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VOL 25 No. 18
December 25, 2024
Former bank to be new hot spot The former Wells Fargo bank building is being transformed into a new entertainment complex for families. BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
Celebrating ‘The Magic of Christmas’
KRISTIN SWAIN | SUN
Above, the fifth-grade Anna Maria Elementary School cast of "The Magic of Christmas" receives a standing ovation on Dec. 19 at The Center of Anna Maria Island. From left, back row, are Vincent Myers, Mrs. Stephanie Davis, Sam May, Stryder Petitt, Jase Moore, Gunnar Maize, Sawyer Leibfried, Kellan Oelfke, Colten DeBerry and Eastin Walker. From left, front row, are Kellan Reed, Leo Tyler, Jack Palmer, Roman Smith, Fabian Cianciarelli, Grayson Hinckle, Brandon Sato, Aria Thomas and Sofia Hendrickson. Top photo, Aria Thomas and Sofia Hendrickson perform “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Ginny’s and Jane E’s reopens
Ginny’s and Jane E’s was closed for nearly three months. SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
BY JOE HENDRICKS JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
Ginny’s and Jane E’s owners Tammy and Paul Foster are happy to be open again. included the Gimlin family, from Missouri, who enjoyed a late breakfast while visiting Ginny’s and Jane E’s for the first time. Regarding the sense of community that permeates Ginny’s and Jane E’s, Foster said, “Some of these people have been coming to Ginny’s for a long, long time. There’s so many folks that just love to sit in here and see
SEE GINNY'S AND JANE E'S, PAGE 17
SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
HOLMES BEACH – The Holmes Beach Planning Commission met on Dec. 4 for the first time since August, with all five members and both alternate members present. The planning commission consists of Chairperson Gale Tedhams, Vice-Chair Jim McIntire, Lisa Pierce, Steven Oelfke and Richard Brown, with Joseph Ireland serving as the first alternate and James Harrison serving as the second alternate. Tedhams welcomed the members back and expressed her hope that
SANTA CLAUS SIGHTINGS and more Christmas fun! 8-9 Page 16 Anna Maria Island, Florida
SEE HOT SPOT, PAGE 19
Minor course changes possible for city dock provisions The planning commission is considering proposing changes to the city code pertaining to leasing the city-owned docks.
BY JOE HENDRICKS
ANNA MARIA – Ginny’s and Jane E’s Café reopened on Dec. 18 at 7 a.m. The café and retail business had been closed since the pre-Hurricane Helene evacuations took place in late September. Paul and Tammy Foster bought Ginny’s and Jane E’s in 2012 and the café’s indoor and outdoor seating areas are popular gathering places for residents, seasonal visitors and vacationers alike. “It was great to see people come back and we had a lot of familiar faces,” Paul Foster said late Wednesday morning. “Most of the folks in here today are locals, or regulars that come every year.” The reopening day clientele also
HOLMES BEACH — A new family-friendly complex is coming to the corner of Gulf and Marina Drives now that city leaders have approved the site plan. Business owner Jake Spooner is planning a second Island Bazaar at the new location with a putt-putt course, a fudge shop, a candy shop, an arcade and a second-floor restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining. The original Island Bazaar is at 3304 E. Bay Drive. Spooner's Bridge Street Bazaar is at 107 Bridge St. in Bradenton Beach. The site covers 1.3 acres and is planned to feature three separate buildings – one where the former Wells Fargo bank building is, a smaller
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everyone successfully weathered hurricanes Helene and Milton. Development Services Director Chad Minor and City Clerk Stacey Johnston also participated in the meeting. Minor and the commission members continued their previous discussion on amending the dock provisions contained in the city’s municipal code.
DOCK PROVISIONS
Minor proposes adding definitions for the terms “boathouse,” “dock,” “finger dock,” “watercraft,” “mooring area” and “mean high water line,” which he said are mentioned but not defined in the current municipal code. Minor does not propose changing the existing setback requirements for docks or the distance a dock can extend into the water.
SEE PLANNING, PAGE 20
WATCH YOUR BOAT. Boat thefts and
looting are on the rise. 12
WHO'S OPEN for business on AMI and
Cortez? 13
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