BRADENTON BEACH – Due to the sudden and unexpected resignation of City Treasurer and Finance Director Sheila Dalton, Tuesday morning’s budget work session was postponed.

Mayor Jack Clarke opened the work session and after the Pledge of Allegiance was given he suggested the session be postponed, which the commission unanimously agreed to do.

Tuesday was to have been the commission’s first public discussion on the tentative 2015-2016 fiscal year budget prepared by Dalton based on input provided by city department heads.  

Immediately after the abbreviated work session, Mayor Jack Clarke said, “I’m very surprised. I had no advance notice that this was going to happen, but the absence of one person does not determine the fate of the city. I do not expect the budget process to be hampered in any way. All budgetary deadlines have been met thus far and will continue to be met.”

In her resignation letter dated Tuesday, Aug. 11, Dalton wrote, “Experiences over the past six months convince me that I must resign from my position. The reason for my resignation is that I am simply not ruthless enough for this city.

“I have been employed with the city for over a year now and I do not see myself working for a city which does not share the same beliefs that I do. I had hoped that because I was enjoying my work so much that perhaps a compromise between the city ethics and my own could be reached. However, I see now this is not possible.

“According to current practice, I suspect my replacement will be nothing more than a bookkeeper, so city spending will not be monitored and it will go back to being business as usual before I arrived. Most people resist change and yet that is the only thing that brings progress,” her letter said.

Dalton and Police Chief Sam Speciale had recently disagreed on forthcoming budget allotments for the police department. 

“Despite this major problem with ethics and values that I am experiencing, I would still like to thank the mayor and commissioners for this opportunity. I am sad that things just cannot possibly work out. However, I do wish everyone the best of luck,” Dalton’s letter concluded.  

Dalton began her tenure with the city in January 2014.

“We’ll miss Sheila’s sunny disposition and she’s did a good job saving the city money during her time with us,” said Commissioner Jan Vosburgh.

As of late Tuesday morning, the city had already began its search for a new treasurer. 

Recent storms have coughed up some strange debris on Anna Maria Island beaches, including what might be pieces of the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded in 2010, causing the biggest Gulf of Mexico oil disaster in history.

Looking like a partially-buried stegosaurus, the half-inch thick, four-by-four-foot piece of black plastic near the Angelino’s Sea Lodge tree house in Holmes Beach, and its twin in front of Katie Pierola Park in Bradenton Beach, drew the attention of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Director Suzi Fox.

She called Blair Witherington, a senior sea turtle biologist at the University of Florida’s Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, who has been blogging about the objects. On a recent research trip in the Gulf about 45 miles offshore of Mississippi, where the Deepwater Horizon oil spill had its biggest impact, he and his crew came across between 30 and 40 of the plastic sheets floating on the water.

“They are VIV (vortex-induced vibration) strake sheaths,” which are wrapped around pipes that descend from oil rigs into the Gulf, he said. “It keeps them from moving so much with the currents. They’re not supposed to come off, but they do.”

Besides floating in the Gulf, they are likely to be swept into the Loop Current, which would carry them south, out of the Gulf and up the east coast of the U.S., he said, with some crossing the Atlantic, making landfall near the Bahamas and Bermuda, even the U.K.

“Expect to see them showing up on a beach near you,” he said.

What do VIV sheaths have to do with sea turtles? The plastic will degrade into small pieces that turtles will eat.

“It stacks up in their intestines,” Witherington said, adding that the plastics “will probably outlive us all.”

BRADENTON BEACH – Commissioner Janie Robertson received little support from the commission last week when she requested an investigation of City Clerk Terri Sanclemente’s adherence to an ordinance that pertains to employee benefits and the clerk’s supervisory authority.

When presenting her request, Robertson said “I move to authorize an investigation into violations of Ordinance 398 by the city clerk.”

When her motion received no support, Mayor Jack Clarke said, “No second; the motion fails.”

Robertson and city resident Tjet Martin recently raised concerns about Deputy Clerk Emily Long being given health insurance benefits before a 90-day introductory period had been completed.

After being appointed city clerk on June 4, Sanclemente hired Long to serve as her deputy clerk. Long had been working as an independently-contracted clerk’s assistant since January, in a position that did not provide benefits.

Robertson did not attend the meeting at which Sanclemente was appointed clerk, but she later objected through a series of public criticisms.

Latest concerns

On July 27, Robertson sent an e-mail to City Treasurer Sheila Dalton that asked, “Was any premature financial consideration given to Emily which cost the city money?”

Dalton provided Robertson with specific figures pertaining to Long’s salary and benefits, which took effect July 1, but she did not indicate whether she felt any considerations were awarded prematurely or subjected the city to additional costs.

Page 6 of the city’s employee handbook says, “Employee health insurance will become effective after the initial 90 calendar days.”

A July 27 e-mail Martin sent to Sanclemente said, “Emily did not achieve the 90-day waiting period for benefits. How or why did you make the determination to waive that?”

In response, Sanclemente suggested Martin’s concerns required legal review, which is not a duty of the clerk’s office.

Numerous e-mails from Robertson and Martin were included in the agenda packet provided to commissioners; some voiced the pair’s objection to Clarke’s restructuring of the administrative office in a manner that provided Sanclemente with supervisory authority over Dalton and Building Official Steve Gilbert. This resulted in Sanclemente participating in the firing of a newly-hired building department employee.

When her motion to authorize an investigation failed, Robertson said, “There needs to be some discussion on this. I am an elected official and this is an extremely important issue.”

Clarke said, “I don’t doubt that it is, and it is your privilege under our charter to call a special meeting to address it, but for tonight’s meeting I want to move through because we’ve already been here for a considerable period of time.”

A legal matter

After noting that it takes support from two other commissioners to call a special meeting, Robertson said:

“So, in other words I’m shut down … This is a legal matter that we need to discuss.”

Clarke turned to City Attorney Ricinda Perry and said, “Well, let’s get a legal opinion.”

Perry said, “I would need permission from the commission to conduct that legal review.”

The commission authorized Perry to review Robertson’s concerns and provide a legal opinion for the Thursday, August 20, meeting, at which point the commission may determine if it wishes to take further action.

On Friday, Sanclemente was asked if she felt she had done anything wrong.

“No, not that I’m aware of. If I have done anything wrong, I would be the first to admit it. I’m not the type of person to try and cover anything up,” she said.

In regard to Robertson’s frequent criticisms, Sanclemente said, “If you want the city to heal, why are you looking for fault everywhere? She’s stated in meetings that she’s human and makes mistakes all the time. I don’t see how her coming after me is going to help her with her re-election.”

Clarke said, “I believe there is no error; however, if error can be shown, there is no intent, and we’re waiting on an opinion from the city attorney.”

In regard to the chain of command in an administrative office that includes the clerk and the treasurer, Clarke said, “Very shortly, with the proposed charter amendments, a new employee handbook, and legislation proposed to eliminate such conflicts, these concerns will be resolved.”

BRADENTON BEACH – During general public comment at last week’s city commission meeting, Barbara Schelin levied sharp criticisms against city administrations past and present.

Her statements set the tone for a tense mood that permeated throughout the remainder of Thursday’s meeting; and some of her claims were questioned later in the week.

Schelin, a Bradenton resident, has never lived in Bradenton Beach; nor can she vote in the city elections. But before retiring, she helped manage resorts in Longboat Key and Bradenton Beach.

When contacted Sunday, Schelin acknowledged that she is good friends with Commissioner Janie Robertson. She also has ties to former Mayor Bill Shearon and his girlfriend Tjet Martin, having donated to Shearon’s recall election campaign earlier this year and Martin’s bid for a commission seat in 2014.

Critical of clerk

Schelin began by questioning City Clerk Terri Sanclemente’s qualifications.

Echoing similar statements made recently by Robertson, Schelin said, “The qualifications for the city clerk of Bradenton Beach are clearly outlined in the city’s code of ordinances. Unfortunately, Ms. Sanclemente does not meet them.”

Schelin was correct in regard to Sanclemente not being a certified city clerk, which is not required by city or state law, but she failed to note that the ordinance also says the city clerk can hold that position while obtaining certification, which Sanclemente is doing.

Schelin also neglected to mention ordinance language that says, “Any combination of comparable education, training and experience may be acceptable in lieu of these requirements.”

Schelin said she obtained her certification from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks while attending Syracuse University.

When contacted Sunday, Schelin said she served as a city clerk in Poughkeepsie, NY, then moved to Florida in 1996 and never clerked again.

In 2000, she applied for the Anna Maria clerk’s job awarded to Alice Baird.

When reminded that the city ordinance allows for comparable clerk’s experience, Schelin said she didn’t want to “split hairs” on a Sunday morning.

City in receivership?

Schelin told the commission the city had once fallen into state receivership and warned that it could happen again.

Providing no specifics, Schelin said, “Bradenton Beach was in serious trouble once before and the state came in and took total control of all city operations. This is known as receivership.”

In the days that followed, several past and present city officials and longtime residents refuted this claim.

Police Chief Sam Speciale said, “In the 30 years of my tenure, the state has never taken control of city operations.”

Sunday morning, Schelin said, “I think it was a very well-kept secret. I was informed by the previous mayor of Anna Maria (Gary Deffenbaugh). I know that Katie Pierola is the one that came in and cleaned it up. I was actually interviewing for the city clerk’s job of Anna Maria at that time.”

Pierola, who was mayor at that time, was contacted and provided a verbatim reading of Schelin’s public comments.

“Oh my God no! The only thing we had help on was with the Florida League of Cities on our insurance. The city was in chaos back then because there was a huge lawsuit against the city, against Mayor Connick,” Pierola said.

“We had to dip down into our reserves to pay for all this. Reserves got so low we didn’t have insurance on the police cars and the city buildings, but there was no state receivership. Consequentially, it’s been a rebuilding process ever since.”

Additional concerns

Schelin also voiced complaints about Mayor Jack Clarke, City Attorney Ricinda Perry and mentioned “the worst example of a budget I have ever seen,” without specifying which budget year she was referring to.

On Sunday, she said her concerns were not limited to the current administration.

“For the 10 years I’ve been watching and closely reading that budget, it’s just been horribly mismanaged. You don’t just continually dip into your reserves to balance your budget” she said, noting that things have improved since City Treasurer Sheila Dalton arrived in 2014.

Schelin publicly criticized the idea that city employees might possibly receive 5 percent pay increases and she suggested, with no supporting evidence, that this was a favor being bestowed upon those who supported Clarke’s successful recall campaign.

“You certainly don’t give people a salary increase if you have to be dipping into your reserves,” she added Sunday morning.

Clarke was asked if he felt Schelin’s remarks, and Robertson’s subsequent attempt to initiate an investigation of the city clerk, were an orchestrated effort designed to generate negative publicity before the November elections.

“Do I think this is politically and personally motivated? Absolutely,” he said.

When asked about Schelin’s comments, Perry said, “The city is happy to address the citizenry’s concern, however the concerns need to be based on facts.”

MANATEE COUNTY – Last week, County Commissioners unanimously approved a rezoning request and a general development plan for the Lake Flores mixed-use development that could help reshape the economic future of west Bradenton.

The proposal calls for the construction of 6,500 residential units, three million square feet of commercial space and 500 hotel rooms on 1,322 acres of Manatee Fruit Company property owned by the Preston family.

Much of the property to be developed lies along the El Conquistador Parkway and Cortez Road, and county officials and residents recognize this could significantly increase traffic and congestion in the surrounding area.

A centerpiece of the Lake Flores development will be a main street-like town center and a 19-acre lake surrounded by a recreational trail, all of which will be open to the public. This area will be part of the first phase of an anticipated 20-year build out.

In an effort to contain traffic, the development will include 12 miles of internal roads, with bike and pedestrian trails further increasing residents’ ability to travel through the community without accessing the primary roads that surround it.

Utilizing neo-traditional architecture and design, housing options will include apartments, single family homes and multi-family structures, with the commercial spaces providing employment opportunities those seeking the live, work and play lifestyle.

After Whiting Preston and other members of the development team presented their plans, Commission Chair Betsy Benac asked him if he and his family planned to remain active in the project named after Whiting’s mother.

“We’ll need to make that decision as we get down that path,” Preston said, noting that the family would likely remain involved in some capacity.

County Commissioner and Bradenton Beach resident John Chappie praised the project, but mentioned traffic as his primary concern.

Cortez residents Linda Molto and Joe Kane also voiced concerns about the impact 6,500 new homes would have on traffic traveling to and from the Island.

“Everybody has said it, but I’m going to say it again: We have a traffic problem. I live in Cortez Village, I’ve been there 32 years, I have never seen anything like what we have now,” Molto said.

Traffic concerns aside, the plans were well-received by commissioners and residents. Many who spoke expressed their respect for the Preston family; in particular for Whiting Preston, who is serving as the point man and public face for the New Urbanism-inspired development.

The family was also praised for soliciting public input during the preliminary design phase through the BradentonsFuture.com website, which remains active.

Taking the time and effort to develop a planned community rather than selling their property off piecemeal, which would have allowed for more strip malls and disconnected housing developments that contribute to urban sprawl.

Commissioner Carol Whitmore was among those who praised the Prestons for proposing less than the maximum 8,000-plus residential units and nearly four million acres of commercial space allowed. Whitmore also noted that the three and six story building heights allowed in some areas would lessen horizontal sprawl.

Many who support the project touted the need for economic revitalization in west Bradenton, which in recent years has experienced an exodus of residents and businesses moving east toward Lakewood Ranch,

West Bradenton resident and Realtor Dolly Young said she and others often drive to the Lakewood Ranch to shop at places like Whole Foods and Total Wines.

“Mixed development of this type will bring those types of retail to us,” she said.

The residential units and hotel rooms will also benefit the nearby IMG Academy.

“The majority of IMG Academy students come from outside the area. We estimate between 300 and 350 families every year relocate to the area. I can tell you they are not relocating to west Bradenton; not because they don’t want to, but because there are limited options,” said IMG’s Chris Ciaccio.

As the last to speak, Dick Knowles closed public comment on an emotional note. After acknowledging that his own life and career are winding down, he said, “I hope and pray that you will approve this great project for the benefit of our community, creating a place for my kids, your kids and our kids’ kids to live in a prosperous and vibrant community.”

Experts in the field of storm prediction have more good news this hurricane season. Thanks to a strong growth of El Niño winds in the Pacific, conditions in the atmosphere are exceptionally non-conducive to tropical storm and hurricane formation. These conditions, which include strong vertical wind shear and enhanced sinking motion, are predicted to continue through the peak months of the hurricane season across the main Atlantic hurricane development region, which spans the Caribbean Sea and tropical Atlantic Ocean.

Both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Atmospheric Science Department of Colorado State University (CSU) issued new forecasts last week strengthening their forecasts of an extremely light season.

So far, three named storms have developed this season. Ana made landfall in South Carolina and Bill made landfall in Texas. Claudette formed in the Atlantic in July and went north and west without significantly affecting the mainland. None of these tropical storms developed into hurricanes.

These new reports come after initial forecasts called for a very calm year. The initial CSU forecast called for seven named storms, with 12 being the median number of recorded named storms; 30 named storm days, with 60.1 being the median; three hurricanes, with 6.5 being the median; 10 hurricane days, with 21.3 as the median; one major hurricane, with two as the median; and 0.5 major hurricane days, with 3.9 as the median.

They now say that the remainder of 2015 will see five named storms, 19.5 named storm days, two hurricanes, eight hurricane days, one major hurricane and 0.5 major hurricane days. The prediction says the probability of a U.S. major hurricane landfall and Caribbean major hurricane activity for the remainder of the 2015 season is well below its long-period average.

NOAA initially predicted a 70 percent likelihood of six to 11 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which three to six could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including zero to two major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).

The new NOAA prediction calls for six to 10 named storms, which includes the three named storms to date, 1-4 hurricanes and 0-1 major hurricanes.

The report has a caution. “It only takes one storm hitting an area to cause a disaster, regardless of the overall activity. Therefore, residents, businesses, and government agencies of coastal and near-coastal regions are urged to prepare every hurricane season regardless of this or any other seasonal outlook.”

Hurricane Forecasts

CSU

Named Storms & Days Hurricanes & Days Major Hurricanes & Days

June 7 & 30 3 & 10 1 & 0.5

Aug. 5 & 19.5 2 & 8 1 & 0.5

Median 12 & 60.1 6.5 & 21.3 2 & 3.9

NOAA

Named Storms Hurricanes Major Hurricanes

June 6-11 3-6 0-2

Aug. 6-10 1-4 0-1

That night-vision-goggled chopper pilot buzzing your 150-foot-tall Australian pine tree around midnight at 105 miles per hour is a friend, not a foe.

Vacationers on Anna Maria Island sometimes call 911 when one of the three Manatee County Mosquito Control District 500-D choppers flies by, said John Gardner, who has been a pilot for the district since 1998.

“They think the worst, that we’re spraying some sort of chemical that’s going to hurt them. It’s all safe and approved by the EPA,” he said, adding, “We have the occasional person from up north who calls in and thinks we’re crashing or thinks we’re on fire because they see the spray.”

At sunset, Gardner takes off, loaded down with Dibrom, which he applies at a half ounce to an acre, “like spraying a hairspray can,” he said.

It’s the opposite of what a crop duster does, said the former U.S. Army flight instructor, a Palmetto native.

“In crop dusting, you’re trying to limit drift,” he said. “We want all the drift we can” to maximize the area sprayed.

With July’s heavy storms, three pilots are dispatched to spray the county, along with two fog truck drivers who spray at ground level.

The Island and Cortez have been sprayed about once a week due to the rains, he said, adding that while the Island has its share of mosquitoes, they can be much worse inland, such as in Duette and Myakka, depending on where the most rainfall is.

“Cortez lately has been one of the hot tickets,” Gardner said, targeted based on mosquito trap results and complaints from residents.

Cortez resident Joe Curley admires the operation.

“Now that’s a brave pilot to fly rows of parallel sweeps… when there are tall obstacles that can mean a doomed flight with the littlest bit of pilot error,” said Curley, a pilot himself. “Besides concentrating on flying, the pilot must also control the spray equipment too.”

Two of the district’s pilots, including Gardner, fly at night, using night vision goggles to avoid obstacles. In addition, a “wingman” device is programmed with high objects like the Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria cell phone towers to show the pilots the locations of the towers.

You can’t program the wingman with bats, however, which is unfortunate, since bats eat mosquitoes.

“Tuesday night I hit a fruit bat and it damaged the windscreen,” he said, not to mention the bat. “Bats are the worst.”

BRADENTON BEACH – A slowdown created by deeply buried pilings on the northernmost groin has forced the contractor to begin work on the middle groin while constructing the northern one, according to CB&I spokesperson Michelle Pfeiffer, PE.

The project, which began on March 9, is still on track for completion in January, weather permitting.

The construction area on the shore runs from 5th to 7th Street South and that portion of the beach is closed to the public for safety reasons. The area closed for the middle groin is between 9th and 11th Street South.

CB&I will maintain three handicapped parking spaces along Cortez Beach during the project and the multi-use path near the middle groin will be closed Monday through Friday from 9th through 11th Street South and the path near the northern groin will be closed for 1 to 2 months between 5th and 7th Street South.

The wooden access ramp between 9th and 10th Street South will be open for the use as a beach overlook, but the beachside access will be closed for safety purposes during the construction of the north groin. After completion of the north groin construction, the beachside access of the ramp will be reopened.

The beach accesses near 5th, 7th and 8th Street South will remain open for the duration of the project. Construction equipment may be traveling on the beach in this location for the next 1 to 2 months, according to Pfeiffer.

The project is part of Manatee County’s beach management plan that included a renourishment project in 2013. The project’s estimated cost is $2.1 million.