Peach's chain sold

HOLMES BEACH – Peach's restaurant in Holmes Beach and the chain's other nine local branches have new owners, including a former Peach's waitress.

A&M Partnership Holdings LLC principals are Alison Thomas, of Palmetto, who formerly worked at Peach's in Ellenton, and caterer Mary Beth Hansen, of Nokomis, along with unnamed "angel" investors, as Thomas calls them. More...

Pier Centennial year kicks off with banners

ANNA MARIA — The celebration of the 100th anniversary of the city pier kicks off this week as the banners commemorating the event are hung around the city.

Sissy Quinn, chair of the Anna Maria Pier Centennial Committee, said the banners would go up on Pine Avenue and Gulf Drive.

"These banners are just what we wanted," she said. "Lori Kee, who's the administrative assistant at Holmes Beach City Hall, did them for us. She donated her design." More...

Record year for manatee deaths

At least 767 endangered manatees died in state waters in 2010, shattering last year's record of 429 deaths, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Unusually cold weather contributed to the new record, which is more than twice the five-year mortality average, according to the FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

Cold stress caused 279 deaths, with 244 in the early part of the year and 35 in December. Cold stress also contributed to 21 of the 96 newborn deaths, and many of the 214 deaths in the undetermined category and the 68 deaths in the unrecovered category. More...

FISH board receives update

Two arrested on burglary charges

BRADENTON BEACH – Police in this city rounded up two burglary suspects on Wednesday, Jan. 5, with the help of the Holmes Beach Police Department and alert neighbors.

The suspects, 20-year-old Ian Michael Beck, of Bradenton, and Shawn David Bogart, 21, who is listed as homeless, were arrested after a neighbor called police saying strangers had entered a home at 301 Bay Drive N. He said that he noticed a car running in a driveway, which he felt was odd, according to the police report. The witness said he looked around his apartment complex and saw a person on a ladder attempting to get into the upper apartment. He said the screen was removed and the window was open. He said he saw a person trying to get inside the window and asked if he could be of assistance. The two suspects fled on foot northbound on Gulf Drive. More...

Beachfront land might finally be developed

BRADENTON BEACH – Rosa Del Mar is pink sea in Spanish and its namesake, a beachfront condo project that never got out of the planning stage, might see new life if its owners get through a sea of red tape.

The property at 2508-2512 Gulf Drive North is now an eyesore with sand berms around it blocking the view of the Gulf and overgrown with weeds, but there is a sign stating that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) now owns it and trespassing is prohibited. Crews erected a chain-link fence around it last week. More...

County program addresses abandoned vessels

BRADENTON – Local elected officials received an update on Manatee County's Abandoned Vessel Program from members of the Natural Resources Department at last week's council of governments meeting.

Department Director Charlie Hunsicker introduced Marine Resources Coordinator Alan Lai Hipp, who gave an overview of the program.

"I've been taking care of the county's abandoned vessel program since August 2005," Lai Hipp told officials. "The county's ordinance is based on Florida Statute 705 and was adopted in January 2005." More...

Jazz concert returns to Island

The Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus & Orchestra (AMICCO), Gulf Drive Band, The Sandbar restaurant and The Anna Maria Island Sun are proud to announce the Sixth Annual Jazz Fest to be held on Thursday, Feb. 10 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Sandbar Pavilion, 100 Spring Ave., Anna Maria. More...

Dolphins take to the streets

HOLMES BEACH – They will be running against time and for a healthy lifestyle when runners of all ages compete in the 5k and one-mile races in the Fifth Annual Dolphin Dash at Anna Maria Elementary School (AME) on Saturday, Jan. 15.

The founder of the Dolphin Dash, Rebecca Walter, has taken a fulltime position teaching math at Bayshore High School and continues to oversee the event, but she had to step down from the runners club, that the race spawned for AME students. More...

New Year's resolutions: Baby steps

I seldom make New Year's resolutions and when I do I almost never keep them. I think the problem has been breaking resolutions down into manageable bites. When I thought about it I realized that there are a few simple things that every angler can improve on that will make a big difference when he/she is out on the water. Below are a list of things you can do on a cold and windy day when you can't go fishing. I guarantee you they will pay dividends when you're back in the game. More...

Proposal to reduce mortgage deductions

You've heard it said that the third rail of the U.S. economy is Social Security and that no one in elected office with a pulse will touch it. Up until now the same was true for the mortgage tax deduction, but with the national debt increasing by the minute, some of those same politicians will do just about anything to get their hands on some extra cash. More...

Lose weight, feel great at Premiere

The start of a new year always has the anticipation of fresh beginnings and new challenges. As you welcome 2011 and the adventure of what may lie ahead, you may also be welcoming a few extra pounds you didn't have a couple of months ago. If this is a challenge that is starting to haunt you, there's a place that could help you face your demons. More...

2010 - Looking for balance

In my final article of 2010 I suggested a few resolutions to consider implementing in your portfolio planning. An important part of the investment process is reviewing what has worked and not worked for you, and the beginning of a new year is a traditional and appropriate time to do this. More...

Are you ready for some football?

The Sun Game of the Week was a showdown between the Beach Bum Seahawks and the Island Real Estate Saints in the Community Center NFL Flag Football program. Oddly enough in real NFL playoff football action, the Seahawks and the Saints played as well on Saturday, but with a different outcome. The Island Real Estate Saints won their 8-9-year-old game 14-6, while the World Champion NFL New Orleans Saints lost to the Seattle Seahawks. More...