ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Island residents, visitors and city officials were plagued by flooded streets, water seeping into low-lying homes, anchored vessels breaking free, a dinghy dock underwater and at least one leaking roof that caused residents to evacuate, but there were no serious injuries or life-threating incidents reported as Tropical Storm Colin passed through Monday afternoon.

"We train to respond to these type of storms. We had our plans in place and we were in communication with the Manatee County Emergency Operations Center," said Bradenton Beach Police Chief Sam Speciale, while touring the city during high tide, which arrived around 12:45 p.m. on Monday.

"You plan for the worst but you never know what's going to happen. We were as ready as we could be," Speciale added, while driving down a flooded Avenue A, where water was intruding some of the homes in that area.

Near the Bridge Tender Inn, along Bay Drive South, the high tide produced small waves and standing water in the road. Nearby, the city's dinghy dock was underwater, with several dinghys tied to it and floating safely above. At the day dock, two sailboats and a cabin cruiser were tied up after breaking free or becoming in danger of breaking free from their anchors in the nearby anchorage.

Earlier in the day, a Coast Guard crew rescued three people from a houseboat that was sinking in rough water just south of the Historic Bridge Street Pier. Lifeguards from Manatee County Marine Rescue were also called to the scene for potential medical assistance, but none was needed, as the three mariners were safely placed ashore by the Coast Guard without injury, according to Marine Rescue officials.

Bradenton Beach City Commissioner Jake Spooner reported having whitecaps in his front yard earlier in the day, and the flag pole at city hall was toppled by strong winds. Gusts of up to 50 mph were reported at the Bradenton Beach Police Department Monday morning.

In Holmes Beach, there was significant flooding on Marina Drive, near city hall, the library and Keyes Marina, which forced motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists to proceed through the high water with caution. There was also significant street flooding just north of Anna Maria Elementary School, which was only school in the county that closed for the entire day.

Other than flooding, Police Chief Bill Tokajer said he was not aware of any more serious incidents taking place.

At the north end of the Island, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said there was some flooding on Fern Street, but he wasn't aware of anything too serious going on.

"It looks like we came through it OK, but there might be more to come."

The two piers in the city of Anna Maria remained closed Monday. Anna Maria Public Works Director George McKay said he and City Pier restaurant Manager Dave Sork talked Money morning and agreed it would be in the best interest of the public not to open it. The Rod and Reel restaurant was closed all day as well. The Rod and Reel Pier is a privately owned public facility. After a relatively calm afternoon, the hard rains began falling again at around 3:30 p.m.

Around that same time, Anna Maria Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Executive Director Suzi Fox was asked if the storm was having an effect on sea turtle nests.

"It is and it has. I don't know the exact numbers yet, but we've had a lot of washouts of nests," Fox said. "We'll have a better assessment of the situation on Tuesday. But we do know we've lost a lot of eggs. People are finding eggs on the beach, floating in water, and they should not touch them."

Fox added that it is illegal for the public to handle turtle eggs.

Rain again was in the forecast for Tuesday.

BRADENTON BEACH – On Friday afternoon, former Bradenton Beach Mayor and current County Commissioner John Chappie announced he was running for the Ward 4 City Commission seat being vacated by Jan Vosburgh.

In March, Chappie announced that he would not seek a third term as the District 3 County Commissioner.

On Friday, he said running for a city commission seat was not on his radar at that time, but encouragement from others helped change his mind.

"I kept getting more and more phone calls. Here I am wanting to slow down, but this is about wanting to help and having an opportunity to do that on a different level. I loved serving the county, and I learned a lot in my seven-plus years, but I'm a lot more comfortable with the city stuff. Given the opportunity, I know I can help us grow stronger and even better as a community, and I can contribute balance to the commission," he said.

"It's an opportunity to go back to where I was – going to meetings wearing shorts and being the beach guy again, which I miss," he added.

Before being elected to the county commission in 2008 and reelected in 2012, Chappie served three terms as the Bradenton Beach mayor. He also served two full terms and two partial terms a Bradenton Beach commissioner. He has been a resident of Bradenton Beach for more than 40 years.

Chappie joins first-time candidate Bill Vincent in the Ward 4 race. Vincent filed his preliminary candidacy paperwork in March. To date, the retired Michigan native and Pines Trailer Park resident has already received $1,014 in campaign contributions.

Vincent purchased his home in the Pines in 2007 and became a registered city voter in 2011. He served on many volunteer boards while living in Michigan and was recently appointed to the city's Scenic W.A.V.E.S Committee.

When asked about Chappie's decision, Vincent said, "It has been rumored for some time that Mr. Chappie was considering running, so it comes as no surprise."

In regard to Chappie's experience at the city and county levels, Vincent said, "I have no doubt he did a fine job. I am not running or campaigning against Mr. Chappie or any other person. My candidacy is based on my experience and what I will bring to the commission and the city."

In Bradenton Beach, the qualifying period for the November elections opens on Monday, June 20 and closes on Friday, June 24.

Local reaction

"I'm thrilled that John Chappie is running. He would bring great experience to the commission, and he is very dedicated to our city," Vosburgh said of her possible replacement.

Mayor Bill Shearon said, "I welcome all candidates. The more the better, and that way the voters have an opportunity to choose."

Vice Mayor Ed Straight said, "John comes with a lot of experience."

Commissioner Jake Spooner said, "We are fortunate to have someone with his knowledge and experience willing to serve again."

Police Chief Sam Speciale said, "Not only was John a great commissioner, he was one of the best mayors I've worked with."

City Attorney Ricinda Perry said, "I worked alongside John when he was a commissioner and as mayor. He has the heart of a true public servant, and it would be a gift to have his depth of experience and his solution-oriented approach back on the dais."

Local issues

Chappie sees traffic and vacation rentals as two key issues facing the city and the Island, and he mentioned the state legislature's adoption of House Bill 883 in 2011 and the impact that had on local governments' ability to regulate vacation rentals.

"That act was monumental to the direction that we as an Island community have been forced to go down and now we're struggling to figure out how to deal with it."

He agrees the city of Bradenton Beach should pursue a managed anchorage, and he praised Mayor Bill Shearon for reinitiating those efforts.

"You have to look at the financial end of it, but we have to get a handle on that situation," he said.

He considers the development of an Island-wide bike trail to be a great opportunity, and he supports the ongoing efforts to see more county revenues returned to the Island.

HOLMES BEACH – While the traffic islands at East Bay Drive and Manatee Avenue have been transformed, beautification board members feel they could be improved.

The initial work included removing most of the plants but keeping the three palms, adding groupings of Indian Hawthorne and coontie adding brown stone, boulders trimmed with red crimson stone, small lime rock trim around plants and riprap as an edging barrier. Public Works Foreman Dave Benton said the work cost about $5,000.
At the May 11 meeting, member Midge Pippel asked about adding artwork such as a sculpture, and the board voted to authorize her to explore the possibility. Member Jerry West said any artwork must adhere to line of sight guidelines from the Florida Department of Transportation.

Pippel asked about adding some color with small plants near boulders, and West said the rocks get very hot. However, member Zan Fuller said cactus or agave plants might be appropriate. West said they could discuss that proposal when meetings resume in the fall.

Benton he felt the boulders were too small; he would like to replace them with larger ones and the mayor approved. The board made a motion to do so.

Park signs

Members discussed signs to identify the city's parks. West suggested using a small metal sign, approximately 12 by 18 inches, with the city seal and lettering stating City Park.

Members agreed on a recommendation of light blue for the sign with black lettering.

Fuller asked what parks would have signs, and West said Nunn's Way at 83rd Street, Spring Lake Park at 6807 Holmes Blvd., the tennis and basketball courts at 62nd and 63rd streets and Flotilla Drive, Prince Park at 121 52nd Street and the four parks from 37th to 39th streets and Fourth to Sixth avenues.

West said there should be a sign on East Bay Drive to direct people to Grassy Point Preserve and that he would work with Benton to decide on a size and location.

Fuller asked about signs with historical information for certain parks that members had discussed in previous meetings. West said they could discuss that proposal when meetings resume in the fall. Fuller asked about finishing the edge around Prince Park with mulch, and Benton suggested a contrasting color with what is there. The board voted to do so.

In other business Benton said the city is maintaining the information board at Grassy Point and also maintaining the abandoned butterfly garden at city hall until the board decides on a plan for it.

The board will break for the summer and resume meetings on Oct. 5.

HOLMES BEACH – Neighbors gathered at Spring Lake Park last week to hear from City Engineer Lynn Burnett regarding the latest phase in the Island-wide drainage project.

Burnett told the group that as the Island grew, people used cheap available materials to build up the land on the Island in order to build homes and businesses.

"Over time, the layers built up and compacted and sealed off the ability for the water to drain back through the sand," she said, adding that the drainage project is installing a filtration/percolation system in order to restore the ability for the water to drain.

Burnett explained that with this system, workers dig down until they reach clean white sand. Filter fabric is used to line the sides of the trench, which is filled with large, clean aggregate to within 6 inches of the top. Next a layer of filter fabric is added and topped with white stone, so stable that people can park on it.

The first systems were installed in 2011 and now include many streets in all three Island cities. The work is being funded by grants from the Southwest Water Management District and the stormwater utility fees being collected in all three cities.

Central Holmes Beach Basin

This phase of work will be done around Spring Lake and includes Clark Drive between Palm Drive and Holmes Boulevard Palm Drive from 71st to 68th streets, the east side of Holmes Boulevard between Clark Drive and 68th Street and the around corner at Holmes Boulevard and 68th Street.

The city's contractor Woodruff and Sons will be working in June and July along and within the city's rights of way in the open and/or grassy areas adjacent to the edge of asphalt. In addition to installing the filtration/percolation system, the contractor will be cleaning, repairing and replacing existing pipes as needed.

Burnett said driveways and heavily landscaped areas would not be disturbed unless necessary and that construction areas would be scooped and filled the same day so that no sections would be left open overnight.

She said property owners who would like to install the filtration/percolation system on the remaining three sides of their property could do so at their own cost, which would be approximately $5,000 to $6,000.

A second neighborhood meeting is set for Tuesday, June 21, at 5:30 p.m. in Spring Lake Park, 6807 Holmes Blvd. For further information or to discuss the project, contact Burnett at 941-526-3375.

HOLMES BEACH – Candidates have from noon on June 20 to noon on June 24 to qualify for the seats now held by City Commissioners Judy Titsworth, Marvin Grossman and Mayor Bob Johnson.

All have said they plan to run again. It would be Johnson's second term, and Titsworth and Grossman are seeking their third terms.

All seats are for two-year terms. A commissioner's annual salary is $6,000 and the mayor's is $12,000. Candidates must be citizens of the United States, registered voters in Manatee County and two-year residents of the city.

Candidates must qualify through the office of City Clerk Stacey Johnston, who is the city's election official. They can qualify by paying an election assessment fee of 1 percent of the annual salary of the office ($60 for commission candidates and $120 for mayoral candidates), collecting signatures of 15 voters residing in the city and completing a candidate's residency affidavit. Or they may file an undue burden oath, which eliminates the fee, collect signatures of 15 voters residing in the city and complete a candidate's residency affidavit.

The election is on Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The polling locations are Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 6608 Marina Drive, and St. Bernard Catholic Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive.

Early voting will be available at the administration building of West Manatee Fire Rescue, 6417 3rd Ave. W., Bradenton, for the primary election on Saturday, Aug. 20, through Saturday, Aug. 27, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and for the general election on Monday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Oct. 30, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 31, through Saturday, Nov. 5, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Requests for vote by mail ballots can be made by calling the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections office at 941-741-3823 or e-mailing a request including your date of birth to info@votemanatee.com.

HOLMES BEACH – The parking lot at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church looked like a Manatee County Sherriff's Office parking lot with more than 40 vehicles, most of them SUVs, parked there on Tuesday morning,

The reason was a domestic case in the 500 block of 68th Street in Holmes Beach that had been ongoing since about 4:30 a.m. Officers were dispatched to the house at that hour after the mother of 30-year-old Gerald Alois Harles II called to report her son was drunk and tearing up the house.

According to the Holmes Beach Police Department news release, as the officers were speaking with the mother at the front door, the son came toward the door carrying what appeared to be a rifle or shotgun and he cocked it, as if getting ready to fire. The officers took cover behind their patrol vehicles. The son refused to come out of the house, would not release his parents and threatened to kill his mother. He said he would shoot police before going to jail.

At that point, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office decided to send its SWAT team, complete with an armored vehicle and a mobile command center, all of which was parked at the church.

Around 6 a.m., Harles released his parents, but would not come out or answer the phone. Meanwhile, an arrest warrant was issued for Harles, charging him with aggravated assault with a firearm. As the SWAT team was preparing to go into the residence, Harles answered the phone and he came out about 10 a.m. and was taken into custody.

According to Harles' attorney Ryan Quigley, Harles slept through much of the event. Quigley sent this statement, "Gary Harles is a long time Holmes Beach resident and cares deeply about the Island. He would like to apologize to his surrounding neighbors for any disruption that was caused by this incident. It needs to be clarified that Mr. Harles was actually asleep during the 'stand-off,' but nonetheless he deeply regrets this event."

A check of Manatee County Court records showed Harles had a traffic infraction in 2004.

BRADENTON BEACH – After being met with opposition from other dock owners, and continued to a later date, a variance request to build a dock in front of adjoining lots at 2107 Ave. A has been amended.

Representing the property owner, the Richard Wagener Trust, Realtor Mike Norman presented the variance request to Special Master William Robinson Jr. at the Tuesday, May 24, variance hearing.

The applicant originally sought to build a connected dock that was 40-feet long, five feet wide and provided 20 feet of dockage in front of each lot. In order to build a connected dock, the applicant wants to eliminate the 10-foot side yard setback requirement at the east edge of one lot and the west edge of the other.

It was noted that a 20-foot dock with or without the required setback in front of Lot 29, at the corner of Avenue A and 21st Place North, would reduce the remaining navigable space for those who own deeded docks at the end of the U-shaped canal.

The amended variance request now calls for a 10-foot dock in front of Lot 29. The amended request will be discussed and ruled upon when the hearing continues in July.

Gayden Shell lives down the street and owns one of the six deeded docks in the canal that ends at Avenue A.

"I oppose this 100 percent," she said during the hearing.

She said the proposed Lot 29 would leave her with little space to navigate in and out of deeded dock.

When asked if a shorter Lot 29 dock lessened her concerns, Shell said, "No. Who owns a 10-foot boat?"

She also questioned whether large vacation rentals would be built on those vacant lots.

James Anderson lives across the canal from the two lots. His concern pertained to Norman's suggestion that a party wall would separate the proposed adjoining docks. That concern was alleviated when Building Official Steve Gilbert said the city's land development code prevents the construction of a wall or any other structure on a dock. Norman said the dock separation could be accomplished by painting a line on it that coincides with the property line.

Anderson also addressed concerns expressed to him by his neighbors Robert and Charlotte Hansford, who live on the west side of Avenue A. The Hansfords are concerned the Lot 29 dock would leave them less than five feet of navigable space near their deeded dock.

Jennifer Vermillera also owns a home near the two lots. She said her deeded dock is used by seasonal tenants and friends and family.

"There are several of us that own that property. We all pay taxes on that and we maintain it," she said of the seawall, docks and the strip of grass that provides for parking.

"If you're take going to take from us the ability to use that, then I should be compensated. I am certainly not for this," she said.

In regard to infringing on others' dock space, Robinson said, "I'll be frank, I have a concern about that."

He suggested the Lot 29 dock be 10 feet long instead of 20. He also proposed putting the entire dock in front of lot 30 and drafting a shared-use agreement.

"We would not make that request," Norman said of a dock being located in front of lot 30 only.

Robinson suggested the hearing be continued so Norman could discuss these options with the property owner and provide a more detailed diagram of the proposed Lot 29 dock.

A variance approval recommended by the special master now requires the four-fifths supra-majority support of the City Commission in order to be approved.

ANNA MARIA – The Thursday, June 9, Anna Maria City Commission meeting will feature the second reading of a proposed ordinance that would penalize those who falsely advertise public lodging units located in the city.

If adopted, the ordinance would apply to all lodging units that advertise occupancy in excess of what is allowed by the city. This would include, but not be limited to, vacation rentals. The ordinance would also apply to property owners who signed restrictive covenants that prohibit them from using their properties as short-term rentals for the first five years after construction has been completed and to those who place guests in a unit other than the one advertised.

The ordinance is the result of the combined efforts of Mayor Dan Murphy and City Attorney Becky Vose. Murphy said he was perusing the Internet and found a four-bedroom rental that advertised a 16-guest capacity and a five-bedroom rental that advertised the 20-person capacity.

The city's vacation rental ordinance limits occupancy to eight persons per property unless the property has received grandfathered status. Grandfathered units are allowed two persons per bedroom, with no additional allowances for the use of sleeper sofas and cots in dens, offices and other rooms not considered bedrooms.

The penalty for violators would be a fine of up to $500 or up to 60 days in jail. Vose said the violation would pertain strictly to the advertising efforts and would not require the city to verify the number of guests actually occupying a unit.

Vose said the ordinance is supported by prohibitions on false advertising contained in the U.S. Constitution.

"We can restrict advertising which is false and misleading. There's a need for this restriction and it's to protect people from misleading advertising," Vose told the commission when introducing the ordinance on May 26.