Center reopens

LONGBOAT KEY – Gulf Islands Ferry service may one day be expanded to the north end of Long­boat Key, but that isn’t expected to happen in the immediate future. Future ferry service was one of the topics discussed during the joint meeting that Manatee County and Longboat Key...

CORTEZ – Hunters Point developer Marshall Gobuty and his Cortez Road Investments and Finance Inc. (CRIF) ownership group have prevailed in a dock permit-related appeal filed last year by the Cortez Village Marina ownership group, MHC Cortez Village LLC. The appeal pertained to the environmental resource permit the...

ANNA MARIA – With warmer weather in the air, the adult soccer league took the pitch last Thursday night for the fifth week of regular season play. The Pool America team played without their captain, Chris Klotz, and other key players. Also playing without a full roster, team Diamond...

HOLMES BEACH – Anna Maria Island residents are working to find ways to fight back against a loss of home rule and the potential consolidation or elimination of the three Island cities, and are considering whether or not initiating a voter referendum is the best way to...

BRADENTON BEACH – Eighty new coconut palms have been delivered and are being planted along Bridge Street. “This will be a big improvement,” Mayor John Chappie said on April 25. “Many of the existing trees needed to be replaced.” At an April 3 Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meeting, the...

ANNA MARIA - Three students were awarded the 2024 Pat Copeland Scholarships at the Anna Maria Island Historical Society during the April 25 AMI Chamber of Commerce Business Card Exchange. The scholarships named for Copeland, one of the founders of the Historical Society and a former reporter and...

HOLMES BEACH – City leaders are considering taking on the responsibility for local mangrove regulation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). Development Services Director Chad Minor said the process to get that permission may be simpler than previously thought. Minor gave commissioners and Mayor Judy Titsworth an...

BRADENTON BEACH - Due to strong winds and waves on April 11, several floats on the city’s finger docks went missing and replacement was discussed at a city Pier Team meeting on April 24. “I spoke with Duncan (Steve Porter of Duncan Seawall) this morning and asked him...

ANNA MARIA - The Island Players conclude their historic 75th season with “The Woman in Black,” directed by Kelly Wynn Woodland and stage managed by Kristin Mazzitelli. According to Woodland, this play is a bit different from the comedies that Island Players’ audiences are accustomed to. The play...

CORTEZ – A refurbished diorama depicting now-defunct mullet netting techniques used by early Cortez fishermen was unveiled at the Cortez Cultural Center’s environmental learning event on April 20. “Cortez is all about fishing. It is mission critical for Cortez,” Cortez Village Historical Society (CVHS) President Cindy Rodgers said...

Although tarpon can be one of the most exciting gamefish to engage, they are also one of the most demanding and exhausting. It’s not uncommon to hear stories of epic two-hour-plus battles, which are not good for the angler or the tarpon. After experiencing the thrill of the...

Fresh stone crabs will be available just a little while longer as the harvesting season is about to end. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), stone crab season closes on May 2 with the last day of harvest being May 1 for the state’s...