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VOL 24 No. 50
August 7, 2024
Debby saturates Island CINDY LANE | SUN
While the surf stood up on its hind legs off Anna Maria Island, Hurricane Debby dumped band after band of rain, flooding area roads - and sea turtle nests. Pages 8-9
Commissioners propose larger tax cut Commissioners vote to lower property taxes for Anna Maria residents more than originally proposed. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy recently presented his $10.4 million proposed capital plan for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The plan was based on a proposed 1.75 tentative millage rate that would have lowered taxes for city residents and provided an estimated $1.21 million contingency fund to cover unanticipated expenses or project expenditures. In a desire to give Anna Maria property owners an even greater property tax decrease, commissioners
voted 3-2 in favor of setting the tentative millage rate at 1.65, creating a slightly lower anticipated contingency fund of $987,000. When presenting his plan to city commissioners on July 25, Murphy broke the proposed capital improvement project expenditures into two main categories – existing projects that were previously budgeted for but not yet completed, and new projects that were previously discussed but not budgeted for until now.
EXISTING PROJECTS
The capital plan proposes spending a total of $6.94 million on existing capital projects. Murphy’s capital plan proposes spending $250,000 on street and road paving and maintenance. That marks
SEE PLAN, PAGE 24
City imposes deadline to close parking lots Bradenton Beach Building Official Darin Cushing intends to barricade four paid parking lots on Aug. 9 with a permanent closure date of Sept. 6 if city-required stipulations have not been met. BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com
BRADENTON BEACH – With cityimposed closure deadlines looming, time is running out at Shawn Kaleta’s four paid parking lots. City commissioners put multiple conditions in place before granting temporary use permits for the paid parking lots; 101 Bridge St. was approved with stipulations on Feb. 15 and 206 Bay Drive N., 207 Church
CORTEZ NET camp dismantled under court order. 10 Page 23 Anna Maria Island, Florida
The Island’s award-winning weekly newspaper
Ave. and 102 Third St. N. gained approval, also with stipulations, on March 21. Most of the agreed-upon conditions remain unfulfilled, according to City Building Official Darin Cushing. In an Aug. 1 letter to Kaleta, Cushing said he intends to barricade the lots on Aug. 9 with a permanent closure deadline of Sept. 6 if all the stipulations have not been met. Cushing’s letter reads in part: “To date, very few, if any of these stipulations have been met, first and foremost, the presentation of Professionally Designed Site Plans in order to demonstrate that all of the other stipulations are being adhered to.” Cushing noted in his letter that the commission approved the applications for temporary use
SEE PARKING, PAGE 23
CULBREATH, SIDDIQUE square off
in county commission race. 4
VOTERS WILL DECIDE tourist tax
increase. 3
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