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VOL 23 No. 19
February 15, 2023
Legislators change direction on consolidation of AMI cities The three Island city mayors will continue to discuss the potential voluntary consolidation of shared city services. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
Two rescued from sailboat KRISTIN SWAIN | SUN
A sailboat washed up on the beach near 81st Street in Holmes Beach after an early morning rescue on Feb. 12 by U.S. Coast Guard staff from the Cortez station. The team responded to a distress call from the two occupants of the sailboat, who were able to anchor but were being battered by swells and breaking waves. The crew pulled alongside the vessel and rescued the sailors. The boat broke anchor and washed up on the beach later in the day. Winds were reported at more than 23 mph that day, with waves at 6-8 feet.
ANNA MARIA – State legislators say they no longer intend to commission a state-funded feasibility study on the potential consolidation of the three Anna Maria Island cities and their respective city governments. Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy made that announcement during the Feb. 9 Anna Maria City Commission meeting. Murphy returned to Anna Maria earlier that day after spending Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Tallahassee meeting privately with the five members of the Manatee County legislative delegation – Rep. Will Robinson Jr., Sen. Jim Boyd, Sen. Joe Gruters, Rep. Tommy Gregory and Rep. Mike Beltran. On Jan. 12, Robinson announced that the delegation intended to seek during the upcoming 2023 SEE CONSOLIDATION, PAGE 25
Fire district looks at reclassifying vacation rentals
Onshore winds, strong currents stir up red tide on AMI
WMFR’s staff is seeking a way to better ensure life safety in area vacation rentals by treating them as commercial properties.
Fire Marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski presented the idea to the district’s staff and board of commissioners as a life safety concern. With so many people in and out of vacation rentals across the district and limited oversight from government agencies, as a preventative measure, he said he’d like the district’s fire prevention bureau to be able to inspect the properties for safety. Inspections would include looking for items such as properly placed smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, floor plans of the home indicating exit points, emergency lighting and other precautionary measures commonly found in commercial properties. To fund the initiative, he suggested the fire department’s staff
Stormy conditions worsen red tide, an organism in local waters that emits a toxin when it blooms.
SEE FIRE DISTRICT, PAGE 18
SEE RED TIDE, PAGE 18
BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Vacation rentals are a popular use of residential properties both on the Island and in unincorporated Manatee County where West Manatee Fire Rescue’s district is located. Now district leaders are looking at reclassifying those properties within their district as commercial properties for enforcement and tax purposes. During a January board meeting,
Page 31
BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com
HOLMES BEACH - What a difference a few days and some strong winds can make. While red tide reports from several days earlier showed low concentrations of Karenia brevis, the organism that causes red tide blooms, conditions changed on Sunday.
LESLIE LAKE | SUN
A red flag, signifying strong currents and high surf, flies over the lifeguard station at Manatee Beach on Sunday.
STATE INSTALLS 55 signs on a scenic
MOOSE LODGE helps
highway on Anna Maria Island. 10
THE CORTEZ Commercial
Anna Maria Island, Florida
Bradenton Beach police. 11 Fishing Festival is this weekend. 3
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