County awaits state decision on pier work

BRADENTON – Manatee County Commissioners last week learned of a glitch in their plans to replace the Manatee Beach pier.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection officials are concerned about construction taking place during turtle nesting season.

"We’re in the permit process," explained Rick Spadoni, of Coastal Planning and Engineering. "There’s a preliminary permit process called a diminimus permit, a very fast issued permit. More...

Coquina Beach renourishment planned

BRADENTON BEACH – Coquina Beach is scheduled to be renourished with sand from reserves off the north end of Anna Maria Island in a $13.6 million project in February.

"It’s probably the most valuable beach this side of Tampa Bay," said Charlie Hunsicker, director of Manatee County’s Conservations Lands Management Department, in a presentation to the Manatee County Commission last week. More...

Port Dolphin, Longboat to meet

BRADENTON – After months of finger pointing, officials from Port Dolphin and Longboat Key agreed last week to meet with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on where to install a proposed underwater natural gas pipeline.

Port Dolphin has applied for a U.S. Coast Guard permit to build a floating liquid natural gas port 28 miles off Anna Maria Island, where tankers would convert liquefied natural gas into vaporized natural gas and pump it to Port Manatee to supply electric companies. More...

City responds to Port Dolphin plans

BRADENTON BEACH – Reacting to a request for support from Longboat Key, the city will send a letter to Congressman Vern Buchanan protesting Port Dolphin’s proposed pipeline route that would threaten a potential sand source for renourishment.

Faced with a long report on the project, the city commissioners voted last Thursday, June 4, to send a non-specific letter to Congressman Vern Buchannan asking him to look into the situation. More...

Blood drive offers more opportunities

A big benefit of giving blood at the annual Island Blood Drive is the fact that an unidentified benefactor donates $100 for each unit given to one or a combination of five non-profit organizations. This year, the drive will be held at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive, Holmes Beach, on Saturday, and Sunday, June 13 and 14, from 9, a.m. to 4 p.m. and you will be able to double that monetary donation to the charity or charities of your choice if you use the Alyx Component Collection System. More...

Lines drawn in sand over cell phone tower

BRADENTON BEACH – For the first time since its was proposed, the possibility of a cellular phone tower has been discussed.

The Bradenton Beach Scenic Waves Partnership met Monday afternoon and the agenda item, "Various options for improving cell phone coverage," drew people from Longboat Key to discuss those options. There was discussion, but no conclusion as the proposal awaits a tedious advance through the city government before becoming reality, if it does. More...

Holmes Beach refines regulations

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioners recently refined regulations regarding parking, PODs and satellite dish antennas revised by planning consultant Bill Brisson in addition to individual home owners and local contractors.

The regulations now allow more flexibility in the city’s code on three parking issues – businesses without enough parking, parking commercial vehicles overnight in residential districts and parking boats and trailers in residential districts. More...

Local author a finalist for book awards

H. Terrell Griffin has been named a finalist in the mystery/suspense category of the 2009 Indie Excellence Awards. The annual awards program highlights the best independently published works, according to a press release from Oceanview Publishing.

Griffin also was a top-three finalist in the Independent Book Publisher’s Association’s Benjamin Franklin Awards May 29. More...

Author stresses importance of reading

Matthew Boerner has done a lot in his 13 years and he wants to inspire others to follow their dreams.

Boerner appeared at the Island Branch Library on Wednesday, May 13, with illustrator Alexandra Lillis as guests of the Friends of the Island Branch Library to help celebrate National Children’s Book Week. Unfortunately, with the school year drawing down and a lot of youth sports games going on, the event drew less than a full house, but those who were there were enthused to meet both of them. More...

A family affair

Fishing was a family affair for me. My first adventure on the water was with my father along the beaches near Wilmington, N. C. That day laid a lifetime foundation of love and respect for fishing and the value of our natural resources. An appreciation for the natural world and an understanding of the importance of protecting it can become one of the integral life lessons passed from one generation to another. We are fortunate to have many such local families who have shared these values with their children. More...

Chinese drywall creates headaches for homeowners

As if things weren’t bad enough in the Florida real estate market, now we’ve been hit with the Chinese drywall problem, sort of your house coming down with the Swine Flu only with Chinese swine. More...

Electrifying service at Miller

If you ask native Chicagoan Ed Gocher how frequently he gets out fishing, his answer is, "As often as possible." Not really an unusual response from someone who lives on the Manatee River and loves fishing, unless you consider that his business, Miller Electric, has quadrupled in the six years he and his wife Sue have owned it, expanding their staff from two to 10. More...

Build your own ‘guarantee’

History has shown that when most investors are doubtful or fearful, seeking safety is the wrong thing to do because the fears of these investors are caused by price declines which have usually already occurred. Presently, while the critical point of the recent credit market crisis appears to have passed, many investors are still in a state of shock and having trouble seeing themselves own any investment without some sort of guarantee. More...

Wet, cooler weather suits golfers

Despite the onslaught of storms, golfers at Key Royale Club are getting in their share of time on the greens. There were few proxies in the tournaments last week.

Danny Hayes, Austin Rice, Bob King and Ralph Bassett took first place in the men’s weekly nine-hole handicap tournament on Monday, June 1, with a best-ball-of-foursome score of 25. Three teams tied for second place with scores of 27. They were Peiter Thomassen, Vince Mercadante, Earl Huntzinger and Jim Thornton; Gordon McKinna, Fred Meyer, Jim Finn and Bob Dickinson; and Matt Behan, Bob Mullin, Charley Knopp and a proxy. More...

Loggerhead found in rare daylight nesting event

It was a rare daylight event, and Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch volunteers are still thrilled about it. A female loggerhead marine turtle was found nesting near La Costa Condos in Bradenton Beach as a volunteer was checking her section of beach between 26th Street and Cortez Road.

"It was so wonderful," said AMITW Director Suzi Fox. "We so rarely get to see the turtles, and it’s even more rare to witness a nesting during daylight hours." More...

Grossman scores twin win

Steve Grossman was at his best last week as he found himself on winning teams in both of last week’s horseshoe contests at Anna Maria City Hall.

On Wednesday, June 3, Jay Disbrow and Sam Samuels took first place while the team of Hank Huyghe and Grossman took second place over Bob Hawks and Tom Rhodes by a score of 21 – 19.

On Saturday, June 6, Grossman and Tom Skoloda beat Deb Rhodes and Dalton Aquilo 22 – 15.

Play gets underway each Wednesday and Saturday at the pits behind city hall in Anna Maria. Everone is welcome. It would be to your advantage to arrive about 15 minutes early to get in some practice.