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VOL 25 No. 17
December 18, 2024
Moose lodges host Christmas party for kids
Kids played games, enjoyed snacks and visited Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves and the reindeer at the Moose Lodge in Bradenton. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
BRADENTON – Anna Maria Island Moose Lodge #2188 and Bradenton Moose Lodge #1223 teamed up to bring holiday joy to area children on Dec. 14. As was the case with the AMI lodge’s annual kid’s Halloween party, the Christmas party was again held at the Bradenton lodge because lodge #2188 in Bradenton Beach suffered significant damage during hurricanes Helene and Milton and remains closed for the foreseeable future. The lodges also joined forces for the 2023 kids’ Halloween party while the AMI lodge’s dining room floor was being replaced. JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
SEE MOOSE, PAGE 15
Mrs. Claus and Santa brought their reindeer to the Moose Lodge to greet kids.
Anna Maria ‘Rings in the Recovery’
A second “Ring in the Recovery” event invites holiday shoppers to celebrate on Saturday, Dec. 21. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA – The first of two city-sponsored “Ring in the Recovery” events drew residents and visitors to Pine Avenue on Saturday afternoon. A second “Ring in the Recovery” event is scheduled on Saturday, Dec. 21 from 1-5 p.m. The events are a celebration of the Anna Maria businesses that have reopened since the city was struck by hurricanes Helene and Milton in late September and early October. Mayor Mark Short invited Santa Claus to sit outside the Anna Maria Historical Museum and visit with
youngsters, who were also given gifts. Santa (played by Anna Maria General Manager Dean Jones) was joined by Mrs. Claus (his wife, Laurie) and a helpful elf (Administrative Assistant Barbara Jeffries), whose son, Jackson, handed out candy canes while Mike Sales performed Christmas songs. “We’re trying to show how much we’ve recovered from the hurricanes and we want to promote the businesses along Pine Avenue and throughout Anna Maria. The city is helping get the word out that they are open for business,” Short said. “This is our first celebration. We’ll have another one next Saturday and we hope to see more people here as we ring in the holiday season.” Short was joined on the museum grounds by his wife, Pat, and several
SEE RING, PAGE 16
City gives green light to Pines repairs Damage caused by flooding from Hurricane Helene at 83 of the 86 mobile homes may now be repaired. BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com
BRADENTON BEACH – After nearly three months of uncertainty, 83 of the 86 Pines Trailer Park owners received a notice from the city that they may repair their hurricanedamaged mobile homes with the proper permits. Some residents remain hesitant to move forward with repairs, however, saying questions about the Pines ownerships’ intent for the park are still unanswered. Pines residents received a letter from Bradenton Beach Building
BICYCLE ELF making kids happy at Christmas. 12
SEE PINES, PAGE 22
WILDLIFE INC. needs help rebuilding.
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CHRISTMAS EVENTS from Bethlehem
to Cortez. 13-15
Page 20 Anna Maria Island, Florida
Official Darin Cushing on Dec. 9, which stated in part: “We previously provided you with a notice that your property may have been affected by flooding due to hurricanes Helene and Milton, and that a second, more thorough inspection would be performed to gather data critical to making a formal determination as to whether the cost of repairs necessary to restore your building to its pre-damage condition might rise to an amount constituting 'substantial damage' as defined in the City’s Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance 21-538.” Following the results of that second inspection, and with a review of the data, as well as a review of the property values, repairs may be made with the applicable permits,
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