Bids sought despite public appeals

BRADENTON – Manatee County commissioners last week refused to reconsider their decision to seek requests for proposals (RFP) for an operator for the concessions at the Coquina and Manatee public beaches.

Commissioner John Chappie asked for a commissioner from the prevailing side to make a motion to reconsider, but none offered. According to Roberts Rule of Order, a motion to reconsider must be made by someone who voted on the prevailing side. Chappie and Commissioner Carol Whitmore voted against the original motion to seek RFPs. More...

Scallop search to track population

The Second Annual Sarasota Bay Great Scallop Search will shed some light on predictions that Florida bay scallop numbers will be down this year compared to 2008.

During the Sarasota Bay Watch event on Saturday, Aug. 8, volunteers will search for the blue-eyed bivalves from 9 a.m. to noon at the Sarasota Outboard Club, 1763 Ken Thompson Parkway on City Island in Sarasota.

Volunteers for the free event must bring their own boat, crew and snorkel gear and will receive a T-shirt and lunch. The public is welcome to attend the post-search event from noon to 1 p.m. to learn about scallops and see the results. More...

Island law enforcement to benefit from stimulus funds

All three Island law enforcement agencies will benefit from federal and state grants funded by federal stimulus dollars. The federal government as well as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will distribute the funds.

The city of Anna Maria will get $5,000 to purchase an ATV for manatee Sheriff’s Office deputies to use in patrolling the beach. More...

Structural inspection ok’d for city pier

Matt Bauer had strep throat leading up to the 4th of July and also complained to his mom, Julie Pecor, that he felt sick at work. Despite that, he went ahead with plans to celebrate the holiday with his friends. When he didn’t get any better, his mom, who is also a nurse at Manatee Memorial, ordered Matt to the family doctor.

Blood was drawn, the call came in and Julie was advised that her son had cancer. More...

Storms, cats cause poor bird nesting season

The bird nesting season on Anna Maria Island ended on July 31 without the pitter patter of little bird feet on the sand.

"Not a single nest hatched on the Island," said Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch Director Suzi Fox, who works with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to monitor and protect nesting areas on the Island. More...

Port Dolphin supporters, critics come forth

PALMETTO – A panel of decision makers heard from supporters and critics of the proposed Port Dolphin natural gas port and pipeline last week at the Manatee Convention Center.

The hearing was part of Port Dolphin’s application process for a license to build a liquid natural gas port 28 miles off Anna Maria Island that would connect to Port Manatee with a 42-mile-long underwater pipeline. More...

Chamber focus changed as time passed

HOLMES BEACH – The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce has led a dual life.

It is 60 years old but it has only been incorporated for 30 years, and since that incorporation, it has widened its goals and objectives to serve not only the business community, but also tourists.

That’s because it changed its focus as Island business leaders felt left out by the Manatee County Board of Commissioners and the Manatee County Chamber, according to Mary Ann Brockman, current president of the Island Chamber and a veteran of the early years. More...

She walked the hills to fight cancer

BRADENTON BEACH – Island Wellness massage therapist Amanda Escobio, a veteran of the Relay For Life cancer walk at Coquina Beach, recently returned from another walk in San Francisco over that city’s famous hilly terrain.

The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer (www.walk.avonfoundation.org), sponsored by the well-known cosmetics company, attracted 2,800 participants to walk the 39-mile route that began and ended at the same location. They raised more than $6 million to support a national network of research, medical, social service and community-based organizations. More...

Long term longline regulations considered

CORTEZ – Fisheries regulators must agree on a target level of sea turtle bycatch by longline fishermen before they can decide on long term regulations, a fisheries management committee concluded last week.

Bottom longline fishing gear used to catch reef fish, including grouper, has been temporarily banned in deep water in the Gulf of Mexico since June 27 and in shallow water since May 18, putting Cortez grouper fishermen out of work. More...

The Second Annual Sarasota Bay Great Scallop Search

The mid-day sun was high overhead as Jay Leverone and I slipped into the waters of a local flat. After adjusting our snorkels and masks, we began to survey the sandy bottom with its mix of turtle and manatee grass. The water was rising and uncharacteristically clear for August, giving us a great view of the flora and fauna that inhabited this underwater world. We had been in the water less than 10 minutes when Leverone called my attention to a scallop he had just found on the seagrass bed. Soon after I found another scallop and within 20 minutes we had located several other specimens. More...

There’s nothing magic about credit ratings

For about five years, we’ve been on the magical mystery tour of home financing. The magic happened when unqualified buyers were granted home mortgages if they were able to fog-up a mirror, and the mystery is how they will now fulfill their financial obligation. More...

Guests at book launch treated to great surprise

Robert Shindler was a man who always read to his children. Every night. At one point, his daughter asked him to tell her stories that he made up, not ones that he read.

So Shindler began dooing so, even going so far as to write the stories down and send them to his daughter when he was in Germany working and his children were in the U.S.

That was years ago. More recently, Shindler and Meghan founded a publishing company, Montooth Press. It’s under the umbrella of Cloverleaf Corp., a highway safety products company run by Shindler and his son. More...

Recession, depression, what’s the difference?

During a recent client meeting, I was asked what the difference was between a recession, a deep recession, and a depression. I was familiar with the definition of a recession, but not so sure of when a recession becomes a depression. More...

Quick response saves hatchlings

The sky was dark, but the lights at a Gulffront resort located at mid-Island were burning bright as a turtle nest was just beginning to hatch.

"There was a big family reunion," said Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch Director Suzi Fox. "They said they were seeing little turtle heads popping out of the nest and then popping back in."

Fox said she asked them if all the lights of the resort and surrounding areas were dark. More...