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VOL 23 No. 49
August 2, 2023
Displaced renters reflect on their Island years Affordable annual rentals on Anna Maria Island are few and far between, which has forced some off the Island. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The Island’s evolution into a vacation rental destination and the resulting lack of affordable housing has displaced many former permanent residents who rented their homes. Alex Bounds, Matt Bauer, Dawn Mathisen, Tracy Eckert and Rick Lewis have left the Island, while long-time renter Sharon Bell is among those managing to stay. Here are their stories.
ALEX BOUNDS, MATT BAUER
In September 2022, after living on the Island for about 15 years, Matt Bauer, a two-time leukemia survivor, moved from a rental home in Bradenton Beach to an apartment in the JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
SEE RENTERS, PAGE 11
Former Anna Maria Island residents Alex Bounds, left, and Matt Bauer hope to be able to live on the Island again someday.
Single-room rentals in vacation homes prohibited… Single-room vacation rentals are not allowed in Bradenton Beach’s R-1 and R-2 residential zones. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
BRADENTON BEACH – City staff recently answered an inquiry regarding single-room rentals in vacation rental homes with a definite "No." On July 19, Prime Vacations Compliance Specialist Rina Hernandez sent an email to Deputy City Clerk Ruth Stief and City Treasurer Shayne Thompson that said, “Can each bedroom in a five-bedroom property be advertised and rented as individual units or does the property have to be
advertised and rented as a whole?” According to the Prime Vacations website, the company Hernandez represents manages seven boutique hotels in Florida, including The Bali Hai Beach Resort and The Anna Maria Beach Resort in Holmes Beach and The Anna Maria Island Inn in Bradenton Beach. The Prime Vacations website also lists affiliations with the AMI Locals and Anna Maria Vacations real estate and property management companies. After consulting with City Attorney Ricinda Perry, Thompson sent Hernandez an email response: “It is the opinion of the city attorney and the building official that this is not a
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… as are pool, yard rentals
A website invites property owners to rent their amenities, such as pools, yards and tennis courts, for an hourly rate. BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
HOLMES BEACH – A new website invites owners to place portions of their property for rent at an hourly rate, but city officials say that’s not an allowable use for residential properties in Anna Maria Island’s largest city. The issue was brought up to Mayor Judy Titsworth by a group of concerned residents after a local vacation rental owner put a pool up for rent on the site Swimply.com. The website allows property owners to rent out
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Anna Maria Island, Florida
SEE POOLS, PAGE 22
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anything outside of their house or vacation rental, including parking, pools, backyards, sports courts and even experiences, like a home art studio, for an hourly fee. The Holmes Beach pool rental popped up on the website the week of July 24. The listing, which was removed by July 29, offered the use of onsite parking and a backyard pool in Holmes Beach for $50 per hour. The host, simply identified as “Craig” in the listing, offered the use of the residential property’s pool area on Swimply.com when not in use by the owner or vacationers renting the entire property. When The Sun spoke with Titsworth on July 28, she said she had recently been made aware of the
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