PERICO ISLAND

Construction on the first 48 units in the Perico Island development should begin within 30 days, according to Mike Belmont, executive vice president for Minto Communities.

Minto is a subsidiary of the Canadian Minto Group, which purchased the development from St. Joe last fall. Belmont said the company is currently continuing with construction of the infrastructure, both existing and new, and will begin construction of a sales and information center in two or three weeks. More...

Coastal Cleanup Oct. 2

Join the International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 9 a.m. to noon. Adopt-A-Highway, Road and Shore groups should cleanups on their adopted sites. Others can check in at the following centers:

• Anna Maria City Hall at 10005 Gulf Drive,
• Holmes Beach at Kingfish Boat Ramp on S.R. 64 W.,
• Leffis Key,
• Coquina Beach Gulfside by the concession stand on Gulf Drive,
• F.I.S.H. Preserve at 11601 Cortez Road W.

For information call Ingrid McClellan, executive director of Keep Manatee Beautiful, at 941-795-8272 or cell 941-713-1763 or go to www.manateebeautiful.com. More...

Hunzeker wants new trolleys

Almost everybody loves the trolleys that ply up and down the Island offering free rides, but it appears the popular vehicles are not returning the love.

ManateeCounty Administrator Ed Hunzeker told members of the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce recently that the two types of trolleys that the county owns are not up to the long hours, salt air and hundreds of thousands of miles that they travel each year. He said the downtime incurred by each trolley every year, on average, is 43 percent, and the Island businesses that paid good money for ads on the sides of the vehicles are not getting their money’s worth. He was scheduled to give a presentation to the Manatee County Board of Commissioners at their meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 27. More...

Whitmore draws donors

When it comes to fundraising, Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore has the power to bring in some serious money.

In her first reporting period, she showed a total of $67,885 contributions to date, with $26,285 coming in during the reporting period from April 1 to July 16. More...

Suspect arrested in local burglaries

An extensive investigation and mobile surveillance by Holmes Beach Police has yielded an arrest and confession rn several burglaries on Anna Ma of Holmes Beach, was arrested, and after being read his Miranda rights, confessed to the burglaries. He also took Det. Mike Leonard to the locations of the break-ins on the north end of Holmes Beach and in Key Royale. More...

Would you like dressing with that?

They’re dropping all around us this time of year, those purple grapes that grow on trees with leaves so thick and flat that tourists once mailed them back north as souvenir postcards.

Like coconut palms, grapefruit, or any fruit-bearing tree, sea grapes pose a maintenance issue when they ripen. More...

PAR site plan pulled from agenda

ANNA MARIA — The city commission won’t be voting for the site plan for a Pine Avenue Restoration property until at least October’s regular meeting.

Micheal Coleman, PAR’s managing partner, pulled consideration of the site plan for 308 Pine Avenue from the Sept. 22 agenda.

Coleman told commissioners that Lynn Townsend Burnett was ill and would be unable to present the plan that evening. More...

Kids wave ribbons for peace

HOLMES BEACH – The future of our nation is in our youngsters and on Wednesday, Sept. 22, those youngsters’ eyes were fixed on symbols, flags and performances in the name of world peace.

They spoke of “peace prints” that we leave like footprints in the sand, and they asked questions like, “What does peace feel like?”

The peace ceremony was held in front of Anna Maria Elementary School as it has been for eight years. It all began when Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island President Jim Dunne got together with then-guidance counselor Cindi Harrison to figure out what the club could do to support the educational experience at the school. More...

Wanted: Homes for 19 rescued cats

HOLMES BEACH — If you happened to be a cat, probably the best place for you to have been would be an abandoned house slated for demolition in an Island Animal Clinic vet tech’s neighborhood in St. Petersburg.

Oceanna Beard has worked for Dr. Bystrom for nine-and-a-half years. She grew up on the Island, attended Anna Maria Elementary School, King Middle and then Manatee High.

Oceanna and her twin sister, Alamanda, have been rescuing animals since they were toddlers, according to their mother, Laura, who was a longtime Island Library employee. More...

Kids, car buffs find lots to like at Bayfest

ANNA MARIA – When Bayfest rolls around on Oct. 15 and 16, it’s time to bring the family out for a fun day on Pine Avenue.

That means all the family – including kids who might not have found much to do at other festivals and men who don’t find much fun in shopping for arts and crafts. Bayfest, celebrating its 10th anniversary, has it covered. More...

Coming soon – the first cold front

It sure is hot… and it has been hot for a while now.

At two o’clock on any afternoon the light is eye-squinting, unrelenting, pure white.

The roaches are sitting in the shade sipping drinks with little umbrellas.

And nothing is moving but foreigners with tiny bathing suits.

The first couple of promising cold fronts stall on the other side of Tampa Bay. And then it comes. More...

Spanish mackerel hot on top

Spanish mackerel are staged off Anna Maria, enticed to local waters by the fall migration of baitfish. Live bait, spoons, plugs, jigs and flies are all effective on mackerel. I love targeting mackerel on top water lures and flies. I use poppers like the Gartside Gurgler when I fly fish (www.jackgartside.com), and top water plugs like the Chug Bug when spin fishing. For the fly rod angler, a light 6-8 weight outfit and the small white foam poppers are a perfect match. Attach a small 6-8 inch trace of light wire to a 30-pound butt section of leader using an Albright special. An alternative method is to tie flies on long shank hooks. Light spinning tackle is also effective. Try the same light wire leader with plugs, or, if you prefer, use a small white buck tail jigs or silver diamond jigs. Four- to six-pound test Ultra-light spinning tackle provides some real drag screaming action. More...

Anything can be rented

I have a confession to make, I was once a renter. No, not just a house or apartment renter, although I did that too. No, I was once a furniture renter.

Anyone who knows me now would find that the person who reads Architectural Digest and real estate advertisements like they were a best selling novel would never rent, of all things, furniture. But when you’re in your 20s, your standards are different or non-existent. More...

Fine food, focus on detail at Martiniville

HOLMES BEACH – Fine food prepared with fresh ingredients and a focus on detail is what you’ll find when you visit the Island’s newest restaurant and bar, Martiniville, in the AMI Plaza.

Owners Debbie and Mike Hynds welcome you to a sneak preview on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 23 and 24, at 8 p.m., and the grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 5 p.m., all with live music. Food will not be available at the sneak preview. More...

Cracks in muni market

A few months ago I wrote about the potential for trouble in the municipal bond market as some cities, counties or states struggle with shrinking revenues and trying to cut expenditures while delivering the services the citizens have grown to expect. More...

Turtle talk set for Monday

This week, with its hint of coolness in both the breeze and the Gulf of Mexico, ushers in the last month of sea turtle nesting season, which ends on Oct. 31.

As the season winds down, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shore Bird Monitoring Director Suzi Fox will recap the highlights at a free, public turtle talk on Monday, Oct. 4. More...

Autoway Ford captures dramatic win

In the Community Center’s first week of soccer action, The Sun Sports Game of the Week ended in dramatic fashion. On Wednesday in the 12- to 13-year-old division, Autoway Ford played Mike Norman Realty in its first regular season game. Loyal fans were rewarded on this rainy night with a fantastic come-backer finish. Mike Norman Realty dominated the first half of play with superb defense led by Morgan Greig and Kayla Thiel and high powered offense with two goals by Lauren Sapienza and one each by Michael Duffman and Logan Reiber. The score at the half was 4 to 1. More...

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