‘Quieter’
trolleys in pipeline
Second man arrested
in dredging
Panel OK’s alley
swap
Island property
sales continue to boom
Tax group to seek tourism
taxing district
County accepts Corps’
offer of free sand
County commissioners
plead their case
Bradenton Beach
youth dies in accident
Suzi's great adventure
Business group
frustrated with city
Bradenton Beach
murder trial starts
Commission to
ease pier franchise terms
‘Quieter’
trolleys in pipeline
By Tom Vaught
sun staff writer
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Manatee County
Area Transit is working to order replacement trolleys to
service the Island and if the county has its way, you'll
be able to hear the clang, clang, clang of the bells over
the roar of their engines.
MCAT Director Ralf Heseler said they have identified the
new vehicles they want, and they are working to get the
best price. He said the deal involves a contract between
a transit authority on the other end of the country and
a trolley manufacturing company in Florida.
"We're trying to piggyback onto a California contract
because they have the type of trolley we've been trying
to get," Heseler said. "We have already received
permission from FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation)."
Heseler said the trolleys would have the same style with
an open-air rear section of seats and they would be quieter
and more reliable. The current fleet of five trolleys prompted
complaints from residents because their engines are loud
when they accelerate. They have also proven to be unreliable
and suffer from rust and corrosion because of their exposure
to salt air and water near the beaches.
Heseler said they would order as many as four vehicles at
a cost $180,000 to $190,000. FDOT and Manatee County would
pay for the new vehicles.
MCAT wants to piggyback on an order from the Mountain Area
Regional Transit Authority (MARTA) in Great Bear Lake, California.
MARTA General Manager Jerry Davis said they bought their
first trolleys in July of last year to serve snow skiers
and lake enthusiasts in the resort town.
"So far, they have been wonderful," said Davis.
"They are operating great."
MARTA purchased the first vehicles from Trolley Enterprises,
of Deerfield Lake, Florida, and will purchase additional
ones this year under a contract that Manatee County wants
to piggyback onto. Davis said that would ensure that Manatee
County would get the new vehicles at a guaranteed price.
Heseler said the new trolleys would be added to the current
fleet and the older vehicles would become backups. In response
to requests from town leaders on Longboat Key, MCAT has
been talking with Sarasota County Area Transit about extending
the trolleys down Longboat to St. Armands Circle. Longboat
residents have been asking for the service after seeing
how well riders have responded to the trolleys on Anna Maria
Island. Heseler said those talks are continuing and when
they iron out details, such as who would own the trolleys
and who would pay for their maintenance, the two governing
boards of the systems would vote on the proposal.
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Second
man arrested in dredging
By Cindy Lane
sun staff writer
CORTEZ – Carl Mora,
62, of Cortez was arrested last week on charges related
to illegal dredging around Jewfish Key, an island off the
north end of Longboat Key.
A boat that Mora owned was used in the dredging of two channels
through mangroves and seagrasses, which are protected by
law, according to a statement by the Longboat Key Police
Department, which investigated the dredging with the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection.
Mora was charged with a third degree felony, unlawfully
supplying a vessel registration decal, and two second degree
misdemeanors, displaying unauthorized vessel numbers and
failing to surrender a certificate of title. Additional
charges are pending.
The Town of Longboat Key filed a civil forfeiture action
in November against Mora’s boat.
Arrest warrants also were issued for Joan Mayers Bergstrom,
59, of Longboat Key, Raymond L. Guthrie Jr., 55, of Cortez
and Raymond L. Guthrie III, 30, of Cortez, according to
the Longboat Key Police Department.
Bergstrom, sister of Sarasota Realtor Michael Saunders,
developed Jewfish Key in 1988, calling it La Lenaire Island.
The development, accessible only by boat, has 13 homesites
and a nature preserve.
Bergstrom told The Sun last summer that she was out of the
country when the dredging occurred, and that she was disturbed
over the environmental destruction of the island.
The younger Guthrie was first arrested in November in connection
with the case and was charged with a third-degree felony,
violating the Florida Air and Water Pollution Control Act.
Other warrants are expected to be issued for people who
solicited and paid for the illegally dredged channel, according
to the Longboat Key Police Department.
Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
has completed an environmental damage assessment of Jewfish
Key for the future remediation of the site.
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Panel
OK’s alley swap
By Laurie Krosney
sun staff writer
ANNA MARIA — After a
lengthy and argumentative meeting, the city’s Planning
and Zoning Board voted to approve an alley swap with the
Sandbar.
The vote was 4-2 to recommend to the city commission that
the city trade an existing alleyway adjacent to the east
side of the restaurant with a swath of land 62 feet further
to the east.
Ed Chiles, who has owned the restaurant for more than 26
years is under a federal court order to bring his property
into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The restaurant was one of a number of local establishments
sued for violations of the ADA.
Chiles said he needs build out into the existing alley to
provide ADA-complaint restrooms and handicapped parking.
He worked out a plan with city Building Official Kevin Donohue,
the mayor and several planners whereby the city would trade
the alleyway for a parcel further to the east.
Chiles, in return, would landscape the new city right of
way and turn it into a promenade for residents and visitors.
His plan would connect the two beach accesses at either
end of his property to the new walkway.
Additionally, Chiles plan provides for correcting some long-standing
drainage problems in that area. The drainage work is to
be done at Chiles' expense.
Several members of the board as well as the audience questioned
whether the plan was the best fix for the ADA problem.
Donohue said that, in his opinion, it is.
Robin Wall, a nearby resident, said she's not so sure.
"People get nervous when you talk about giving away
land," she said. "I'm not so sure this is necessary.
Why can't the alley be closer to the building?"
Several members of the audience as well as the board expressed
concern that Chiles would use the swap to expand the restaurant
— something Chiles vehemently denied.
Board Chair Charley Canniff said he'd been approached by
many people in the community who are concerned about the
potential for expansion and the increase of intensity in
that area.
"There's thousands of tornados swirling around town
about this case," Canniff said.
But Chiles said he is simply trying to comply with the court
order.
Board member Chuck Webb said the plan that the city and
Chiles came up with is a good one.
"It's an elegant way to clean up a problem," Webb
said.
Webb moved to recommend approval of the swap to the city
commission. The city commission will vote to approve or
deny the swap.
Doug Copeland seconded the motion. Webb, Copeland, Canniff
and Jim Conoly voted yes. Margaret Jenkins and Chris Collins
voted against.
The vote to swap the land is contingent upon approval of
the site plan, which will be heard Feb. 7.
"That's going to be 10 times more complicated,"
Canniff said.
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Tax group
to seek tourism taxing district
By Cindy Lane
sun staff writer
The Coalition Against Runaway
Taxation has enlisted the help of Manatee County commissioners
to provide tax relief for tourist-related businesses on
Anna Maria Island.
Without tax relief, rising taxes may force businesses to
close, said Nigel Brown, one of the group’s founders
and the owner of Anna Maria Beach Cottages. His property
taxes nearly tripled in the three years from 2001 to 2004.
Since it formed last summer, CART has considered several
tax relief ideas, including a state constitutional amendment
to cap business taxes, changing the basis of property valuation
from fair market value to acquisition value and breaking
away from Manatee County to form an Island county with its
own taxing authority.
The newest idea is creating a special taxing district for
tourist-related businesses to bring the taxes paid by Island
business owners down to the level paid by business owners
off the Island.
The group discussed possible criteria last week to identify
which businesses would be eligible for inclusion in the
district. Island antiques dealer Ginny Dutton suggested
that anyone with a business license could qualify. County
Commissioner Jane von Hahmann suggested that those who pay
the county’s bed tax could be eligible. Another proposal
would include any business owners whose taxes increased
more than 30 percent last year.
Whatever criteria are used, tax relief should be expanded
beyond Anna Maria Island to the Manatee County section of
Longboat Key to be fair, said Don Schroder, president of
the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce and a founder
of CART.
The group plans to put the taxing district issue on the
Manatee County Commission agenda for public discussion next
month.
Although CART has discussed expanding tax relief from business
owners to people who own second homes on the Island that
are used as rentals, von Hahmann said that would be a tough
sell countywide.
"Just because you invest on Anna Maria Island in a
second home should not give you a status above someone who
invests in Meadowcroft in town," she said.
CART is looking for interested volunteers to brainstorm
the issues and possible solutions. For more information,
contact the Chamber at 778-1541.
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Island
property sales continue to boom
By Tom Vaught
sun staff writer
The latest Anna Maria Island
Property Sales Report confirms what many already suspected
— the Island real estate boom is still on.
According to sales figures in the report by Barry and Dantia
Gould at Island Vacation Properties, LLC, the total dollar
value of home sales on the Island rose 40 percent in 2004.
The numbers went from $158.9 million in 2003 to $222.9 million
last year. This figure dwarfs the totals earlier in this
century when they started at $91 million in 2001, rose to
$98.1 million in 2002 and jumped to $126.3 million in 2003.
Of course, inflation has accounted for a lot of this recent
increase as demand for homes, especially near or on the
water, has outstripped supply, but the number of units sold
has also risen markedly.
The total number of properties sold – including residential,
multifamily, empty lots and commercial sales – rose
from 332 in 2003 to 401 last year. The average price of
property sold in 2004 was $555,508, up from $478,488 in
2003.
Once property hit the market last year it didn't stay there
long, according to the report. Nearly half of the 401 listings
sold (189) within 60 days. The figures show that 126 were
on the market 30 days or less, 63 were listed for 31 to
60 days, 55 sold between 61 to 90 days, 36 sold between
91 and 120 days and 121 were listed for more than 120 days.
Sales by usage
The total value of the 180 single-family homes sold in 2004
was $110.8 million, up from $82.5 million in 2003 on the
sales of 156 homes. The average price rose from $529,052
to $615,601.
The number of condominium units sold was almost identical
(130 in 2004 vs. 131 in 2003) but the total dollar value
rose about 10 percent from $50.6 million to $56.6 million.
The duplex and triplex market doubled in sales volume last
year. Sixty-two units sold for a total of $33.1 million
compared with 31 units in 2003 for a total of just under
$16 million.
Ten commercial properties sold last year for $13.2 million
while 7 properties changed hands in 2003 for a total of
$6.7 million. The average price went from $952,286 in 2003
to $1.3 million in 2004.
Fourth quarter results mixed
The fourth quarter of 2004 showed a drop in condominium
sales from 2003's fourth quarter, from 35 units to 17. The
dollar amount was about half, from $18.1 million to $9.6
million, but the average price per unit rose from $516,473
to $564,312.
Single-family homes sales dropped from 37 homes in 2003
to 33 last year. The total dollar amount of sales went from
$21.1 million to $22.98 million.
The average price of duplexes and triplexes dropped in 2004
from $612,143 to $588,000. The seven triplexes and duplexes
sold in 2003 brought in $4.3 million compared to 10 sales
in 2004, which fetched $5.9 million.
Commercial property sales in the fourth quarter of 2004
were lower than that period in 2003. Two units were sold
in each of the periods, but the total sales in 2003 were
$4.5 million while last year's fourth quarter total was
$2.2 million.
December sales a mixed bag
Twelve single-family homes sold for a total of $8,584,000
last month, compared with 14 homes at a total cost of $7.3
million a year earlier. The average price went from $523,829
in December 2003 to $697,269 last month. Condominium sales
dropped from 18 units at $8.7 million in December 2003 to
nine units at $4.4 million last month. Duplexes and triplexes
brought in less money per sale with five listing yielding
$3 million in sales last month compared with three units
at $2.3 million in December 2003. The average sales price
dropped from $776,333 to $605,400. The sales of commercial
properties was the same as the fourth-quarter figures for
both years as the units listed during that period all sold
in December.
Active listings still on the rise
At the start of 2005, there were 245 properties listed on
the Island. The list included 93 single-family homes at
an average price of $985,407. There were 110 condominiums
listed at an average price of $939,935, 31 duplexes listed
an at average of $812,245, 11 commercial properties listed
at an average of $1.3 and six active lot listings at an
average of $498,816.
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County
accepts Corps’ offer of free sand
By Tom Vaught
sun staff writer
The dredge and its pipes
will most likely be back in the water this fall after a
vote by the Manatee County Commission Tuesday to accept
an offer by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to renourish
the Island's storm-ravaged beaches.
The Corps offered to pay for a beach renourishment last
month using Federal Emergency Management Administration
(FEMA) funds after determining that the Island's beaches
had lost enough sand to qualify for an emergency project.
At the last minute, Manatee County Environmental Projects
Administrator Charlie Hunsicker recommended that the county
not take the offer because the Corps would determine the
quality of the sand that would go on the beaches.
Following his recommendation, the county voted to turn down
the offer, but the Corps asked again that the county take
it, saying the Corps would do its best to assure quality
sand. Following that offer, Hunsicker traveled to Jacksonville
on Monday, Jan. 10, to seek assurances that the Corps would
allow the county to monitor the project and the Corps agreed.
Hunsicker returned to Bradenton and recommended the county
accept the offer on Tuesday, Jan. 11, which the county commission
did at its meeting that day.
"They gave their assurance that their best effort would
be taken to identify the best sand sources in the Gulf where
we first took sand in 2002 and draw up construction details
that they would pass on to the contractor so there were
be no miscommunication between the engineer and the builder,"
Hunsicker said. "Finally and most importantly, they
gave their assurance that they would allow the engineer
to watch the contractor and inspect the work on a daily
basis as the beach is renourished."
Hunsicker said he expects Coastal Engineering, the firm
that represented the county in the previous renourishments,
to be the engineer in this project.. He said the federal
government's massive attempt to rebuild storm ravaged beaches,
which were hit at four-times the normal rate, is rare.
"It has only happened once before in the 40-year history
of the Corps' beach building activities," he said.
"That was following Hurricane Andrew (in 1992) in South
Florida."
The Corps drew criticism when it managed the first renourishment
on the Island in 1993. The quality of the sand was not up
to par and beach-goers complained about the dark, shell-laden
sand. The county controlled the quality of the 2002 project,
which produced sand more like that on the beaches before
the renourishment.
The new project will cost more than $3.5 million and will
place 409,000 cubic yards of sand back on the beaches, about
30 percent of the 2002 project. Hunsicker said the sand
would be placed evenly along the entire length of the original
project. Hunsicker said this project would not affect the
next renourishment expected around 2010.
"This will get us back into that timeline," he
said.
Because the project is in response to an emergency project,
there won’t be the amount of paperwork that was required
for the previous two. Hunsicker said the timing of the storms
played a part in getting the project started quickly.
"A lot of the permits from the last project are still
valid," he said. "The permit to take the sand
from that part of the Gulf applies for up to five years
and it is still valid."
Hunsicker said he expects the project to begin in September
or October.
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County
commissioners plead their case
By Tom Vaught
sun staff writer
HOLMES BEACH – Manatee
County Commissioners Joe McClash and Jane von Hahmann crossed
the bridge to Anna Maria Island last week to brave the storm
created by a charter government plan for the county that
would more tightly control development in the cities. As
they left, they invited the elected officials to attend
a workshop on the proposal on Jan 27.
The two county commissioners were aware of opposition to
the idea from the city officials in the county, who feel
it is a foot in the door toward losing their powers of self-determination.
McClash said he hoped the cities would see this as a chance
to put consistency in the control of growth. McClash called
growth and urban sprawl the greatest threat to the future
of our way of life in Manatee County.
"I know Sarasota County has a charter government and
Longboat Key likes it because they can be more stringent
than the county in their development limits," said
Holmes Beach City Commissioner Don Maloney.
"Joe, you know I don't like this even though the county
does need a charter," Holmes Beach Mayor Carol Whitmore
said. "Manatee County has a growth problem."
Whitmore called the charter proposal a "starter charter"
and pointed out that it is unnecessary for the Island.
"Right now, it's just for growth," she said. "It
doesn't really effect us because we're built out."
McClash argued that a joint planning council made up of
six people representing the county, one person per city
and a representative from the School Board would make proposals
to handle growth issues. City Commissioner Rich Bohnenberger
took the planning council suggestion to task.
"The joint planning council members would always be
at adversarial positions," he said. "Plus, there's
no mandatory charter review in your proposal."
Von Hahmann spoke before the city officials and said she
needs to hear from more of her constituents about the charter.
"The vast majority of people who address me are in
favor of some form of county control over growth,"
she said
"Every citizen who comes to me in my city doesn't want
it," said Whitmore, who invited Tax Collector Charles
Hackney to the meeting to talk about where most of the growth
in the county is occurring. He reported that the vast majority
is in unincorporated Manatee County, which is already under
the county commission's control. Whitmore said she does
not want the charter to be effective in municipalities.
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Bradenton
Beach youth dies in accident
By Tom Vaught
sun staff writer
An 11-year-old Bradenton
Beach boy died Tuesday, Jan. 11, the result of an accident
on Cortez Road West on Friday, Jan. 7.
Cecil Haynes was riding his bicycle on Cortez Road West
near 119th Street, when he switched lanes in front of a
van driven by Michael Cosgrove, 39, of New Port Richey.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol news release, Cosgrove
swerved to try to miss Haynes but hit him. No charges were
filed against Cosgrove.
The boy was flown to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg
and transferred to All Children's Hospital. Doctors operated
on him Saturday, according to a family friend, but he died
Tuesday.
Haynes was a student at Sugg Middle School, and he graduated
from Anna Maria Elementary School last year, according to
school counselor Cindi Harrison. He attended the school
in his kindergarten year, transferred to West Manatee School
for the Arts and Sciences and returned to AME halfway through
his fourth grade year. He was a student of Lynne McDonough
his last year at AME.
Harrison said she saw Haynes recently and they talked and
laughed about his years at AME. She said the accident was
sad, but she was grateful she got to see him once more after
he moved on to middle school.
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Suzi's
great adventure
By Tom Vaught
sun staff writer
Anna Maria Island Turtle
Watch Chief Suzi Fox will be leaving Fort Myers this week
on the 70-foot pleasure trawler Vagabond.
Fox has signed on as a member of a four-person crew that
will be joining Capt. William "Bert" Bertolet
on a journey to Guatemala. From there, Vagabond will be
taking jaunts to other ports in that part of the world over
the next several months.
Fox, who will be back on Anna Maria in time to train the
turtle volunteers in May, will be part of the journey. She
couldn't be more excited.
"Hola," is the salutation from Fox in the latest
e-mail transmission from Vagabonds home port of Fort Myers.
"We are still acquiring crew. My sailing friend, Ed,
has a friend who wants to make the trip with us. That will
be great. He's arriving today or tomorrow.
"That sets Vagabond up with a full crew. Simba 2 (a
boat that will be travelling in convoy with Vagabond) is
still trying to get both oars in the water, so to speak.
They should have everything ready by tomorrow.
"We provision in the morning and move onto the boat
by tomorrow night. Monday or Tuesday (Jan. 17 or 18) we
set sail.
"My crew member is Randy. He's my new best friend.
He's a Texan married to a Guatemalan woman named Evelyn.
They have a baby girl named for our Captain. Captain Bert
and Randy's families are very close.
"We ran around yesterday and hit all the second-hand
stores and the guys’ favorite place, Northern Tools.
For dessert, they checked out Harbor Freight.
"Randy is a martial arts instructor and high school
English teacher — very sweet and funny — and I
feel like I've known him all my life. He's teaching me wonderful
things — how to flush the head and not look foolish
and how to barter down at Goodwill. I'm teaching him how
to surf the Internet and work the TV remote.
"Gotta go. Captain's cooking breakfast and it's ready.
"Love, Suzi"
The ship will be traveling from Fort Myers to the Dry Tortugas
where weather will determine whether or not it makes a stop.
Fox is hoping it does. She said she's been in touch with
the turtle people there in Fort Jefferson and would love
to spend some time with them.
Then it's on to Isla Mujeres, which is a barrier island
off the coast of Cancun, Mexico. From there, Vagabond will
cruise south past Belize and on to Guatemala.
Fox plans to keep us posted on her adventures. And The Sun
will be sharing those adventures with our readers.
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Business
group frustrated with city
By Laurie Krosney
sun staff writer
ANNA MARIA — A group
of business owners will be working together to try to improve
relations with city government.
"When you control the people who are sitting on the
commission, you affect the whole future," Don Schroder
said.
At a meeting of the Anna Maria Village Merchant's Association
on Jan. 12, several business people expressed frustration
with the way the city responds to business needs.
"It's going from bad to worse," said one business
owner. "Every week, there are more articles about this.
The city is becoming quirky, arbitrary — it's a difficult
place to do business."
There was reference to the property owned by Robert and
Nicky Hunt at 303 Pine Ave. A circuit court judge will be
hearing that case in the next few months.
The planning and zoning board recommended approval of a
site plan for a three-story structure at that address, but
the commission voted against the plan. The Hunts have taken
the matter to court.
Many of the Pine Avenue property owners said they're watching
that case closely. They feel that the city is taking away
the full legal use of their properties by restricting them
to two usable floors.
"They are taking our property values away," said
Darcy Duncan, a Realtor on Pine Ave. "They're stripping
our value away. I'm just looking at this from a real estate
value."
Further, there was discussion of the city's failure to act
quickly on a request from Ed Chiles, owner of the Sandbar,
to swap an alleyway adjacent to the restaurant with a similar
swath of land a bit to the east.
Chiles has offered to landscape the new alleyway and make
it into a walkway that residents and tourists could use
and enjoy. Chiles is also proposing to use native plants
and landscape the city-owned beach access points at the
north and south of his property. The alleyway he's proposing
to swap with the city and landscape would tie the two access
points together in a promenade.
Chiles is also offering, at his own expense, to improve
the drainage problems that storms bring to that area.
The Sandbar and Chiles' other restaurants are under a federal
court order to come into compliance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act. He said he needs that alley swap for handicapped
parking and for ADA-compliant restrooms.
Waterfront restaurant owner Jason Suzor said he's had a
great deal of trouble dealing with the city in his efforts
to rebuild the restaurant in the wake of a fire last March.
"It's been a long and treacherous process," Suzor
said. "We ran into a lot of problems. We felt like
there could have been more of an effort from the city to
maybe get things moving sooner."
During the discussion of what to do about improving relations
with the city, several ideas were tossed around. There was
talk of getting inside the "political machine."
Chiles urged business owners to get involved in the political
process instead of letting the few people who come to every
commission meeting be the "tail that wags the dog."
"My experience with the city is a few people control
things," Suzor commented. "It's a ‘not in
my back yard’ thing."
Other proposals included putting an attorney on retainer
from the AMVMA to handle legal issues with the city.
Another proposal was to establish a data base, so that "when
we get an issue, we can push a button and get to them,"
suggested Chiles.
"When they (the city commissioners) hear from five
or six people, it makes an impact."
Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce President Don Schroder
said the key is having control.
"If you don't control p&z," Schroder said,
"and you don't control who gets elected to the commission
— you need to get grass roots control. When you control
the people who are sitting on the commission, you affect
the whole future."
There was discussion about marketing, including the value
of advertising and web sites.
After the meeting broke up, several business owners stayed
behind to discuss the high tax on business property with
Schroder. (See related story on Page 1 of this edition.)
Dave Russell at Rotten Ralph's hosted the meeting.
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Bradenton
Beach murder trial starts
By Laurie Krosney
sun staff writer
A former Cortez fisherman's
second-degree murder trial began this week with jury selection.
Kim Bean, 47, of Bradenton Beach, is accused of hitting
Carol Foreman in her home following a night of drinking
and drugs that reportedly ended in an argument. Bean was
arrested after Bradenton Beach Police officers questioned
him the day after Foreman was found dead on the floor of
her house, located about a block from the police station,
by a former boyfriend, Clifford Stein.
Bean's trial is being held in the court of District Judge
Peter A. Dubensky. Bean is being represented by public defender
Peter Branum Belmont. Brian Iten is the prosecutor for the
state.
If convicted, Bean could receive a life sentence. Bean was
a stone crabber who worked out of Bell Fish House in Cortez.
He was reportedly an acquaintance of the victim and spent
the evening at her house drinking and taking drugs with
two other men.
The case is rare for Bradenton Beach, which saw its last
murder on Feb. 27, 1990. Police Detective Sgt. Len Diaz
was credited by the city commission for his quick work in
arresting a suspect in the case.
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Commission
to ease pier franchise terms
By Tom Vaught
sun staff writer
BRADENTON BEACH – The
city commission has decided to return the pier restaurant
to its roots in its search for a new franchisee.
Faced with one response from its first request for bids,
the commission lightened its terms for rent in an attempt
to help a new franchisee set up shop and make a go of it.
At a special workshop Tuesday, Jan. 11, Vice Mayor Bill
Shearon, the commission's liaison to the pier, said he called
all the parties he could find who took out bid packets but
did not bid why. Some of the more universal responses were:
• The numbers don't match at 12 percent of the gross
or a minimum of $5,000 per month rent.
• There are nine restaurants, two ice cream parlors
and two coffee shops in the immediate vicinity of the pier.
• It is hard to staff a restaurant from 7 a.m. to 10
p.m.
• Indecision on the commission over whether the franchisee
would have to have a bait shop or sell souvenirs.
• The rundown condition of the facility and confusion
over what the city will do to improve it and when.
• The difficulty of dealing with five elected officials.
• The request for bids asked too much personal information
and bidders would have to spend money for attorneys before
actual- ly receiving assurances they have a chance to get
the bid.
• The cost of new equipment and fixtures could be around
$100,000.
• There was no clear answer on when an oper ator would
be able to occupy the restaurant.
• The agreement needs to spell out maintenance responsibilities
of the city and the franchisee.
• Don't let an architect design the kitchen. It has
to be flexible.
Shearon strongly suggested the city hire a restaurant consultant
to advise the commission on fashioning a bid request and
a lease agreement. He said resident Rick Bisio, who has
served on a couple of city advisory boards, had volunteered
to help as did Ed Chiles, owner of the BeachHouse restaurant.
Shearon said Chiles said he did not plan on bidding on the
franchise.
Shearon also warned against requiring too much rent from
a fledgling business.
"One of the bidders said at 12 percent, we would be
making an honest person into a criminal because he would
have to lie about the profits in order to survive,"
said Shearon.
The commission decided to consider a graduated rent, one
that would rise as the business settles in and grows. They
also talked about getting away from the type of restaurant
the pier always had.
"I asked one chef what he would do and he said he would
serve the food on paper plates," said Shearon.
Public Works Director Dottie Poindexter said the city might
get some help from Manatee County's procurement officer,
who deals with the county beach franchise.
Shearon said he would talk with Bisio and the procurement
officer and the commission decided to discuss the issue
at a work session in the near future.
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