Island, Florida wait as oil gushes into Gulf

Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency in Manatee and Sarasota counties on Monday, as coastal residents anxiously waited, watched and prayed that oil gushing from the Deepwater Horizon is somehow stopped.

The oil creeping toward Florida from a deadly April 20 accident at the BP oil facility in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana is not the start of National Travel and Tourism Week that Anna Maria Island tourism officials had hoped for. More...

Stoltzfus suggests Anna Maria toll booth

ANNA MARIA — Putting a tollbooth at the entrance to the city would solve any budget shortfalls caused by falling property tax revenues, says Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus.

He proposed the idea at a May 3 city commission workshop.

Stoltzfus suggested that since the city pier is the number one tourist attraction in Manatee County, each of the estimated 300,000 visitors who visit the city each year should be charged as they enter the city limits. More...

AMI loses 'Miss Duffy'

HOLMES BEACH – Pat Geyer, the Island businesswoman who raised five daughters while making a living selling hamburgers and cold beer and served more than 20 years in the city government, has died at the age of 79.

Geyer passed away around 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 1, after suffering a heart attack while in the hospital. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, May 5, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Shannon Funeral Home Westview Chapel, 5610 Manatee Ave. W. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, May 6, at 10 a.m., at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive, Holmes Beach, with interment to follow at Sarasota National Cemetery. More...

Memories of 'Snooks' shared

HOLMES BEACH – W.H. “Snooks” Adams, Holmes Beach’s first police chief, died Monday, April 26, at the age of 91.

“He was my best friend for 40 years,“ John Rudacille said. “He taught me about living in Florida – boating, fishing, crabbing, clamming, how to catch and fry mullet. He was real character. I’m really going to miss him.”

Adams, who was born and grew up in Cortez, got his nickname from the 1920s radio character, Baby Snooks. More...

Quam vision engages commission, P&Z

ANNA MARIA — City commissioners and members of the P&Z board voted unanimously last week to proceed with a compromise master-parking plan for Pine Avenue.

“This master plan takes care of our safety concerns, and it works for the district as a whole,” Commission Chair John Quam said at a joint meeting April 29. “Please keep an open mind about this.” More...

Recall petition signatures top 200

More than 200 registered voters in Anna Maria have signed a petition to recall City Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus.

As of May 3, 206 people had signed the document, which is being checked against a current list of registered voters. The 206 signatures are what the recall committee calls “good,” meaning that they check out against the listing from the Manatee County Supervisor of Election’s office. More...

PAR attorney: City not liable for Stoltzfus legal fees

ANNA MARIA — With the harshest criticism to date, Pine Avenue Restoration's attorney says the city will not be liable for Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus’ legal expenses.

Stoltzfus’ attorney, Richard Harrison, had written a letter to the Anna Maria commissioners advising them that any legal or other expenses incurred by his client would have to be paid by the city. More...

Webb asks commission to reconsider drilling resolution

ANNA MARIA — With the massive amounts of oil now coming ashore in the northern Gulf of Mexico, Commissioner Chuck Webb is asking his city to reconsider a decision to shun the county’s request that area cities sign on to a resolution opposing near-shore drilling in the Gulf.

The commission voted 3-2 against signing the resolution. Commissioners Jo Ann Mattick, Dale Woodland and Harry Stoltzfus were opposed to the city signing the petition. More...

City officials OK beach concession plans

HOLMES BEACH – Mark Enoch, of United Park Services, said the company plans to continue rentals of umbrellas and chairs at Manatee Public Beach, but will not rent bicycles and kayaks.

A county committee recently recommended UPS to provide concessions at both Manatee and Coquina public beaches. It’s original proposal included bicycle and ocean kayaks rentals, as requested by the county. More...

Relay for Life offers hope

BRADENTON BEACH - The Fifth Annual Anna Maria Island Relay for Life last weekend at Coquina Beach offered hope to those battling cancer and a tribute to those who lost their lives to the disease.

Participants celebrated the life of “Turtle Tom” Van Ness, the namesake for The Anna Maria Island Sun’s Turtle Tom’s Timely Tips, who lost his battle with cancer last month. A regular participant in past Relays for Life, Van Ness was among those memorialized in the luminaria ceremony on Saturday, which features lighted candles placed around the relay track. More...

Restored Valentine house a historic treasure

A family home more than a century old got a second lease on life on May Day as the visitors' center at the Robinson Preserve, where family and friends gathered for grand opening ceremonies.

The Valentine house was a Palmetto landmark for 120 years. It has survived the turn of two centuries, and was the center of family life for five generations of the Valentine family.

Built around 1886, the house is one of the oldest surviving structures in Manatee County, and stands as a reminder of the county’s agricultural roots. More...

Bair's Lodge: A Bahamian treat

Moments after Leslie Johnson pushed the skiff from the marl bank on the west side of South Andros Island, Captain Bryon Chamberlin was on the front casting platform stripping line from his 8-weight fly reel. Before he finished, Johnson sighted two large bonefish approaching up-tide. After an initial moment of surprise, Chamberlin started a false cast that landed a Peterson's Shrimp fly just feet ahead of the feeding fish. With a bit of coaching from Johnson, Chamberlin started stripping the fly just as it got into the fish's cone of vision. More...

Gulf cabins – an oasis on the beach

Don’t let the name fool you, Gulf Cabins condominiums is about as different from a small wooden shelter on the beach as the Queen Mary is from my 22-foot fishing boat. But as the name suggests, this boutique condominium complex is on the Gulf of Mexico, and the units do provide shelter.

Located at 2716 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach, the 12 units that make up Gulf Cabins Condos are shaded with mature landscaping and are a little hard to spot when driving by. They are, however, directly Gulffront set back slightly from the shoreline. The setback is somewhat unique for a Gulffront setting since the area between where the pool area ends and the shoreline begins is a natural green belt looking almost landscaped with pine trees and small dunes covered in greenery. More...

Feel like family at Thai Kitchen

I feel very privileged to be able to travel the world visiting exotic countries. After visiting Thailand, I was left with a lasting impression of the warmth and friendliness of the Thai people, so I was not at all surprised when I arrived at the Thai Kitchen on Cortez Road and was welcomed with a smile and a hug.

Lakkhana Rowred also known as Da came to the United States from Betong, Thailand in 1990 to find a better life for herself and her young daughter. Not unusual among hard working immigrants in this country, Rowred worked long hours in a variety of industries, and although trained as a nurse in Thailand, she eventually found her way into the restaurant business in Florida. More...

Bond-based portfolios

For certain individuals, converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA may provide advantages from an income tax and estate planning perspective. Previously, eligibility to convert to a Roth IRA was prohibited for those with household income over $100,000 (as measured by modified adjusted gross income). More...