BRADENTON BEACH – Imperiled shorebirds nesting on the beach at the north end of the BeachHouse restaurant have caused the cancellation of the 22nd Annual Beach House Fireworks Spectacular on Friday, July 3.

A nesting area including black skimmers, a state species of special concern, and least terns, a state threatened species, has been staked off for protection by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, which brought the issue to the attention of Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker.

Hunsicker and Ed Chiles, of The Chiles Group, which operates the BeachHouse, were on a trip last week to Washington, D.C., for a Capitol Hill Oceans Week event to showcase recipes using local bottarga (mullet roe), caviar, sturgeon and lionfish when the call came, Chiles said.

“We’re disappointed,” he said, adding that with inclement weather some years, a fire on the fireworks barge one year and other difficulties, “it’s been amazing that we’ve been able to pull it off for 21 years. But Mother Nature threw us a curveball.”

Bradenton Beach Mayor Jack Clarke joined in the decision, he said.

“We are delighted they’re trying to do the right thing,” said Suzi Fox, director of Turtle Watch, adding that The Chiles Group had previously installed flexible fencing along the rocks bordering the parking lot above the bird nesting area, which keeps people from climbing over the rocks onto the beach.

“Vegetation grew and attracted the birds,” she said. “They created a wonderful habitat” which also recently attracted a sea turtle to nest among the birds.

Fox said she was hoping the chicks would be hatched before the fireworks, which can frighten parent birds off their nests, leaving eggs vulnerable to predators, and also deter sea turtles from nesting. As the shorebird colony continued to attract new bird parents to nest there, Fox said she realized the potential hazard to the birds.

State law prohibits private fireworks displays with exploding, launching or projectile fireworks on Anna Maria Island’s beaches, according to Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer, adding that sky lanterns also are illegal. Sparklers, party poppers, snappers and snakes are permitted.

A fireworks display at another Chiles Group restaurant, the Sandbar in Anna Maria, remains scheduled for Saturday, July 4 after dark.

HOLMES BEACH – After hearing statistics from City Planner Bill Brisson, commissioners last week agreed on a four-bedroom limit on single family homes and a three –bedroom limit per side on duplexes in the R-2, R-3 and R-4 districts.

Since January, the city has been under a moratorium in those zoning districts on remodeling or construction of homes with four or more rooms that can be used as bedroom/sleeping rooms.

“Through 2008 the vast majority of dwelling units in the R-2 district had three or less bedrooms,” Brisson explained. “Four bedrooms were not the rule, but were not uncommon.”

He said up to 2008, 18 to 20 percent of units had four bedrooms, and 2.4 percent had more than four. However, between 2011-2014, the number of dwelling units that had five or more bedrooms jumped to 40 percent.

“The best supportable limitation is four bedrooms,” he said.

Commissioner Jean Peelen asked how many of those five-bedroom houses were investor built, and Brisson said possibly all of them but he would have to check.

Chair Judy Titsworth said four bedrooms on each side of a duplex could accommodate 16 people.

Single-family units included

Brisson said according to City Attorney Patricia Petruff, the four-bedroom limit also includes single-family homes, prompting a protest from Peelen.

“It’s one thing to put very strong measures in place to deal with the short term rental issue, but it’s another thing to say every potential resident my not have a house in Holmes Beach that’s larger than four bedrooms,” Peelen pointed out. “That is punishing the very people you don’t want to punish.”

Brisson said it applies to zoning districts R-2, R-3 and R-4 and he noted, “We’re talking about the character of the community and that is that only 2.5 percent of all the units up to 2008 were four or more bedrooms.”

“There wouldn’t be very many,” Peelen stressed. “I don’t want to be the one to say to the professional people who want to retire here and have a larger house that they can’t do it because we have a problem with large vacation rental homes.”

She said Petruff’s issue is with homeowners with more than four bedrooms who want to convert to vacation rentals in the future, but “that group is not large enough for me to say we have to impose the rules on everyone.”

Brisson said he doesn’t agree with Petruff, but he understands her point. He said they should talk to her. Petruff was not in attendance at the meeting.

Commissioner Carol Soustek said she supports four bedrooms in single family and three per side in duplexes. All except Peelen, who said four bedrooms should only apply to vacation rentals, agreed.

HOLMES BEACH – After hearing from residents and discussing the issue, commissioners agreed last week on one pool per duplex lot. The city is under a moratorium on two pools on duplex lots until July 31.

Prior to discussion, Margie Motzer urged commissioners to limit duplexes to one pool per lot. She gave an example of a block on the north side of 72nd Street and the south side of 73rd Street, which currently has 10 pools and could have as many as 14 or 15 pools.

“We keep hearing that you can’t regulate kids being kids during the day,” she said. “This is a much bigger issue than kids being kids, and it’s magnified by the numbers.”

She said she received and e-mail about a pool in the 5500 block of Holmes Boulevard, which had 15 to 20 people “yelling and screaming all week long.”

“That’s just one pool. Keep this in mind during your discussion. The number of pools does make a difference.”

Jaynie Christenson said there are six resort pools behind her house and that she had to call police over the weekend because of noise and parking issues.

“If you continue to allow two pools per lot, you’re encouraging rentals,” she said. “If you want a balance between residents and rentals, promote one pool per lot.”

Limit pool size

City Planner Bill Brisson said two pools on duplex lots is a recent occurrence in the city and that through 2008, 89 percent of the duplexes were unified structures, or connected by a footer or some means, and 17.5 percent have one pool per unit. Of the separated duplexes, 70 percent have one pool per unit.

He said if they limit the duplexes to one pool, developers might build one huge pool, and suggested that they limit the size of the pool.

Commissioner Jean Peelen said with one pool, it would affect the rental market because “people don’t want their kids swimming with strangers.”

Chair Judy Titsworth said her problem is with a situation in which the owner of one half has a pool and the owner of the other half doesn’t have one yet, but can’t find a renter without one. She also asked if there are two owners, “is the person who gets to the building department first going to get the pool?”

“For me, we need to interpret the law the way it’s been in the books forever, which is one pool per lot,” Peelen said. “Unfortunately, it will have consequences, particularly for owners of small duplexes.”

Commissioners Carol Soustek, Marvin Grossman and Pat Morton agreed. Titsworth said she is still on the fence.

Brisson asked about limiting size, and Peelen said only for duplexes, but Titsworth said it should be all pools in R-2. Brisson suggested just duplexes because of the increased intensity.

The other side

Laurie Dills asked commissioners to consider people in her situation who live in one side of a duplex and rent the other side.

“I’m a pool snob,” she said. “I don’t want to share my pool. The problem is the abuse, not the pools. If the problem is noise, drainage and parking, address that.

“If you do not have a pool on a rental, you will not get the European clients in the summer. It’s small families in a two- to three-bedroom rental. We need that market.”

She asked commissioners to consider grandfathering owners in her situation and those who have a pool on one side and had planned to build another in the future.

BRADENTON BEACH – The RFP (request for proposal) for the three business spaces located on the Historic Bridge Street Pier is now available.

The RFP was released late last week and was formally advertised on Friday.

“The city of Bradenton Beach is requesting proposals from qualified persons or entities to enter into a lease/concessionaire agreement,” the RFP states. “Proposal may include the sublease of any of these spaces located on city-owned waterfront property at 200 Bridge Street.”

Those interested in submitting bid proposals on one, two or three of the structures located at the foot of the renovated fishing pier can obtain a copy of the 20-page RFP document from the city clerk’s office, 107 Gulf Drive N., or download a copy at www.cityofbradentonbeach.com.

“The goal of this RFP is to select a person, persons or entity which will operate one or more of the three structures on the city pier. The city desires to have the restaurant structure operated as a restaurant, however, the other two structures may be used for any other commercial purpose,” the RFP states.

“The city seeks an experienced restaurateur who will provide service consistent with the surrounding beach uses. The city wishes to ensure that the restaurant design, décor, food and beverage services harmonize with the existing beach and pier recreation uses and designs,” it adds.

The RFP provides specific information and instructions on how to submit a proposal to be considered by the city commission and Pier Team advisory board.

The restaurant space is available for $2,500 a month, plus a percentage of the monthly gross revenue to be offered by those submitting sealed proposals, with the revenue percentage subject to further negotiation, if needed.

Located in a separate building next to the restaurant space, the much-in-demand bait shop space will lease for a flat rate of $750 per month; and the adjacent harbor master’s office, formerly used as a bait shop, will be leased for a flat fee of $550 a month.

“A lease/concessionaire agreement will be awarded to the proposer whose proposal is most advantageous to the city of Bradenton Beach, with rental price and other factors considered,” the RFP states.

The RFP strongly recommends those who intend to submit proposals attend a preliminary conference taking place at the pier on Thursday, June 25, from 10 a.m. until noon. The pre-conference will provide an opportunity to view and inspect the structures and city staff will be on hand to answer questions.

The deadline to submit written questions is Monday, July 6.

The deadline for bid submissions is 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 9, unless the submission period is extended by the commission and noticed to the public.

The sealed proposals will be opened in the commission chambers immediately after the 2 p.m. deadline passes. The public may attend the proposal opening, and the names of the respondents and their proposed bid amounts will be read aloud. The submitted proposals will not be available for immediate citizen review, but will made available as public records at some point soon thereafter.

The city commission and Pier Team will review and discuss the proposals and potential lease terms during a public meeting taking place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 14. The awarding of the lease and concessionaire agreements will then be determined by a majority commission vote at a subsequent public meeting.

“The RFP process is ahead of schedule and the mayor has every confidence the lease agreements will be in place by Aug. 1,” said Mayor Jack Clarke.

For more information, contact City Clerk Terri Sanclemente at 941-778-1005. For technical questions, contact Building Official Steve Gilbert at ext. 213. To schedule an inspection, contact Police Chief Sam Speciale at 941-778-6311.

BRADENTON BEACH – According to Mayor Jack Clarke, the city has already received multiple inquiries from parties interested in leasing the three city-owned business spaces located on the Historic Bridge Street Pier.

One by land…

Prior to the pier RFP (request for proposal) being released last week, the city received an e-mail from Colorado restauranteur and longtime Island visitor Richard Foresta.

“I am very interested in the restaurant space at the end of the pier on Bridge Street. I currently own three pizzerias and would be interested in putting a pizzeria in that location,” his June 6 e-mail said.

Foresta owns and operates the Apeizza e Vino pizza and wine bar in Lafayette, near Boulder, and two Angelo’s pizzerias in Pueblo, including one on the city’s riverwalk. The Angelo’s locations also offer breakfast on weekends.

Speaking by phone, the Brooklyn native said he has been visiting the Island for more than 30 years and has retired family members living in Sarasota.

While in town recently, he visited the pier and met with Clarke.

“I’ve always thought the pier would be a good spot for a pizzeria. I know what this place could do and location is so important,” Foresta said, noting that he is only interested in the restaurant space.

“What I like about Bridge Street is I don’t see anybody going out of business. I’ve never had a place that didn’t make it. It’s just a matter of being consistent and delivering a good product,” he said.

He restaurants make their own mozzarella, sausage and bread and only use organic produce. He said his Colorado locations gross $3 million, $1 million and $700,000 respectively, and he estimated a Bridge Street pier location might gross $80,000 a month.

When asked if he had any concerns about designated parking being limited to 22 spaces shared with pier users, Foresta said, “If I have a good product, you’ll find a place to park.”

Two by sea…

Paradise Boat Tours owner Sherman Baldwin was among the first to pick up a copy of the RFP last week. His initial conceptual plan entails a three-building operation that would include a bait shop and calls for the restaurant space to be used to serve simple, over-the-counter food, while also serving as a water taxi/tour terminal and a retail space.

Baldwin hopes to expand his operations to include a water taxi service that runs from Bradenton Riverwalk to the Bridge Street pier, with a stop in Cortez that would allow more visitors to leave their cars behind. He plans to promote the Monkey Bus and the free trolley system as means of cost-free local transportation for those who arrive by boat.

Although he expressed initial interest in all three pier spaces, Baldwin said a pizzeria would work nicely on the pier and his plans would still work using only the bait shop and harbor master’s office.

“The important thing is to generate some energy on the pier,” said the man whose tour boat operation already utilizes the city’s floating day dock for boarding and disembarking passengers.

Like Foresta, Baldwin has already engaged in preliminary conversations with the mayor.

“It’s fair to say these are two innovative types of responses we’ve gotten to the RFP,” Clarke said.

At least three other parties have expressed interest in the bait shop and another out of town restauranteur has expressed interest in the restaurant space.

“I’ve also handed out RFPs to numerous other parties who have contacted me as well,” Clarke said.

The pier RFP can be obtained at Bradenton Beach City Hall or online at www.cityofbradentonbeach.com.

People with ideas to improve the environment, boost tourism and develop the area’s Blue Economy are competing for funds to turn them into reality in the inaugural Gulf Coast Innovation Challenge.

The not-for-profit Gulf Coast Community Foundation will award up to $375,000 in grant funds in November for the winning solution to a marine science issue facing Florida’s Gulf Coast. Finalists will be announced at the end of this month, and as many as five teams will receive grants of $25,000 each in July to prototype their product, service, project or business.

The challenge already is having a positive impact on the community, according to Greg Luberecki, director of marketing and communications for the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Several teams with complementary interests are discussing collaborating with competitors after the challenge is over, and several non-competitors have requested contact information for teams whose projects complement their own work, he said.

Here are some projects proposed by local residents or with local applications:

• Team Mullet, whose members include Cortez fisherman Larry Fulford and the Chicago Zoological Society, proposes to create a local brand of mullet and develop a new market for it – captive dolphins. Mullet has been shown to aid dolphins suffering from a health problem known as metabolic syndrome, according to the proposal.

• Charlotte Huntley, of SeaLutions, collects organic marine litter – seaweed, barnacles and dead fish – and combines them with rainwater to create compost, “turning nuisance into nutrients.” Her proposal promises to provide sustainable jobs to fishermen and scientifically-tested products to gardeners, homeowners, landscapers, farmers, golf courses and other businesses.

• University of South Florida professors propose "Taking Back the Lion’s Share," a plan to create artificial reefs with features like sponges and reef overhangs that are attractive to invasive lionfish. Once the fish congregate on the reef, they can easily and affordably be harvested for food, according to the proposal.

• A team that includes Carmine Galati, of Galati Yachts of Anna Maria, proposes establishing the American Marine University, a four-year university on the Gulf coast that would offer degrees and certifications leading to careers in the marine industry using an employer-based curriculum and project-based learning.

• Sarasota Bay Watch and the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast are proposing the "Emerald Necklace,"creating new marine eco-destinations for tourists and residents by removing invasive plants and planting native plants on existing islands to make them accessible.

• The Healthy Earth Gulf Coast team, including Ed Chiles of The Chiles Group and Sandy Gilbert of Solutions to Avoid Red Tide (START), proposes obtaining a sustainability certification for Gulf gray striped mullet and building a processing facility to create products including omega-3 fish oil, probiotics, livestock feeds and fertilizers. Local fishermen would have the opportunity for equity ownership in the business, which the proposal states would curb the waste of mullet.

• Larry Stults, of Sarasota Bay Watch, and Mark Alderson, of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, are on the Living Shorelines team, which proposes creating a demonstration living seawall at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, constructed of sand, plants and rocks. The proposal states that eliminating concrete seawalls will enhance water quality, as wave action against seawalls makes Sarasota Bay more turbid, choking out seagrass.

• The Marine Science Literacy Team, which includes Barbara Kirkpatrick, former red tide researcher with Mote Marine Laboratory and executive director of the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System; Ingrid McClellan of Keep Manatee Beautiful; and Nature’s Academy, proposes nature experiences for students with a STEM focus (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Field trips to Anna Maria Island and other destinations will include birdwatching with binoculars, dip netting, water quality investigations and picking up litter, classifying it and weighing it.

• Justin Bloom, an attorney who worked on local BP oil spill claims, is among the members of Team Read the Red Tide, whose proposal would use the most up-to-date red tide detection methods to monitor and forecast red tide, making reports available on free cell phone applications.

• The SeaBaybies team proposes to scatter a plant-based fish food daily along a seawall at a Sarasota County test site to encourage growth of juvenile marine life.

Other proposals include creating a smartphone app for recreational fishermen to use that will capture data on fish stock, another app that would allow fishermen to give real time catch data to anyone who wants to buy fresh fish direct from the fisherman and a project to desalinate salt water using an algae to remove the salt.

CORTEZ – Christmas came early for the Anna Maria Island Privateers Sunday afternoon when they were presented with a new Christmas sleigh created by two men named Klaus and some pirate-friendly elves.

Built and designed by the father and son team of Warren and Tim Klaus and based on a previous design created by the elder Klaus and his friend Jim Griffin, the new sleigh replaces the one commandeered during a two-year legal battle with former Privateer Rick Maddox.

“I designed and built it with a lot of my friends” Warren said of the sleigh that sat in the driveway of his Cortez home on Sunday afternoon, waiting to be bestowed upon one of the Island’s most beloved charitable organizations.

“It’s a much better sleigh than the old one,” he said of the 29-foot, 1,400 pound trailer-mounted gift valued at $17,500.

“My son Tim put all the electronics in it,” the honorary Privateer said with fatherly pride.

“I usually work on boats, but when their sleigh was taken away I said, ‘Dad, let’s go build them a sleigh,’” Dockside Marine Service owner Tim Klaus explained.

The work began in December and was completed on Friday.

“We had family, friends and the community coming together. It’s beautiful,” Tim Klaus said.

“I did the electronics. We put in LED running gear, LED trailer lights and LED everything. They have a power invertor, two batteries, a battery charger and shore power. When they go down the road they’ll be FDOT legal with a license plate and a serial number. Nobody can take their sleigh away this time, I made sure of that,” he added.

Stan Weyman has been the Privateers’ Santa for 15 years and the old sleigh was a traditional highlight of the annual Christmas Parade.

“I love it, and I’ve got room for six or seven elves with me now,” he said.

“That’s gonna make a lot of noise in the parade this year,” he said of the new stereo system that features large exterior speakers mounted on each side of the seating area.

The Privateer’s new toy will make its public debut at the Christmas in July celebration taking place at the Drift In on Saturday, July 25.

Privateer Tim “Hammer” Thompson said it was hard to find the right words to express his appreciation.

“It’s awesome. Warren built the first one, then we lost it in a little formal litigation, and now we’ve got a bigger, better high-tech sleigh; and this time Warren got to do it with his son,” he said.

A plaque affixed to the sleigh’s interior recognizes its builders and designers, as well as a long list of supporters that includes The Sun, the AMI Chamber of Commerce and County Commissioners Carol Whitmore and John Chappie.

When the Privateers piled into the new sleigh to christen it with appreciation, Warren said, “You guys are well-deserving,” as he stepped aboard.

Before presenting Warren with a plaque of his own, President-elect Bill “Sparkles” Rosencrantz said, “On behalf of the Privateers, I gladly accept this offering … It’s much better than our old one … We salute you Mr. Klaus for saving Christmas.”

After a hearty round of applause, Rosencrantz said, “Once again, young and old will feel the magic as Santa arrives in his beautiful sleigh … Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

The grateful Privateers then celebrated the occasion with a pirate’s bounty of food and drink.