- Named Best Florida Newspaper In Its Class -
VOL 24 No. 52
August 21, 2024
43 million gallons of sewage discharged during Debby
An estimated 25 million gallons of untreated and partially treated wastewater was discharged into the Manatee River alone. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
Fiery farewell
Stop by each evening for 'golden hour' on Anna Maria Island's beaches.
Piney Point withstands Debby Piney Point received more than 9 inches of rain from what was then Tropical Storm Debby on Aug. 4-5. BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com
PALMETTO - Severe weather associated with then-Tropical Storm Debby passed over the Piney Point site on Aug. 4-5, producing high winds and more than 9 inches of rain, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), which says the rainfall was well within the plant’s storage capacity of 90 inches. The Piney Point property is the site of a former phosphate processing plant closed for several years. Wastewater holding ponds were built on the crest of phosphogypsum stacks at the site, less than two miles from Tampa Bay and near two state aquatic preserves.
In April 2021, a breach in the outer wall of one of the retention ponds resulted in approximately 215 million gallons of water containing high levels of nitrogen and phosphate being intentionally discharged into nearby waters to avoid flooding nearby homes and businesses. The discharge worsened a bloom of the toxic algae red tide that lasted six months, causing fish kills and respiratory irritation. Afterwards, a 3,300-foot-deep well was built near Piney Point at 3105 Buckeye Road to permanently store the wastewater being drained from the stacks, a process still in progress. In an Aug. 9 FDEP status update, it was reported that: • The site has received 9.55 inches of rain so far this month, including approximately 9.5 inches from Hurricane Debby. Piney Point has received approximately 44.49 inches of rain since Jan. 1.
SEE PINEY POINT, PAGE 20
BRADENTON – During and after what was then Tropical Storm Debby, the city’s water reclamation facility discharged an estimated 25 million gallons of raw and partially treated sewage into the Manatee River, according to department officials. The neighboring city of Sarasota discharged nearly 18 million gallons of raw and partially treated sewage into that city’s stormwater system, which connects to Sarasota Bay, according to department officials. In total, the Bradenton and Sarasota water reclamation facilities discharged nearly 43 million gallons of sewage into local waterways. CINDY LANE | SUN
Sun to host candidate forum Before you place your vote, check out The Sun’s 2024 Holmes Beach candidate forum. BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
HOLMES BEACH – Meet this year’s mayoral and commission candidates at The Anna Maria Island Sun’s Holmes Beach Candidate Forum and get your questions answered. The Sun is hosting an in-person candidate forum on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. at Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive. City commission candidates including former Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore, Planning Commissioner Steve Oelfke, incumbent Commissioner Dan Diggins and newcomer Bill Romberger are scheduled to attend to answer questions from the community in a public forum. Questions begin at 6 p.m. with a mayoral candidate forum beginning immediately afterwards.
SUMMER BREAK a good time to fish in Montana. 19 Page 23 Anna Maria Island, Florida
SEE SEWAGE, PAGE 15
The Island’s award-winning weekly newspaper
Holmes Beach mayoral candidates Mike Roth and incumbent Mayor Judy Titsworth will discuss their plans for the future and the current issues facing the city. While The Sun has some questions for the candidates, we also want to ask the candidates your questions. Please submit your questions to The Sun at news@ amisun.com and specify if they should be asked during the commission or mayoral forum. All questions submitted for the candidate forum will be asked anonymously during the forum and candidates will not have access to the questions beforehand. Candidate questions must be submitted no later than Monday, Aug. 26 to be included in the forum. If you can’t make it in person, the forum will also be streamed live on The Sun’s Facebook page with on-demand replay available after the event concludes.
See mayoral candidates' stories on Page 4.
A COTTAGE SAVED is increasingly
rare. 3
HOW DID SEA TURTLES FARE after
Debby? 8-9
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