Fever winner takes home the prize

Jay Disbrow, of Bradenton, collected his winnings last week from the 2015 Football Fever contest – a $50 gift certificate from the Bridge Tender Inn, a $50 gift certificate from the Swordfish Grill, a $50 gift certificate from Flippin’ Mullet, a $25 gift certificate from Slim’s Place, a one-month membership and two free training sessions from Island Fitness. Other winnings included a wool Heritage Banner from AMI Sports Zone, a T-shirt and gift basket from Bortell’s. He also received a gift certificate for two, a pair of Budweiser chairs and a bicycle from Island Time Bar and Grill. Island Time also gave him a two-night stay at Island Time Inn. Bridge Street Jewelers gave him a custom made AMI Destination Bracelet, and Island Scooter Rentals gave a long-sleeve surfing shirt, use of a scooter for two people for two days, use of a kayak for two for one day, two bicycles for one day, two paddle boards for a half day and two boogie boards for a half day. More...

Commission approves parking permit ordinance ...

HOLMES BEACH – After hearing from residents, the City Commission last week approved an ordinance to establish a test zone where parking on the rights of way would be banned between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. except for residents with permits.

The zone includes streets located in the area between S.R. 64 (Manatee Avenue) and 52nd Street west of S.R. 789 (Gulf Drive); from Manatee Avenue north to 43rd Street (east of Gulf Drive); from 74th Street to 81st Street west of Palm Avenue and all of Aqua Lane and Neptune Lane.

Prior to passage, Commissioner Jean Peelen said the ordinance was not clear on what kind of ID is required for a permit. After some discussion, commissioners agreed on “vehicle registration or other form of proof” of property ownership. More...

... but mayor counters with veto

HOLMES BEACH – On Friday, Mayor Bob Johnson invoked his right under the city charter to veto the parking permit ordinance, which was approved by the City Commission on Jan. 26.

According to the charter, the mayor has 10 days to approve or disapprove an ordinance. If he/she disapproves, it shall be returned to the commission with his/her reasons for disapproval. However, the commission may override the mayor by a vote of four members.

In a press release, Johnson said, “I disapprove and return herein subject ordinance for the following reasons and as stated in my comments at the commission meeting Dec. 10, 2015: More...

Fishing festival on the horizon

With this year’s theme, “It takes a fishing village,” Cortezians are pulling together to get ready for the 34th Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival, set for the weekend of Feb. 13-14 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the historic fishing village.

Local bands will play on two stages for seafood-loving, art-appreciating festivalgoers.

Explore working commercial fishing docks, enjoy the breeze off Sarasota Bay and sample the history of the village at the Florida Maritime Museum. Visit marine life exhibits and hear educational talks about commercial fishing as white pelicans from Canada and local brown pelicans dive for their dinner in the bay. More...

Oil rig debris being mapped

Three pieces of debris from an oil rig discovered on Anna Maria Island’s beaches and offshore from the Island in the Gulf of Mexico are among 60 found so far from Texas to North Carolina that are being mapped by the Sarasota-based Sea to Shore Alliance.

The vibration suppressor panels or tendon strake sheaths, which are wrapped around pipes descending from oil rigs into the Gulf to minimize their movement in currents, were documented last August and September in The Sun, which was contacted to provide the locations of the objects for the map.

One half-inch thick, four-by-four-foot piece of black plastic washed up last August near Angelino’s Sea Lodge in Holmes Beach, and another washed up in front of Katie Pierola Park in Bradenton Beach, while a floating piece was discovered by fisherman Anthony Manali in about 85 feet of water off Anna Maria Island. More...

Center presents update on progress

ANNA MARIA – Community center officials presented an update on their progress and accomplishments at last week’s town hall meeting, but also did not hide the fact that they have no cash reserves.

“The operating results show that we are getting this thing on the right track, but not fast enough. We have no cash reserves, and that is occupying our attention right now,” Treasurer Jim Froeschle told the group.

“But we know in the longer term, with the plan we put in place, we’ll be in a solid financial position. I feel good about where we’re going.”

Board Chair Bill Shuman said, “We’re making progress, but we have challenges. Financial is one of them, but we’re moving forward with increased sponsorships, more grants and programs being well attended. We need your continued support.” More...

Vacation rental ordinance evolves

HOLMES BEACH – City commissioners once again tweaked their vacation rental ordinance and agreed to restore a section they removed last year to allow grandfathering for non-conformities.

Several residents aired complaints about the ordinance including the lack of grandfathering and the fact that motels must meet much stricter regulations.

David Zaccagnino said older rentals couldn’t comply with all the regulations, especially within a year.

Human Services Analyst Mary Buonagura said the language regarding non-conformities was restored to the ordinance, which would enable the city to establish a database to identify them and protect them from being subject to new regulations. More...

Pier bait sales questioned

BRADENTON BEACH – Pier subtenant Sherman Baldwin is seeking the city’s assistance in regard to John Maguire’s ongoing efforts to sell bait from the city-owned day dock adjacent to the Historic Bridge Street Pier.

Maguire, a Cortez resident, has been selling bait on and around the pier since early 2015, when the city’s renovated fishing pier reopened. He began his operations using the land-based bait well formerly used by the previous pier tenants that operated the Rusty Anchor bait shop as an extension of the Cast-n-Cage restaurant.

After the restaurant closed, Maguire continued selling bait from that location, which many people, including some city commissioners, felt provided a needed service to pier users. More...

Fresh food fast, not fast food

I read recently that one third of Americans on average eat fast food on a daily basis. As obesity is a huge issue in America, one can only hope that the ever changing food choices we are presented with daily, change more and more towards fresh food fast and away from fast food.

At least on our little slice of paradise, we are fortunate not to have an overabundance of fast food options to fill the immediate cravings we have all given into throughout our busy lives.

It still amazes me, but does not surprise me when a customer comes in to our store and asks, "What sandwiches do you have that are pre made?" More...

Lines and leaders

When anglers talk tackle the conversation, is usually centered on rods and reels, lures and accessories. While these make up the largest part of the fisherman’s arsenal, lines and leaders are an integral part of the equation. The major choices of lines are varied falling into three categories: braid, monofilament, and fluorocarbon. While fluorocarbon, monofilament and braided lines were created to spool reels, fluorocarbon is most often used as a leader material. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and anglers should choose them based on their fishing style and use.

Monofilament has been around for decades and is probably the most commonly used line. It has many advantages and a few disadvantages that will affect the anglers’ choice. Chief among its advantages are affordability and the fact that it sinks slowly and is more forgiving (stretches) making it less likely to break when shocked. Its disadvantages include the fact that is less durable, has a larger diameter and can’t be cast as far. For experienced anglers who use braided line, the stretch can actually be a disadvantage. More...

Manatee County outpacing expectations

The economy is still struggling, the stock market is tanking and the price of oil may sound great, but is leaving everyone just a little nervous, so where is your money safe? Apparently the Sarasota and Manatee housing market which are soaring and outpacing predictions, seems a good bet.

Henry Fishkind, an economic consultant speaking recently at Manatee Technical College, predicts that Manatee County is on the brink of another great year in housing starts, job growth and domestic migration. In 2015, Manatee County outpaced Sarasota County in population growth bringing in about 8,000 new residents. Fishkind also said that the construction of new homes in Manatee County is back to the same peak level as the prior boom, more than the rest of Florida indicating a higher demand here. More...

Retirement planning

In retirement planning today, researchers and investors typically consider the accumulation and distribution phases separately. Much of modern retirement planning depends on what is known as the distribution rate in retirement, which is the percentage of your assets withdrawn as income each year. This rate is important to compute how much wealth you need to accumulate before you retire. Once you know how much you need to save in total, it is possible to work backwards and determine the approximate savings rate you’ll need during your accumulation phase. This rate is often known as the safe savings rate. More...

LPAC takes the win against Tyler’s Ice Cream

In gridiron action at the Center on Tuesday, Jan. 26, the match-up between Tyler’s Ice Cream and LPAC started out as a close back and forth defensive battle between the two middle school teams. To start the game LPAC ran the offense, but was stopped on the first play with a strong flag pull by Andrew Zoller after a short run by Cired Cablish.

Cole Pearson, known for his spinning moves on the field, made a 10-yard run, but the play was called back for flag guarding by Pearson. In the third down attempt, LPAC’s quarterback Colby Petrin made long throw that was nearly intercepted by Tyler’s Connor Ludwig.

Tyler’s Ice Cream took over possession with 18 minutes on the clock. Its first play was a double reverse behind the line of scrimmage with Zoller getting the ball for the run for no gain. Quarterback Alex McCauly threw a bomb that went just off the fingertips of Zoller. A second incomplete pass ended Tyler’s offensive run. More...

Turtles, trees benefit from app

A project that uses an android app instead of pencil, paper and a clipboard is designed to save both turtles and trees, according to Suzi Fox, director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.

The not-for-profit organization’s volunteers walk Anna Maria Island’s beaches each morning from May 1 to Oct. 31 searching for flipper tracks that indicate that sea turtles have nested the night before.

Instead of recording data on clipboards showing the date, the location of nests, whether eggs are in the nests or whether they were false crawls and many other statistics, Turtle Watch is the first organization of its kind to use an app to enter the data electronically. More...