert their force at a time when inflation has already decelerated to 4% and there is no need to consider raising interest rates.” We’ll see if anyone in Washington listens to him.

Further, if you think housing inventory is down now, wait till these higher rates kick in. Sellers with mortgage rates below 3% or 4% are not motivated to sell no matter how much they want that extra bedroom or water view. Homeowners feel locked in and are remaining on the sidelines willing to wait it out. They may have a long wait.

No matter how high the rates go, however, keep in mind the real estate market has survived rates higher than we will probably be looking at by the end of the year and people were still buying houses. Eventually, buyers and sellers will have to blink and start the market rolling again.

Before I end this column, I would like to acknowledge the passing of Pat Copeland, an Island treasure and the editor of this column for The Sun for many years. She edited with a light touch, never passing judgment, simply suggesting a more concise sentence structure or precise word, and she was always right.

I was away when she passed, but was thankfully home in time to attend her memorial at Roser Church on Pine Avenue. Her family did her proud, from her young grandchildren to her well-poised and talented daughters and sons-in-law and, of course, her husband of 50 years, Doug Copeland, an Island treasure in his own right. It was an uplifting event with big smiles from all who attended, ending with a New Orleans-style second-line processional to celebrate a life well lived by a special lady.

You may not be able to influence how mortgage rates are moving, but you can keep your life moving in the right direction. In the words of Pat Copeland, “Life is a party.” Who cares what the Federal Reserve says?

Solid Rock Construction leads youth indoor soccer leagues

Written by Monica Simpson on July 17, 2023. Posted in Football, Soccer, Sports.

ANNA MARIA – Escaping the extreme heat of the week, family and friends packed The Center’s gymnasium last week for youth indoor soccer action. After taking a week off for Independence Day, both youth leagues took to the indoor pitch for three action-packed games.

Both of the Solid Rock Construction teams currently lead their leagues, with the youngest squad remaining undefeated after beating the Progressive Cabinetry team 6-4 last Tuesday night.

Matthew Darak was the high scorer for the Solid Rock team with a hat trick. Teammates Turner Worth and Elijah Roadman each contributed to the scoring with three additional goals. Worth is credited with an assist.

Darak, with an assist of his own, also played in the defensive goalkeeper position, making four saves in the game. Sharing the keeper responsibilities, Isaac Roadman had five critical stops, helping his team earn another W.

With a hat trick, Progressive Cabinetry’s Kason Price helped to keep his team in the game. A solid goal and assist by Rafa Price, along with 14 total saves by Vincent Gollamudi and Price challenged the Solid Rock team every second of the game.

Last Tuesday, team Intentional Resilient Intuitive played hard against the AMI Dolphin Tours team despite the end score of 8-0.

Intentional goalkeepers Camden Rudacille and Paul ten Haaf, with nine and 14 saves, respectively, stayed focused and determined despite the arsenal of shots taken by the AMI Dolphin Tours offense.

With three goals, Gunnar Maize also played goalie and had three saves in the game. AMI Dolphins Tours teammates Louis Bacon, Kazimir Funtal and Charlee Maize each added a goal to G. Maize’s hat trick.

Bacon and Funtal provided assistance on two of their team’s goals, along with two goals by Parker Svoboda.

AMI Dolphin Tours’ primary goalie, Miles Moss, had five big stops in the team’s first win of the season.

The older league played the night before with a single game due to a forfeit by team Coastline West Team – Wagner Realty. The forfeit put the Solid Rock Construction team in the 11- to 13-year-old league at the top of the ranking.

Team Moss Builders faced the Island Vacation Properties team, winning by three goals after two halves of indoor soccer action.

Despite the 18 total saves by Alonso Valle and Chandler McRae, the goals by Tucker McRae and Valle just were not enough to defeat the Moss Builders team.

Moss Builders’ Callin Westfall lead his team to victory with three goals and an assist. Big plays and the hot feet of Mason Moss and Jackson Wyatt added two points to the scoreboard for their team. Walker Wyatt made a huge assist leading to a scoring strike.

Goalie Magness Rollins protected his team’s net with 10 saves, contributing to Moss Builders’ second win of the season last Monday night.

The Center’s adult flag football league played four games in week five last Thursday night.

Team Luxury Services remains undefeated after beating fourth-ranked Cortez Deep Sea Fishing 47-20.

Moss Builders is a close second with only one loss. Their 45-6 win against The Banks Home Lending Team proves their continued dominance in the league.

Currently ranked third, Sandbar Seafood & Spirits easily beat the Salty Printing squad 45-32. The Salty team is in the fifth slot going into week six play.

Solid Rock’s adult flag football team, ranked sixth, defeated the Gulf Drive Café team 47-24, leaving the Gulf Drive squad in sixth.

Still in playoff contention, The Banks Home Lending Team sits in the eighth-place slot after their loss to Moss Builders. Despite losing 45-6, The Banks team lives to play another week under the gridiron lights at The Center.

SUN SCOREBOARD

JULY 10

YOUTH INDOOR SOCCER

WEEK 4

11- TO 13-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE

Solid Rock Construction (2-1-1) Winner by Forfeit

Coastline West Team Wagner Realty (2-1-1) L

Moss Builders (2-2-0) 5

Island Vacation Properties (1-3-0) 2

JULY 11

YOUTH INDOOR SOCCER

WEEK 4

EIGHT- TO 10-YEAR-OLD LEAGUE

Solid Rock Construction (4-0-0) 6

Progressive Cabinetry (2-2-0) 4

AMI Dolphin Tours (1-2-1) 8

Intentional Resilient Intuitive (0-3-1) 0

JULY 13

ADULT CO-ED FLAG FOOTBALL – WEEK 5

Sandbar Seafood & Spirits (3-2-0) 45

Salty Printing (2-3-0) 32

Solid Rock Construction (2-3-0) 47

Gulf Drive Café (1-4-0) 24

Luxury Services (5-0-0) 47

Cortez Deep Sea Fishing (2-3-0) 20

Moss Builders (4-1-0) 45

The Banks Home Lending Team (1-4-0) 6

Mayor seeks millage rate reduction

Written by SUN contributor on July 17, 2023. Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Mayor Judy Titsworth has tasked department heads to “sharpen their pencils” to reduce budget requests in order to try to lower the millage rate, giving a break to taxpayers.

During a July 11 budget work session, department heads presented their proposed budgets to commissioners. City Treasurer Cindy Dunham-Tozer created the proposed city budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year at a 2.0677 millage rate. The millage rate is the amount taxed per $1,000 in assessed property value. At 2.0677 mills, ad valorem taxes in the city are estimated to bring in $6,165,117, an increase of $716,549 over last year’s $5,448,568. Dunham-Tozer said that property values in the city increased about 13% from the previous year.

During the budget discussion, they agreed to set the maximum rate at 2.25 mills, though the final millage rate adopted in the fall during two public hearings on the budget is not expected to be that high.

The maximum millage rate is the rate that commissioners cannot exceed when setting the final millage rate for the tax year, though they can go lower. And while the city treasurer used a 2.0677 reduced rate to create the budget, Titsworth said she’d like to go even lower if possible.

Commissioners planned to meet to set the maximum millage rate on July 18, after press time for The Sun.

Suncoast Waterkeeper christens new patrol boat

Written by Rusty Chinnis on July 17, 2023. Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

Island residents have two opportunities to join in on the christening of Suncoast Waterkeeper’s new patrol boat and the launch of Eyes on the Suncoast, an improved citizen pollution and habitat monitoring program.

The 23-foot deck boat was purchased from Anna Maria Island Dolphin Tours. Suncoast Waterkeeper (SCWK) is grateful to the owner, Island entrepreneur Ben Webb, who has been a huge supporter of the group. According to Waterkeeper’s Executive Director Abbey Tyrna, “Webb gave us a great price on the boat, allowed us time to obtain a grant before final payment and donated a $7,000 trailer. It’s because of stakeholders like Webb that we can make a real difference protecting the water quality and habitat of Sarasota Bay.”

“It’s a win/win for both of us,” Webb said. “If we don’t all pitch in to protect the natural areas that fuel our passion and that are the basis of our economy, everybody loses. It’s only common sense.”

The first event will be held on World Mangrove Day, Wednesday, July 26 at Floridays Woodfire Grill and Bar, 12332 Manatee Ave. W., from 4:30-6:30 p.m. During the event, attendees will be educated about the new program and learn about the importance and function of mangroves. Besides the christening, there will also be live music and a raffle. Light appetizers will be served and each attendee will receive a free drink. Once again, Waterkeeper would like to give a shout-out to Floridays and partner James Brearley, staunch supporters of SCWK’s work.

The second event is planned for Saturday, July 29 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron on City Island. This is a family-friendly event that will have a host of exciting, water-centered activities including making sun prints, dip netting, stand-up paddleboard lessons, casting lessons, training, live music and a raffle. Food will be available from food trucks including Big Blue Grilled Cheese Company and Chill Mobile. Partners for this event include the Sailing Squadron, Florida Sea Grant, Around the Bend Nature Tours, Big Blue and Chill Mobile.

Come and learn about the efforts of SCWK and local partners to protect the water quality and habitat on the Suncoast and learn how you can be part of the solution. While you’re there, you’ll participate in the christening, meet some of the area’s most committed citizens and share some of the unique activities our waters provide.

Privacy Policy

Written by Sun staff on July 13, 2023. Posted in Uncategorized.

Last updated July 13, 2023

This privacy notice for Longboard Communications (doing business as Anna Maria Island Sun) (“we,” “us,” or “our“), describes how and why we might collect, store, use, and/or share (“process“) your information when you use our services (“Services“), such as when you:

Visit our website at https://www.amisun.com, or any website of ours that links to this privacy notice

Engage with us in other related ways, including any sales, marketing, or events

Questions or concerns? Reading this privacy notice will help you understand your privacy rights and choices. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services. If you still have any questions or concerns, please contact us at news@amisun.com.

SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS

This summary provides key points from our privacy notice, but you can find out more details about any of these topics by clicking the link following each key point or by using our table of contents below to find the section you are looking for.

What personal information do we process? When you visit, use, or navigate our Services, we may process personal information depending on how you interact with us and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use. Learn more about personal information you disclose to us.

Do we process any sensitive personal information? We do not process sensitive personal information.

Do we receive any information from third parties? We may receive information from public databases, marketing partners, social media platforms, and other outside sources. Learn more about information collected from other sources.

How do we process your information? We process your information to provide, improve, and administer our Services, communicate with you, for security and fraud prevention, and to comply with law. We may also process your information for other purposes with your consent. We process your information only when we have a valid legal reason to do so. Learn more about how we process your information.

In what situations and with which parties do we share personal information? We may share information in specific situations and with specific third parties. Learn more about when and with whom we share your personal information.

How do we keep your information safe? We have organizational and technical processes and procedures in place to protect your personal information. However, no electronic transmission over the internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorized third parties will not be able to defeat our security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Learn more about how we keep your information safe.

What are your rights? Depending on where you are located geographically, the applicable privacy law may mean you have certain rights regarding your personal information. Learn more about your privacy rights.

How do you exercise your rights? The easiest way to exercise your rights is by submitting a data subject access request, or by contacting us. We will consider and act upon any request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Want to learn more about what we do with any information we collect? Review the privacy notice in full.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

2. HOW DO WE PROCESS YOUR INFORMATION?

3. WHAT LEGAL BASES DO WE RELY ON TO PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

4. WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

5. WHAT IS OUR STANCE ON THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES?

6. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?

7. HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?

8. DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?

9. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?

10. CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES

11. DO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?

12. DO VIRGINIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?

13. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE?

14. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?

15. HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU?

1. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

Personal information you disclose to us

In Short: We collect personal information that you provide to us.

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you express an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and Services, when you participate in activities on the Services, or otherwise when you contact us.

Sensitive Information. We do not process sensitive information.

All personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete, and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information.

Information collected from other sources

In Short: We may collect limited data from public databases, marketing partners, and other outside sources.

In order to enhance our ability to provide relevant marketing, offers, and services to you and update our records, we may obtain information about you from other sources, such as public databases, joint marketing partners, affiliate programs, data providers, and from other third parties. This information includes mailing addresses, job titles, email addresses, phone numbers, intent data (or user behavior data), Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, social media profiles, social media URLs, and custom profiles, for purposes of targeted advertising and event promotion.

2. HOW DO WE PROCESS YOUR INFORMATION?

In Short: We process your information to provide, improve, and administer our Services, communicate with you, for security and fraud prevention, and to comply with law. We may also process your information for other purposes with your consent.

We process your personal information for a variety of reasons, depending on how you interact with our Services, including:

To save or protect an individual’s vital interest. We may process your information when necessary to save or protect an individual’s vital interest, such as to prevent harm.

3. WHAT LEGAL BASES DO WE RELY ON TO PROCESS YOUR INFORMATION?

In Short: We only process your personal information when we believe it is necessary and we have a valid legal reason (i.e., legal basis) to do so under applicable law, like with your consent, to comply with laws, to provide you with services to enter into or fulfill our contractual obligations, to protect your rights, or to fulfill our legitimate business interests.

If you are located in the EU or UK, this section applies to you.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR require us to explain the valid legal bases we rely on in order to process your personal information. As such, we may rely on the following legal bases to process your personal information:

Consent. We may process your information if you have given us permission (i.e., consent) to use your personal information for a specific purpose. You can withdraw your consent at any time. Learn more about withdrawing your consent.

Legal Obligations. We may process your information where we believe it is necessary for compliance with our legal obligations, such as to cooperate with a law enforcement body or regulatory agency, exercise or defend our legal rights, or disclose your information as evidence in litigation in which we are involved.

Vital Interests. We may process your information where we believe it is necessary to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of a third party, such as situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person.

If you are located in Canada, this section applies to you.

We may process your information if you have given us specific permission (i.e., express consent) to use your personal information for a specific purpose, or in situations where your permission can be inferred (i.e., implied consent). You can withdraw your consent at any time.

In some exceptional cases, we may be legally permitted under applicable law to process your information without your consent, including, for example:

If collection is clearly in the interests of an individual and consent cannot be obtained in a timely way

For investigations and fraud detection and prevention

For business transactions provided certain conditions are met

If it is contained in a witness statement and the collection is necessary to assess, process, or settle an insurance claim

For identifying injured, ill, or deceased persons and communicating with next of kin

If we have reasonable grounds to believe an individual has been, is, or may be victim of financial abuse

If it is reasonable to expect collection and use with consent would compromise the availability or the accuracy of the information and the collection is reasonable for purposes related to investigating a breach of an agreement or a contravention of the laws of Canada or a province

If disclosure is required to comply with a subpoena, warrant, court order, or rules of the court relating to the production of records

If it was produced by an individual in the course of their employment, business, or profession and the collection is consistent with the purposes for which the information was produced

If the collection is solely for journalistic, artistic, or literary purposes

If the information is publicly available and is specified by the regulations

4. WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

In Short: We may share information in specific situations described in this section and/or with the following third parties.

We may need to share your personal information in the following situations:

Business Transfers. We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.

5. WHAT IS OUR STANCE ON THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES?

In Short: We are not responsible for the safety of any information that you share with third parties that we may link to or who advertise on our Services, but are not affiliated with, our Services.

The Services may link to third-party websites, online services, or mobile applications and/or contain advertisements from third parties that are not affiliated with us and which may link to other websites, services, or applications. Accordingly, we do not make any guarantee regarding any such third parties, and we will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by the use of such third-party websites, services, or applications. The inclusion of a link towards a third-party website, service, or application does not imply an endorsement by us. We cannot guarantee the safety and privacy of data you provide to any third parties. Any data collected by third parties is not covered by this privacy notice. We are not responsible for the content or privacy and security practices and policies of any third parties, including other websites, services, or applications that may be linked to or from the Services. You should review the policies of such third parties and contact them directly to respond to your questions.

6. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?

In Short: We keep your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy notice unless otherwise required by law.

We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy notice, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting, or other legal requirements).

When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize such information, or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible.

7. HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?

In Short: We aim to protect your personal information through a system of organizational and technical security measures.

We have implemented appropriate and reasonable technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. However, despite our safeguards and efforts to secure your information, no electronic transmission over the Internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorized third parties will not be able to defeat our security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of personal information to and from our Services is at your own risk. You should only access the Services within a secure environment.

8. DO WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM MINORS?

In Short: We do not knowingly collect data from or market to children under 18 years of age.

We do not knowingly solicit data from or market to children under 18 years of age. By using the Services, you represent that you are at least 18 or that you are the parent or guardian of such a minor and consent to such minor dependent’s use of the Services. If we learn that personal information from users less than 18 years of age has been collected, we will deactivate the account and take reasonable measures to promptly delete such data from our records. If you become aware of any data we may have collected from children under age 18, please contact us at news@amisun.com.

9. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?

In Short: In some regions, such as the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom (UK), and Canada, you have rights that allow you greater access to and control over your personal information. You may review, change, or terminate your account at any time.

In some regions (like the EEA, UK, and Canada), you have certain rights under applicable data protection laws. These may include the right (i) to request access and obtain a copy of your personal information, (ii) to request rectification or erasure; (iii) to restrict the processing of your personal information; and (iv) if applicable, to data portability. In certain circumstances, you may also have the right to object to the processing of your personal information. You can make such a request by contacting us by using the contact details provided in the section “HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?” below.

We will consider and act upon any request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

If you are located in the EEA or UK and you believe we are unlawfully processing your personal information, you also have the right to complain to your Member State data protection authority or UK data protection authority.

If you are located in Switzerland, you may contact the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner.

Withdrawing your consent: If we are relying on your consent to process your personal information, which may be express and/or implied consent depending on the applicable law, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us by using the contact details provided in the section “HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?” below.

However, please note that this will not affect the lawfulness of the processing before its withdrawal nor, when applicable law allows, will it affect the processing of your personal information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.

If you have questions or comments about your privacy rights, you may email us at news@amisun.com.

10. CONTROLS FOR DO-NOT-TRACK FEATURES

Most web browsers and some mobile operating systems and mobile applications include a Do-Not-Track (“DNT”) feature or setting you can activate to signal your privacy preference not to have data about your online browsing activities monitored and collected. At this stage no uniform technology standard for recognizing and implementing DNT signals has been finalized. As such, we do not currently respond to DNT browser signals or any other mechanism that automatically communicates your choice not to be tracked online. If a standard for online tracking is adopted that we must follow in the future, we will inform you about that practice in a revised version of this privacy notice.

11. DO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?

In Short: Yes, if you are a resident of California, you are granted specific rights regarding access to your personal information.

California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the “Shine The Light” law, permits our users who are California residents to request and obtain from us, once a year and free of charge, information about categories of personal information (if any) we disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes and the names and addresses of all third parties with which we shared personal information in the immediately preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to us using the contact information provided below.

If you are under 18 years of age, reside in California, and have a registered account with Services, you have the right to request removal of unwanted data that you publicly post on the Services. To request removal of such data, please contact us using the contact information provided below and include the email address associated with your account and a statement that you reside in California. We will make sure the data is not publicly displayed on the Services, but please be aware that the data may not be completely or comprehensively removed from all our systems (e.g., backups, etc.).

CCPA Privacy Notice

The California Code of Regulations defines a “resident” as:

(1) every individual who is in the State of California for other than a temporary or transitory purpose and

(2) every individual who is domiciled in the State of California who is outside the State of California for a temporary or transitory purpose

All other individuals are defined as “non-residents.”

If this definition of “resident” applies to you, we must adhere to certain rights and obligations regarding your personal information.

What categories of personal information do we collect?

We have collected the following categories of personal information in the past twelve (12) months:

Category	Examples	Collected
A. Identifiers	Contact details, such as real name, alias, postal address, telephone or mobile contact number, unique personal identifier, online identifier, Internet Protocol address, email address, and account name	NO
B. Personal information categories listed in the California Customer Records statute	Name, contact information, education, employment, employment history, and financial information	NO
C. Protected classification characteristics under California or federal law	Gender and date of birth	NO
D. Commercial information	Transaction information, purchase history, financial details, and payment information	NO
E. Biometric information	Fingerprints and voiceprints	NO
F. Internet or other similar network activity	Browsing history, search history, online behavior, interest data, and interactions with our and other websites, applications, systems, and advertisements	NO
G. Geolocation data	Device location	YES
H. Audio, electronic, visual, thermal, olfactory, or similar information	Images and audio, video or call recordings created in connection with our business activities	NO
I. Professional or employment-related information	Business contact details in order to provide you our Services at a business level or job title, work history, and professional qualifications if you apply for a job with us	NO
J. Education Information	Student records and directory information	NO
K. Inferences drawn from other personal information	Inferences drawn from any of the collected personal information listed above to create a profile or summary about, for example, an individual’s preferences and characteristics	NO
L. Sensitive Personal Information		NO

We will use and retain the collected personal information as needed to provide the Services or for:

Category G – 1 year

We may also collect other personal information outside of these categories through instances where you interact with us in person, online, or by phone or mail in the context of:

Receiving help through our customer support channels;

Participation in customer surveys or contests; and

Facilitation in the delivery of our Services and to respond to your inquiries.

How do we use and share your personal information?

More information about our data collection and sharing practices can be found in this privacy notice.

You may contact us by email at news@amisun.com, or by referring to the contact details at the bottom of this document.

If you are using an authorized agent to exercise your right to opt out we may deny a request if the authorized agent does not submit proof that they have been validly authorized to act on your behalf.

Will your information be shared with anyone else?

We may disclose your personal information with our service providers pursuant to a written contract between us and each service provider. Each service provider is a for-profit entity that processes the information on our behalf, following the same strict privacy protection obligations mandated by the CCPA.

We may use your personal information for our own business purposes, such as for undertaking internal research for technological development and demonstration. This is not considered to be “selling” of your personal information.

We have not disclosed, sold, or shared any personal information to third parties for a business or commercial purpose in the preceding twelve (12) months. We will not sell or share personal information in the future belonging to website visitors, users, and other consumers.

Your rights with respect to your personal data

Right to request deletion of the data — Request to delete

You can ask for the deletion of your personal information. If you ask us to delete your personal information, we will respect your request and delete your personal information, subject to certain exceptions provided by law, such as (but not limited to) the exercise by another consumer of his or her right to free speech, our compliance requirements resulting from a legal obligation, or any processing that may be required to protect against illegal activities.

Right to be informed — Request to know

Depending on the circumstances, you have a right to know:

whether we collect and use your personal information;

the categories of personal information that we collect;

the purposes for which the collected personal information is used;

whether we sell or share personal information to third parties;

the categories of personal information that we sold, shared, or disclosed for a business purpose;

the categories of third parties to whom the personal information was sold, shared, or disclosed for a business purpose;

the business or commercial purpose for collecting, selling, or sharing personal information; and

the specific pieces of personal information we collected about you.

In accordance with applicable law, we are not obligated to provide or delete consumer information that is de-identified in response to a consumer request or to re-identify individual data to verify a consumer request.

Right to Non-Discrimination for the Exercise of a Consumer’s Privacy Rights

We will not discriminate against you if you exercise your privacy rights.

Right to Limit Use and Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information

We do not process consumer’s sensitive personal information.

Verification process

Upon receiving your request, we will need to verify your identity to determine you are the same person about whom we have the information in our system. These verification efforts require us to ask you to provide information so that we can match it with information you have previously provided us. For instance, depending on the type of request you submit, we may ask you to provide certain information so that we can match the information you provide with the information we already have on file, or we may contact you through a communication method (e.g., phone or email) that you have previously provided to us. We may also use other verification methods as the circumstances dictate.

We will only use personal information provided in your request to verify your identity or authority to make the request. To the extent possible, we will avoid requesting additional information from you for the purposes of verification. However, if we cannot verify your identity from the information already maintained by us, we may request that you provide additional information for the purposes of verifying your identity and for security or fraud-prevention purposes. We will delete such additionally provided information as soon as we finish verifying you.

Other privacy rights

You may object to the processing of your personal information.

You may request correction of your personal data if it is incorrect or no longer relevant, or ask to restrict the processing of the information.

You can designate an authorized agent to make a request under the CCPA on your behalf. We may deny a request from an authorized agent that does not submit proof that they have been validly authorized to act on your behalf in accordance with the CCPA.

You may request to opt out from future selling or sharing of your personal information to third parties. Upon receiving an opt-out request, we will act upon the request as soon as feasibly possible, but no later than fifteen (15) days from the date of the request submission.

To exercise these rights, you can contact us by email at news@amisun.com, or by referring to the contact details at the bottom of this document. If you have a complaint about how we handle your data, we would like to hear from you.

12. DO VIRGINIA RESIDENTS HAVE SPECIFIC PRIVACY RIGHTS?

In Short: Yes, if you are a resident of Virginia, you may be granted specific rights regarding access to and use of your personal information.

Virginia CDPA Privacy Notice

Under the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA):

“Consumer” means a natural person who is a resident of the Commonwealth acting only in an individual or household context. It does not include a natural person acting in a commercial or employment context.

“Personal data” means any information that is linked or reasonably linkable to an identified or identifiable natural person. “Personal data” does not include de-identified data or publicly available information.

“Sale of personal data” means the exchange of personal data for monetary consideration.

If this definition “consumer” applies to you, we must adhere to certain rights and obligations regarding your personal data.

The information we collect, use, and disclose about you will vary depending on how you interact with us and our Services. To find out more, please visit the following links:

Personal data we collect

How we use your personal data

When and with whom we share your personal data

Your rights with respect to your personal data

Right to be informed whether or not we are processing your personal data

Right to access your personal data

Right to correct inaccuracies in your personal data

Right to request deletion of your personal data

Right to obtain a copy of the personal data you previously shared with us

Right to opt out of the processing of your personal data if it is used for targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects (“profiling”)

We have not sold any personal data to third parties for business or commercial purposes. We will not sell personal data in the future belonging to website visitors, users, and other consumers.

Exercise your rights provided under the Virginia CDPA

More information about our data collection and sharing practices can be found in this privacy notice.

You may contact us by email at news@amisun.com, by submitting a data subject access request, or by referring to the contact details at the bottom of this document.

If you are using an authorized agent to exercise your rights, we may deny a request if the authorized agent does not submit proof that they have been validly authorized to act on your behalf.

Verification process

We may request that you provide additional information reasonably necessary to verify you and your consumer’s request. If you submit the request through an authorized agent, we may need to collect additional information to verify your identity before processing your request.

Upon receiving your request, we will respond without undue delay, but in all cases, within forty-five (45) days of receipt. The response period may be extended once by forty-five (45) additional days when reasonably necessary. We will inform you of any such extension within the initial 45-day response period, together with the reason for the extension.

Right to appeal

If we decline to take action regarding your request, we will inform you of our decision and reasoning behind it. If you wish to appeal our decision, please email us at news@amisun.com. Within sixty (60) days of receipt of an appeal, we will inform you in writing of any action taken or not taken in response to the appeal, including a written explanation of the reasons for the decisions. If your appeal if denied, you may contact the Attorney General to submit a complaint.

13. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE?

In Short: Yes, we will update this notice as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws.

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated “Revised” date and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is accessible. If we make material changes to this privacy notice, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this privacy notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information.

14. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?

If you have questions or comments about this notice, you may email us at news@amisun.com or contact us by post at:

Longboard Communications

3909 East Bay Drive

#210

Holmes Beach, FL 34217

United States

15. HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU?

Based on the applicable laws of your country, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we collect from you, change that information, or delete it. To request to review, update, or delete your personal information, please fill out and submit a data subject access request.

This privacy policy was created using Termly’s Privacy Policy Generator.

Banks Home Lending Team gets first W

Written by Monica Simpson on July 11, 2023. Posted in Football, Sports.

ANNA MARIA – In the blazing heat of the Fourth of July week weather, the adult co-ed flag football league played last Thursday night pushing past mid-season match-ups.

In the final game of the night, The Banks Home Lending Team earned their first win against the Solid Rock Construction team with a final score of 46-29. Favored to finish the game victorious, Solid Rock’s mistakes paved the way for their opponent.

After four games, three teams are in the middle of the pack with 2-2-0 records. Teams Sandbar Seafood & Spirits, Cortez Deep Sea Fishing and Salty Printing all go into Thursday night’s games hoping to break away.

The three teams are chasing The Moss Builders team. Their win against the Salty Printing squad puts the team ranked second just under Luxury Services.

Luxury Services easily won against Gulf Drive Café, winning by 17 points. Both team’s quarterbacks showed impressive cool under pressure under the beating sun.

With four touchdown passes, team captain and Luxury Services QB outthrew Gulf Drives’ quarterback, Dominick Otteni, by one TD throw. Richardson kept the ball for himself on a touchdown run for six points, while Otteni played on defense with two key flag pulls.

Otteni’s scoring targets last Thursday night were Dallas Buchholz, with six points in the game, and Jacob Ferda, scoring two TDs from six game catches in addition to five defensive stops.

Despite strong defensive play with two interceptions for the Gulf Drive team by Meghan Mitchell and Kiatrell Zachery, and a QB sack by Steven Pavina, the squad just could not make it click on offense.

Off the arm of Richardson, Tim Holly and Alonzo Lemus each found the endzone twice for 24 points. Holly was Richardson’s main game target with 12 catches. Lemus followed close with eight receptions of his own.

In addition to Richardson’s running score, Holly raced into the endzone for six more Luxury Services points. He is also credited with getting to Otteni in time to snag his flag before the football left the QB’s hand.

Holly and his teammates worked to keep their team undefeated going into week five play.

Coming off their loss against Luxury Services, Gulf Drive Café hopes to improve on their 1-3-0 record.

With regular season play to continue for a few more weeks, three teams sit at the bottom of the rankings hoping to position themselves for playoffs. Gulf Drive Café shares the single win record with The Banks Home Lending Team and Solid Rock Construction.

Gulf Drive faces Solid Rock this Thursday at 7 p.m. while The Banks Home Lending Team plays team Moss Builders in the last game of the night.

Kicking off the flag football action this week, Salty Printing hopes to improve its record against the Sandbar team. The 8 p.m. game has current top seed Luxury Services defending their undefeated record against the Cortez Deep Sea Fishing squad.

Sun Scoreboard

July 6

Adult Co-Ed Flag Football

Week 4

Luxury Services (4-0-0) 41

Gulf Drive Café (1-3-0) 24

Sandbar Seafood & Spirits (2-2-0) 31

Cortez Deep Sea Fishing (2-2-0) 29

Moss Builders (3-1-0) 25

Salty Printing (2-2-0) 20

The Banks Home Lending Team (1-3-0) 46

Solid Rock Construction (1-3-0) 29

Tingley Memorial Library options discussed

County providing additional funding for pier repairs, ferry enhancements

City rejects Pines Trailer Park lot split application, expects new development plans

Revised condo inspection ordinance now addresses habitable stories

City responding to Cushing lawsuit subpoena

Shorebird nesting season has begun on Anna Maria Island

Tingley Memorial Library options discussed

County providing additional funding for pier repairs, ferry enhancements

City rejects Pines Trailer Park lot split application, expects new development plans

Revised condo inspection ordinance now addresses habitable stories

City responding to Cushing lawsuit subpoena

Shorebird nesting season has begun on Anna Maria Island

Planning a successful fishing adventure

Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers host fly-casting clinic

Reel Time: Remembering Captain Zach

Reel Time on The Road: Fishing the Chass

On the Cusp: legislative action needed

The Waterman 2026: Fishing for a purpose

Selling your home gives you big tax breaks

Hidden issues in your future home

Non-commercially-rented beach cabanas still allowed in coastal conservation zones

The thaw has begun

Izzy’s Place opens at former Slicker’s Eatery site

Tips on selling in a funky market

Lori Waggoner wins Key Royale Club’s match play tournament

City to install guideline signs at pickleball courts

CENTER SCOREBOARD: flag football and soccer

CENTER SCOREBOARD: flag football and soccer

CENTER SCOREBOARD: flag football and soccer

Center Scoreboard: flag football and soccer

Sections

Latest Stories

Political Cartoon

What statewide recognition says about West Manatee Fire Rescue

2026 brings change and consistency

Political Cartoon

Thanks to Carol Soustek

Coast Lines: So long, farewell

Sections

Latest Stories

Churches of Anna Maria Island

Churches of Anna Maria Island

Insider’s Island – The insider’s guide to outdoors AMI

Readers’ Choice Awards 2025

Churches of Anna Maria Island

Month: July 2023

Negotiations continue

Last updated July 13, 2023

Sun Scoreboard

July 6

Adult Co-Ed Flag Football

Week 4