VOL 25 No. 19
- Named Best Florida Newspaper In Its Class -
January 1, 2025
It’s The Anna Maria Island Sun’s 25th anniversary this year, and we are beaming! We're celebrating our future and our past, with a new section on amisun.com featuring our award-winning stories recognized by two statewide press associations. We have also made available a full set of bound print editions at the Anna Maria Island Historical Museum in Anna Maria. For those who prefer the click of the keyboard to the feel of newsprint, we had planned to offer our free digital archive at issuu.com/AnnaMariaIslandSun back to the very first edition, but we were sidetracked by a couple of little hurricanes last year. You can currently view our print editions online as far back as 2015, and we’ll be adding the rest as we go, so keep checking back.
The first quarter of the 21st century has been eventful on the Island, to say the least, and we’ve been here to cover it in what we hope has been an engaging way, always committed to truth, fairness, accuracy, and you, our readers. We’ve made it through 9/11, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, COVID-19 and Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and we celebrate in each edition our sense of community, which becomes more precious as our neighbors are chased away by storms or replaced by the tourists we have always welcomed. Most rewarding, you tell us that we have won your trust, and we plan to keep doing that as we continue to recover. Call, text, instant message, email, snail mail or stop us in the checkout line with your concerns, questions and ideas. And let the Sun shine on! - Cindy Lane, Editor
Sun celebrates silver
Culhane, The Center named Sun Persons of the Year
Chris Culhane and The Center did even more for the Anna Maria Island community in 2024.
SBA loans offer recovery relief The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering loans to help disaster victims recover. Deadlines are next week. BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA – Executive Director Chris Culhane and the staff, board of directors and volunteers at The Center of Anna Maria Island are The Sun’s Persons of the Year for 2024. The Center staff includes Director of Development Jillian Ptak, Operations Director Tyler Bekkerus, Marketing and Office Administrator Aris Thompson, Director of Customer Service Morgan Blackburn, Youth Programs Director Erica Nielsen, Sports Programs Manager Charles McCracken, Youth and Sports Coordinator Marissa Brink, Culture and Events Coordinator Raul Loera, Fitness and Wellness Director Chris
JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
Executive Director Chris Culhane and The Center team are The Sun’s Persons of the Year for 2024. Emkey and Front Desk Coordinators Tyler Brewer and Shelby Eikel. Don Purvis chairs the board of directors that includes Daniel Anderson, Remi Drigan, Sheila Fusé, Elizabeth Hager, Caroline Leibfried, Christine Major-Hicks, Kathy Morgan-Johnson and Ben Webb.
SEE CULHANE, PAGE 24
HOLMES BEACH – A new financial option may be available to residents and business owners affected by recent hurricanes. Anna Nunez appeared before commissioners on Dec. 17 to discuss the U.S. Small Business Administration loans that are available to assist disaster victims. She said the loans are open to businesses, property owners and renters for physical and economic injury loans. Business physical damage loans are available for up to $2 million to help owners recover from physical and financial losses related to the hurricanes.
ANNA MARIA: Year in Review. 10-11
SEE SBA, PAGE 23
BRADENTON BEACH:
Year in Review. 8-9 HOLMES BEACH:
Year in Review. 4
Page 20 Anna Maria Island, Florida
Home disaster loans for up to $500,000 are available to help cover damage to a primary residence damaged by the hurricanes. Up to $100,000 loans are available to homeowners and renters to cover hurricane-damaged personal items, including furniture, cars and clothing. Economic injury disaster loans for up to $2 million are available to small businesses and nonprofits to help meet ordinary financial obligations, such as payroll, rent and utilities. These are also known as working capital loans and are designed to help keep small businesses and nonprofits in business while they weather the financial implications related to a disaster. Nunez said that some of the benefits of SBA loans include a low fixed interest rate, no payments for up to
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