Vol. 10 No. 40 - July 7, 2010

news

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Fireworks fly despite the rain

Ed Chiles was relaxing Monday after a weekend of fireworks shows that were intertwined with rainstorms. The owner of the Mar Vista, BeachHouse and Sandbar restaurants pulled off a fireworks display each night at one of those establishments, sometimes starting just after the rain stopped and other times, ending just before the rain started.

“I’m so proud of all my staff and the professionals who pulled off three nights of dinners and fireworks – a hat trick as a tropical wave brought rain all three days,” he said Monday. “It’s funny, you get the anticipation before each show with your stomach in knots and then the exhilaration when it comes off perfectly.” More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Mainsail unveils architect’s renderings

HOLMES BEACH – Joe Collier, president of Mainsail Development of Tampa, unveiled drawings by the architectural firm of Cooper, Johnson, Smith for the Mainsail Lodge and condos at 5325 Marina Drive.

“We should have construction drawings by early fall,” Collier said. “Our goal is to have the building permit before the end of the year.

“We have a nice amount of reservations – about eight. We’ll work on pricing over the next 30 to 45 days.” More...

Citizens file petition on parking

07-07-10/

ANNA MARIA — A group of residents, unhappy with the direction of discussions for handling parking on Pine Avenue, have filed an initiative petition.

“The public parking options recently proposed eliminate the on-site parking requirement and instead place the burden on the city for providing parking,” the petition states. “We, the undersigned, do not want city taxes, or the city rights-of-w y used to create parking.” More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Recall petitions: Round two

ANNA MARIA — The second round of petitions to recall City Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus are now in the hands of the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections.

City Clerk Alice Baird received the 261 petitions on Friday, July 2, from Recall Committee Chair Bob Carter. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story County works to save Twin Piers

BRADENTON BEACH – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is leaning favorably towards saving the popular Twin Piers surf spot, a county official said.

Surfers, anglers, divers and state and county officials have the same goal in mind for different reasons – the three crumbling erosion control groins, including two that form Twin Piers, make for good waves, fishing and snorkeling, and protect both the shoreline and Gulf Drive from erosion. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Truck stops just short of disaster

BRADENTON BEACH – A delivery truck ran into an oncoming car on the Cortez Bridge on Tuesday, June 29, and then crashed through the concrete guardrail forcing officials to close the bridge to traffic for more than two hours while a tow truck pulled the vehicle back to safety.

The truck driver, 32-year-old George Gonzales, of Brandon, told paramedics that he did not know how the accident occurred.

“I was driving on the bridge and the next thing I saw was the sky and the water,” he said. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story County asks for building permit

BRADENTON BEACH – As workers finish the pilings that will hold the new $1.5 million marine rescue headquarters, the county still has an obstacle between those pilings and finishing the building. They need permits.

Darin Cushing, the county project manager for the project, appeared before the Bradenton Beach City Commission last Thursday evening, asking them to consider some fiscal relief from the permit fees and to get the permits soon, as they will need them for mandatory construction inspections.

More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryNEMO adds to holiday celebration

ANNA MARIA – The North End Merchants Organization (NEMO) put its touch on the Fourth of July celebration with positive results. Thanks to the small, American-made, America

n flags planted in the ground near the right of way, the Privateers’ parade looked a little more patriotic, and thanks to the volunteers who gathered Monday morning, the beaches looked a little cleaner. More...



feature

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryLitten book features Island scenes

HOLMES BEACH – Former photojournalist Craig Litten has published a book of photographs of Anna Maria Island focusing on the lesser-known angles of the much–photographed destination.

Artistic renderings of tree roots, power lines, clouds and beach toys add seasoning to familiar beach locales in the hardcover book, available from the author. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryPrivateers' parade pleases crowd

The Anna Maria Island Privateers led the way as a train of automobiles, trucks, bicycles and electric vehicles made its way north from Coquina Beach to Bayfront Park Saturday. Participants showered the crowd with candy and necklaces and the only fireworks were from the cannons on Shipreck, the Privateers parade boat. Somewhere between Coquina Beach and Anna Maria, a number of non-parade vehicles got sandwiched in the parade, which gave the crowd a second parade to enjoy.

Only on Anna Maria Island. View the PDF...

reel time

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryGet involved and make a difference

While most residents and businesses of the central Gulf coast haven't yet been directly affected by the horrendous BP oil spill, it is vital that we don't let the lessons of this tragedy go unlearned. Sure, it's easy to point fingers, and there is certainly plenty of blame to go around. The hard part is that we have to take some responsibility. I'm typing this on a keyboard that was made from the same kind of oil that continues to gush, unabated into the Gulf. When I look around my house, I notice everything that's made of plastic (read oil). Did you ever see the commercial that shows everything disappearing in a house when oil is removed from the equation? It's a daunting problem, even once the oil is finally under control, but one we all have to consider very carefully. As poorly as BP has handled its safety procedures, it wouldn't be drilling in waters over a mile deep if there wasn't a demand for its products. More...



real estate

Sparkle for humanity

Did your July 4th sparkle? Did you get to see the BeachHouse and Sandbar extravaganzas or maybe you ventured as far as downtown Bradenton to the Green Bridge? Were the hamburgers and hot dogs the best ever, and did Aunt Betsy bring her famous potato salad? Was your holiday the quintessential American celebration or were you bogged down with the world’s problems? More...



business

Anna Maria Island Sun News StoryOil spill impacts local ecotourism

Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico began on April 20, residents and tourists have headed to the water with more enthusiasm now that oil endangers it, local ecotourism business owners say.

At Almost Heaven Kayak Adventures in Anna Maria, owner David Wells said that more people are signing up for guided kayak tours.

“In their minds, it may be their last time,” he said, adding that he and his wife are planning sunset trips to the beach themselves for the same reason. More...

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

Investor nervousness builds

Investment Corner

Investors love municipal bonds for their interest, which is free from federal taxation and free from taxation at the state level for residents of the state in which the issuing municipality is located. For those of us residing in Florida, where there is no state income tax, owning bonds issued from any municipality across the U.S. creates tax free income. More...



turtles

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story Fireworks bring out turtles

True to form, loggerhead sea turtles nested on Anna Maria Island beaches on the Fourth of July in higher numbers than other nights of the six-month turtle season.

Rain, thunder and lightning seem to prompt sea turtles to nest, said Suzi Fox of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring. More...

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