Weather enhances Dolphin Dash

HOLMES BEACH – Last weekend’s Dolphin Dash was the first one in a while where you couldn’t see your breath, which might account for the good turnout.

With the temperature in the upper 60s, the parking lot at Anna Maria Elementary School was busy with runners registering and preparing for the 5-K run, the first of two races.

This was the first year Rebecca Walter was not the organizer, due mainly to the fact her twin daughters are no longer at the school and are attending middle school. More...

Moratorium approved for R-2 District

HOLMES BEACH – A moratorium on issuing demolition permits and building permits for any work that exceeds the threshold for substantial improvement for all residential dwelling units in the R-2 district became official with its second reading last week.

Property owner Joe Kennedy, a former 20-year city resident, once again protested the ordinance and pointed out, “A list of the many ordinary, normal or day to day problems that any city, but particularly a coastal resort community such as Holmes Beach, was provided to Mr. Brisson (City Planner Bill Brisson) by the city commission. More...

Plug pulled on Concerts in the Park

HOLMES BEACH – There’ll be no more partying in the park after Mayor Carmel Monti made the decision to charge all users, including non-profits, the $250 special event fee for use of the field.

“It’s officially done,” event coordinator Cindy Thompson said Thursday. “I will not work with Holmes Beach any longer. I shouldn’t have to beg them to give them something.” More...

Board to hold public hearing on Mainsail

HOLMES BEACH – Hoping to resolve their concerns about the Mainsail Development project, commissioners last week approved a motion by Commissioner Judy Titsworth to schedule a public hearing to amend or revoke the 2001 resolution approving the special exception for the project.

Chair Jean Peelen objected and said they should first send a letter to Mainsail President Joe Collier stating that the public hearing would be the next step. She asked Titsworth to amend her motion, but Titsworth declined. More...

County to aid city building department

HOLMES BEACH – Manatee County will be aiding the city’s building department in processing permits, Mayor Carmel Monti told the board at last week’s commission meeting.

“We had a couple of choices over the last few weeks – Joe Duennes who was able to help us, John Fernandez until recently, Manatee County and the city of Anna Maria. We went with the county. They’ll help us on an interim basis for 90 days.” More...

Commission discusses big rental homes

ANNA MARIA – Holmes Beach is getting infected with big box rental homes, and Anna Maria is looking for a serum to keep from catching it.

That was apparently the mindset of some of the commissioners on Thursday, Jan. 10, as they discussed parking regulations and building coverage based on lot coverage to control the size of homes built primarily for vacationers. More...

City refuses to lower fine

ANNA MARIA – There was no sympathy on Thursday, Jan. 10, for a rental house owner who repeatedly ignored requests by Waste Management and the city to pay for trash pickup at the house.

After repeated warnings and code enforcement actions, the city started fining Mary Lease $100 a day for ignoring their findings that she was guilty of a code violation. The city requires all property owners to have trash pickup and, of course, to pay for it. The violations went on for 82 days, and the city fined her that much and placed a lien on her property until she paid it. More...

P&Z rejects easement vacation

ANNA MARIA – The Planning and Zoning Board (P&Z) voted down approval for an ordinance that would vacate an easement in the parking lot of the Sandbar restaurant that would reportedly be safer for customers and beachgoers in the parking lot.

The existing easement is the walkway between the nearest and second-nearest row of parking spaces to the restaurant. Within that walkway, there is a portion that crosses the traffic lane that accesses the two rows of parking spaces. The easement would have been moved to a swale northeast of the parking lot abutting the restaurant, and the restaurant owner would construct a boardwalk over the swale, according to engineer Lynn Townsend-Burnett. The restaurant would agree to maintain the boardwalk, according to Anna Maria Planner Alan Garrett. More...

Concert series features Van Cliburn winner

The first concert of the Roser Community Church Concert Series features Davide Cabassi, one of the winners of the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in June 2005. The concert will be held on Sunday, Jan. 20, at 4 p.m. at the church, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria. More...

The secret to fly fishing

The secret to the creation of a successful fly fisherman is really no secret at all. Like anything else, we master and enjoy, it involves the intention to be good and requires a lot of patience and practice. Mastering the fundamentals, applying the principals and practice will pay dividends that lead to a lifetime of enjoyable fly casting and fly fishing. More...

A post Christmas present for homeowners

If you’re like most people, by now Christmas 2012 is just a faint haze in the rearview mirror of your life. But whether you know it or not, all homeowners received an after Christmas gift in the form of a little more equity tied up with a nice fat bow.

Everybody in finance and the real estate industry waits for the monthly Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20 city index of home prices. The report that came out right after Christmas was the strongest since 2006, showing a 4.3 percent increase in residential home prices from September to October of 2012. Even more impressive is that since January, sale prices are up 6.9 percent, which is the largest year to date gain since 2005. These numbers were so good they beat the projected increase for the September to October comparison of 4 percent. More...

Bistro offspring gets honor

The judges at the Golden Spoon are in love with Sean Murphy’s Beach Bistro and now they’re saying “Eat here,” when talking about his newest restaurants. The Eat Here Restaurants at 5315 Gulf Drive, in Holmes Beach, and 1888 Main St., in Sarasota, have won the Golden Spoon “Best New Restaurants in Florida” Award

Murphy was profoundly moved by the award. More...

Getting Social Security right the first time

In 2010, the Social Security Administration implemented a rule change which placed a time constraint for when people can re-do their Social Security income election. Recipients now have only 12 months from the date they file their income application claim to re-do their election.

So what does this mean for those who are approaching the date they will become eligible to file or those who recently started receiving benefits? The difference between a poor Social Security income election and a well-grounded one can be in excess of $100,000 over a couple’s – and even singles’ – lifetimes. The total income benefit amount over a couple’s lifetime can approach, and even often exceeds, $1 million dollars. With today’s low interest rate environment, maximizing Social Security income is even more important. More...

Browns bounce back, Bears bomb

Bombs were blazing at the Anna Maria Island Community Center for the Sun sports game of the week. The deep pass, AKA the bomb, was used often in the final minutes of the featured game between the Coastal Orthopedics Bears and the Lobstahs restaurant Browns in eight-to ten-year-old flag football action. More...

What every mayor should do

The headline reads, “Transform your life.”

Stories breaking this week say, “A weekend of transformation awaits in the Piney Woods of east Texas. Learn about the endless benefits of a healthful, compassionate and sustainable plant-based lifestyle.

“Gain inspiration from 15 of the world’s most influential and sought after speakers, athletes, and best-selling authors. Learn delicious recipes at vegan chef led cooking demos. Work it off with a boot camp session led by a Hollywood fitness guru. More...