The news that al Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden had been killed stirred up a lot of emotion for people everywhere. There were celebrations after President Barak Obama made his terse announcement Sunday night but for many, the memories were too strong and full of loss to generate celebration as much as relief.

West Manatee Fire Rescue Chief Andy Price said it took a long time to find the terrorist leader who financed and planned the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackings and attacks on the Twin Towers that brought them to the ground, killing almost 3,000 people.

"I'm not happy to see anybody die, but Bin Laden paid the ultimate price for what he did," Price said.

But the veteran fire chief said he is concerned about retaliation.

"You can't take out the leadership of an organization like al Qaida and expect it to stop its war on us," Price said. "You need to change the way the people in that group think about us and the rest of the world."

Price said he expects there will be some retaliation.

10 years later

Meanwhile, a part-time resident who splits time between here and New York City is ready to celebrate.

Jennifer Cascardo was interviewed by The Sun almost 10 years ago, shortly after the terrorist attacks. She had worked and lived near the Twin Towers and knew several people who were killed in the 9-11 incidents.

"If you follow the national media, they sometimes play up the fact that a lot of people from other countries don't like the United States," She said. "Living here where a lot of foreign people invest in property and play, I would have to say a lot of people expressed sympathy when it happened."

Cascardo said Bin Laden's death brings some closure to the whole incident, but more importantly, it makes a statement to the rest of the world.

"This is a huge lesson in how tenacious we are," she said. "Sitting back and waiting is seen as being weak to those people (al Qaida), but this showed them that we were never going to forget."

Cascardo said she was watching a New York Mets game when the news started circulating.

"What with texting and cell phones, the audience found out about it before the players and staff on both teams," she said. "All of a sudden the crowd started cheering, and the players looked around in amazement."

Cascardo said Bin Laden's attacks on our nation changed the way the world thinks, especially about security while traveling.

"Nowadays we drop off our loved ones at the curb and they go into the airport to get through security," she said. "Just once, I wish I could go inside the airport and wait for a friend to disappear down the walkway to the plane."

She said, however, that we have a lot of special days ahead of us to celebrate.

"Just think, we have Memorial Day, Flag Day and the Fourth of July to pull out our flags and have a real good celebration," she said.

As for New York, she said that all won't be well until something new comes out of the ground where the Twin Towers stood.

"After almost 10 years, it's still a saddened construction site where people come to cry," she said. "At least now when people go there, they can say, 'We got that bastard.'"

Cascardo said she feels the tension that began when the attacks occurred has lessened.

"After it happened, I watched as every state in the county came to New York's aid," she said. "Now they can come to New York and celebrate with us."

She still has dog tags of a fireman and a police officer who died in the terrorist attack and for the first time, she can wear them without a heavy heart.

BRADENTON BEACH – Twenty years ago, when Turtle Watch volunteers still believed it was a good idea to dig up sea turtle nests and incubate the eggs in hatcheries, turtles were the last thing on Suzi Fox's mind.

Fox had moved with her mom and sisters from Michigan to Miami, where she was a hotel manager, then they relocated again to Anna Maria Island. The family lost two grandparents, then their mom in December 1990.

Concerned about her state of mind, a friend challenged her to walk the bayside of the Island one morning at dawn during the 1991 turtle season, looking for signs of turtle tracks.

"I could barely get out of bed, I was so depressed," Fox recalls.

But watching sunrises over the glassy morning water was just what she needed, and the two walked every Monday together until one morning, when her friend couldn't come, and Fox walked the beach alone.

"I found a nest," she said, and ran to the pay phone at Bayfront Park. "I yelled so loud. I was so excited," she recalls. "I felt like I had a calling."

She joined Turtle Watch's 40 volunteers and started looking for turtles.

"We didn't go to all the training we go to today," she said, because so little was known about sea turtles at the time. Most were dug up and relocated to hatcheries, then the hatchlings were raised for several weeks before their release into the Gulf of Mexico.

As more became known about sea turtles, some in the organization decided to try nature's way, and leave the eggs in their nests to hatch. Some were upset and refused, but some, including Fox, agreed to try it for a year.

"I wasn't certain this was going to work," she said. "The first nest we left on beach was at Park Avenue. We saw it hatch, and I was so excited."

Occasionally, Fox relocates a nest that has been laid in a tidal zone to a higher part of the beach to keep the turtles inside the eggs from drowning, and occasionally she releases hatchlings that hatched in a cage she set to protect them from predators. But the more that hatch without interference, the better, she said.

In 1996, Fox became the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's turtle permit holder for the Island, recently adding nesting shore bird monitoring and protection to her duties.

Along with the wooden stakes and pink tape used to mark nests, turtle shells for show and tell and other equipment, Fox keeps all the turtle records painstakingly made by Dr. H. J. Dodge, the first permit holder in 1982, and his wife, Jane R. Dodge, and those who followed them, Ed Callen and Chuck Shumard.

"Dr. Dodge was a statistician," Fox said. "He measured every egg. He did everything with a pencil and typewriter. Things have come a long way since then."

Now, 10 minutes after a volunteer finds a nest, Fox is standing on the spot with the help of a cell phone and an ATV. Data is shared with scientists, beachfront property owners, municipalities that enforce turtle ordinances, developers, beach renourishment contractors and tourism operators planning beach events.

The first nest this year was laid behind Club Bamboo in Bradenton Beach on April 27, five days before the official May 1 start of turtle season and two days before the record earliest nest.

The business retrofitted its lighting to make it turtle-friendly with a grant from the Sea Turtle Conservancy with the use of BP oil spill money. Fox and Turtle Watch coordinated the grant last year, helping local beachfront year, helping local beachfront business and property owners get the funds.

Near the nest, another turtle made a false crawl – when a turtle returns to the water without nesting, usually because of light interference, furniture on the beach, predators or other disturbances. Only female sea turtles come ashore, and then only to nest, spending the rest of their lives at sea.

A dead turtle also washed up on the beach last week, a sad part of Fox's job. People who know better and leave lights on that disorient turtles and lead them to their deaths also cause pangs of grief, as do those who leave furniture on the beach at night that discourage turtles from nesting.

After 20 years, what makes it worthwhile to wake up before dawn in all kinds of weather to patrol the beach, to stand on the sand in the heat of a summer noon trying to determine why a turtle stopped nesting, to count the dead hatchlings disoriented by a thoughtless homeowner?

It's the joy of seeing the tracks of the first mother turtle to reach the beach each year. Of finding the tiny tracks that testify that 100 hatchlings made it safely to the Gulf, despite human ignorance, indifference and lack of common sense. Of seeing the second generation of kids whose parents volunteered with Turtle Watch instruct their younger siblings about turtles.

And of overhearing a girl in a restaurant telling her dad: "This lady dug into the sand all the way up to her neck and she pulled out a turtle egg, like a ping pong ball. There were a bunch in there, and they're going to hatch in August. Can we come back and see it? Please?"

ANNA MARIA - Organizers are putting the finishing touches on the Anna Maria City Pier Centennial Celebration on Friday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14, which will feature a parade, fireworks, music, food and fun.

A parade on Friday will begin at 5 p.m. at CrossPointe Fellowship Church and end at the pier at 7 p.m. There will be a pier dedication and speeches at 7 p.m., followed by a reception with refreshments and a cash bar in a tent in the north pier parking lot.

Food and Wine on Pine on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. will offer food from 25 local restaurants, an art show, art demonstrations, live music and children's activities. Throughout the day, there will be beer, wine and food in the north pier parking lot, a beer garden and a Privateer's picnic.

At 4 p.m., there will be a Coast Guard demonstration over the bay. Fireworks are scheduled for Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. over the bay.

Parking will be available at the Anna Maria Island Community Center, with a shuttle to Pine Avenue, and at CrossPointe Fellowship Church, with free, all-day trolley service to the event until after the fireworks display on Saturday. Residents who live north of Pine Avenue should use Gulf Drive during the event.

More than 35 handmade pendants commemorating the centennial are available for $100 each; two silver pendants are priced at $150 each; for more information, call Sissy Quinn at 778-5120.

Volunteers for speaking and non-speaking roles will meet on Tuesday, May 3, at 5:30 p.m. at the Anna Maria Island Community Center to select their costumes. Artists interested in displaying their work on Saturday, May 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. should visit http://amisland.com/pier/. The deadline has been extended.

Volunteers are needed to set up and break down the event; call Caryn Hodge at 778-8705.

For more information about the centennial, visit http://piercentennial.com.

ANNA MARIA – At Mayor Mike Selby's suggestion, commissioners agreed to hold a work session with a consultant to determine their options regarding requests to build a cell tower in the city.

"I wanted this back on the agenda after reading about the proposition that was presented to the Community Center and receiving letters from residents," Commissioner Jo Ann Mattick said.

"We need to discuss this and decide how we want to proceed. If we ever put a tower in, it should be for the benefit of the city as a whole, not one entity."

On April 8, an ad hoc committee of Community Center board members heard two cell tower proposals after the city made a request to allow a cell tower to be built at the Center.

Mattick asked City Attorney Jim Dye about putting a cell tower at the Center, which is on city property.

"The property is leased to the Community Center for Community Center purposes," Dye responded. "The question becomes is placing a cell tower for commercial purposes on that same property a Community Center purpose? My gut reaction is it is not."

He said he also must look at the city's land use approval process with the Community Center property.

Feasible locations

Mattick asked if a cell tower is feasible at Bayfront Park, and Dye said the lease agreement with the county is for park purposes.

"The questions is whether a cell tower fits the definition of park purposes," Dye continued. "You could also look at the waterfront next to the city pier, a more commercialized area."

Commissioner Gene Aubry said he would like the city to proceed with a committee or group to work with Dye, and noted, "A cell phone is part of what we do every day, and it's crucial to be able to use it."

Mattick said she is unclear about what the cell tower ordinance allows, and Chair Chuck Webb said the city could regulate land use and zoning.

Selby said he received a call from the mayor of Bradenton Beach and he told Selby about a company called Center for Municipal Solutions.

"Basically, when someone comes in with an application, we hire these people and they are our experts," he explained. "It doesn't cost the city anything. I'd like to have a work session with them and this commission."

Commissioner Dale Woodland said he wants to know what other technologies are available.

Jamie Walstead, who was instrumental in getting the city's telecommunications ordinance passed, said there are several other technologies that should be explored and noted, "I fought hard for the ordinance, and the city spent a lot of money on it."

ANNA MARIA – Commissioners denied a request from Nicky and Robert Hunt to refund a portion of a $10,000 building permit fee they paid to the city last year.

According to Building Official Bob Welch, the Hunts sought an extension of their building permit last year, but he denied it, prompting them to seek a refund.

Nicky Hunt told the board that the only work done by the city on the permit was the plans review, or 10 percent, to which she gave a value of $1,437. She has maintained that an outside consultant did not recommend that the site plan be approved because the parking did not meet the comp plan.

"I've had many permits expire, and I've never had anyone ask for a refund," Welch told the board.

Chair Chuck Webb asked how far along was the permit process.

"It's not only the building permit side, but also the planning side," Welch responded. "It's a fairly extensive review. They had the building permit in hand for six months.

"I contacted the contractor at least three times in that six months to talk about getting the rest of the plans in and whether they were going to do anything. Nothing occurred on the property."

Commissioner Jo Ann Mattick recalled, "The city was clear that when the Hunts won the lawsuit against the city, they could build according to their existing site plan regardless of any future changes we made to parking, size of the building or anything else."

"Nothing the city did prevented the Hunts from building," City Attorney Jim Dye concurred.

Commissioner Dale Woodland said they should negotiate something everyone could live with and suggested returning 50 percent of the $8,470.

However, Webb, Mattick and Commissioner Gene Aubry disagreed, pointing out that the applicant made the choice not to proceed and the city spent a lot of time and money.

Welch said 90 percent of the work on the permit was completed and only the inspections were yet to be done.

"Why would you suggest when you were about to change the parking that we build something we weren't happy with? You've got everybody saying it's unsafe and then you say to us, 'Go and build,'" Hunt asked.

The motion to deny was approved with Commissioner John Quam dissenting.

ANNA MARIA – Former Mayor Fran Barford asked commissioners to consider entering into a tax incremental financing agreement with Manatee County.

TIF is a method to pay for redevelopment of a slum or blighted area through the increased ad valorem tax revenue resulting from that redevelopment. It has been used in many states since the 1940s and early 1950s to pay for redevelopment projects.

Barford said the late Randall Stover was a supporter of TIF opportunities and had met with County Administrator Ed Hunzeker about it on the last day of his life. She said Hunzeker felt such an agreement between the city and county is doable.

"There is along held conviction among many residents that Anna Maria sends too many tax dollars to the county and receives little in return," Barford pointed out.

She asked the commission to authorize the mayor to work with a group of residents to research potential TIF opportunities. One project area could be the waterfront at North Bay Boulevard and Pine Avenue.

Commissioner Jo Ann Mattick asked how the city gets the funds.

"It is actually based on an increase in assessments," Chair Chuck Webb responded. "As the assessments increase due to increased property values, the taxes increase. We get a portion of that increase."

"If we want to do this, we need to move forward expeditiously because it's going to be based on the new construction that's gone on which is going to raise their tax bases probably by next January," Mattick stressed.

Barford said it should be done before the TRIM (Truth in Millage) notices are mailed.

Potential projects

Commissioner Gene Aubry asked who controls the money, and Barford said the commission does, but it has to have a project to present to the county.

"I'd like to see some examples of potential projects, real numbers, averages on assessment increases and if there's a down side," Commissioner Dale Woodland said.

Commissioner John Quam said he would like to see the numbers on purchasing the six lots across from the city pier.

City Attorney Jim Dye said creating the agreement is easy but "the real work is in how the money is used. You need to create a plan of what you want to do with the money and criteria on how it is allocated."

Mattick said the city could charge non-residents for parking along the bayfront at the city pier and purchase the six lots there as well as the three lots where Angler's Lodge is located.

"I see those as the last prime pieces of property in the city," she said.

Commissioners authorized the mayor to work with Barford and interested citizens to come back to commissioners with a plan.

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ANNA MARIA - The investigation into allegations of misconduct by an Anna Maria Island Community Center staff member turned up nothing new this week and is winding down, authorities said.

"Unless there is new information, there's nothing to investigate," said Manatee County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Dave Bristow. "We've interviewed everybody involved so far, and we've found nothing that would result in criminal charges."

The case officially remains open, he added.

The allegations surfaced on April 1 when Sandy Mattick, an Anna Maria resident, came to Mayor Mike Selby's office and told him that she was told of sexual misconduct by the AMICC staff member.

She said she was told that the AMICC employee, who has since resigned, had sex with a 17-year-old and had exchanged text messages with sexual connotations with the girl.

"We interviewed the 17-year old and she denied having inappropriate contact with the staff member," Bristow said.

Subsequent allegations that the same staff member had engaged in inappropriate texting with a 14-year old have also been investigated with nothing rising to a point where it would merit criminal charges, according to Bristow.

"If any new information surfaces, we'll investigate it," he said.

As a result of the allegations, the AMICC board of directors has launched an overhaul of policies and procedures, particularly those that deal with contact between staff members and minors.