Aubrey to run in recall election

ANNA MARIA — Anna Maria resident Gene Aubry has declared his candidacy for city commissioner.

There are, however, several questions that will have to be answered before Aubry could ever take a seat on the commission. More...

Offer to donate building withdrawn

ANNA MARIA — A blog posting has resulted in the cancellation of an offer of a historic building to the city of Anna Maria.

Sissy Quinn, the president of the Anna Maria Island Preservation Trust Inc., said she withdrew her offer of the building at the July 22 city commission meeting after becoming a target of the blog that regularly posts comments on city issues. More...

Island: Legislative session a bust

Last week’s short-lived special Legislative session dashed hopes on Anna Maria Island and elsewhere that Floridians would have the opportunity to vote on a Constitutional amendment banning oil drilling in state waters.

State legislators closed the special session called by Gov. Charlie Crist about two hours after it started without considering his request to place the amendment on the November ballot. More...

State rejects challenge to city's comp plan

ANNA MARIA — A challenge to the city’s approval of mixed-use buildings in the residential/office/retail district has been rejected by the state.

In a ruling last week, The Florida Department of Community Affairs sided with the city and denied the challenge, which took issue with the way the city calculates density in the ROR district. More...

Another PAR site plan denied

ANNA MARIA — For the second time in a month, city commissioners have voted against approving a site plan submitted by Pine Avenue Restoration, LLC.

The latest denial is for the property at 210 Pine Ave. It came at the July 22 city commission meeting.

The city also denied the site plan for 309 Pine Ave. earlier. In that case, they also cited concerns about how the parking was to be handled for that property. The city of Anna Maria has been thrashing out how to re-work the parking regulations in the residential/office/retail district since last November. More...

Cortez festival changes locale

CORTEZ – The 29th Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival will relocate from the west end to the east end of the historic fishing village beginning next year, according to organizers.

The two-day festival, set for Feb. 19-20, has been based at the A.P. Bell Fish Co. and Star Fish Co., which no longer will be the site, according to office manager Karen Bell. More...

Beaches at night a delight

Independence Day fireworks are over, but midsummer nights on the beach offer some startling displays in the next two weeks that should elicit “oohs” and “aahs.”

The beaches are especially dark in the summer, when lights are turned off for sea turtle season, setting the stage for spectacular night sky viewing from the sandy shores. More...

Chamber, Community Center to hold dance

HOLMES BEACH – The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce is already looking forward to fall when it begins its regular slate of events aimed at providing the community with food, refreshments, music, fun and information on weddings. But before they get to that, there’s a new event coming up in August.

It’s called the Sizzling Summer Dance and it will be held at, and in conjunction with, the Anna Maria Island Community Center, 407 Magnolia, Anna Maria, on Saturday, Aug. 14, from 8 to 11 p.m. More...

Seafood safe despite oil spill

That grouper sandwich being offered at restaurants in Florida, including those on Anna Maria Island, is safe to eat, oil spill or not, thanks to a team effort by fishermen, processors, inspectors and regulators, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began more than three months ago, federal fisheries regulators have tracked the oil’s path, closing and reopening portions of the Gulf of Mexico to fishing depending on where currents and winds take the oil, according to NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, which is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other federal and state agencies to monitor seafood safety. More...

True Salt Charters offers offshore action

I've had the pleasure of fishing with Captain Hal Christensen for the past thirty years. When we first started fishing Christensen was 7 years old and learning the ropes from his father, Longboat restaurateur, Harry Christensen.

Hal is a Florida native who grew up fishing the waters of Florida’s west coast. Hal was raised on the north end of Longboat Key and was fishing with his dad by the time he was 5 years old. More...

Law eases sales of distressed condos

I’m convinced that condominium living is one of God’s special little ways of testing us. On the one hand he provides us with a carefree, maintenance free lifestyle lacking in responsibilities outside of our front door, and on the other hand he forces us to live with our business partners. And since not all partners live up to their business obligations, carefree living can quickly evaporate. More...

LaPensee celebrates 25 years

Twenty-five years ago there was just Mike LaPensee and his old Datsun truck providing plumbing services to Anna Maria Island. Today not only does he have a new truck, he has 20 of them or at least LaPensee Plumbing & Pools does. On Aug. 1, LaPensee Plumbing & Pools will be celebrating 25 years in business, and although Mike LaPensee has recently retired, LaPensee Plumbing & Pools continues to be a thriving family affair. More...

Government bond bubble – or not

The slide in U.S. Government bond yields to below 3 percent during the recent stock market correction once again brings up the topic of whether global government debt is the next speculative bubble waiting to burst and disappoint investors. With the long-term average yield of U.S. 10-year bonds a little north of 5 percent and record highs in the mid-teens back in the early 1980s, it is easy to make the case that rates will rise from here. This would cause existing bond prices to drop and a large group of investors left to feel the pain once again. Here’s a chart showing this wild range of treasury bond yields over the last 30 years or so. More...

Teaming up for turtles

CORTEZ – Debbie Basilius greeted volunteers with her beaming smile, writing their names on certificates of appreciation on Saturday night, unaware that they had recommended her for the highest honor of the evening.

The Sadie Award, named for a sea turtle rehabilitated in 1999, stands for endurance, jumping high hurdles, community involvement, love and kindness, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shore Bird Monitoring director Suzi Fox told the group at the annual awards banquet at D’Andreas. More...