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VOL 25 No. 22
January 22, 2025
The Jewfish Key home will be featured in Southern Living magazine. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
Ross Built creates generational home on Jewfish Key
JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
The home is accessible only by boat on an exclusive island in the Intracoastal Waterway between Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island.
City attorney: Hotel project will begin construction this year BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com
BRADENTON BEACH – Construction is expected to begin this summer on the Bridge Street hotel project, according to City Attorney Ricinda Perry. “By way of keeping you in the loop with development activities within the CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) district, I have spoken with Shawn and Jake (hotel co-applicants Shawn Kaleta and Jake Spooner) who have the hotel that’s supposed to come on to Bridge Street,” Perry said to CRA members at a Jan. 16 meeting. On Dec. 7, 2023, the city commission approved the 106-room resort hotel, 60-seat restaurant, 5,396 square feet of retail and 154 on-site parking spaces. “I have been told that those plans
have been worked on, they are submitting the building department plans for this and they hope to turn dirt by late summer for that project, so it is still on task,” Perry said. Just days after approval, on Dec. 11, a permitted demolition began on 129 Gulf Drive S., the location of the former Joe’s Eats N Sweets. On Jan. 13, 101 Bridge St., formerly the Freckled Fin, was demolished. On Jan. 26, demolition began on the building at 105 Bridge St., formerly the Magnolia Inn. The parcel, on the corner of Bridge Street and Gulf Drive South, has since been used as a public paid parking lot. The hotel property is sited on 1.61 acres and located at 101, 105 and 117 Bridge St. and 106, 108, 110 and 112 Third St. S.
SEE HOTEL, PAGE 17
A work meeting is scheduled on Jan. 28 to evaluate continuing to contract with an outside building official versus hiring a city employee. BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com
BRADENTON BEACH – Following discussion at a Jan. 16 city commission meeting about a possible restructuring of the city’s building department, commissioners decided to meet on Tuesday, Jan. 28 for a work meeting on the subject. The city has been at odds with Building Official Darin Cushing over his issuance of a permit for the DriftIn tiki structure on Bridge Street. “Right now, we are currently under a contractual agreement with SAFEbuilt to provide a building official
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Anna Maria Island, Florida
SEE ROSS BUILT, PAGE 19
Commissioners discuss restructuring building department
ISLAND POLICE OFFICERS serve at presidential inauguration. Page 20
LONGBOAT KEY – Ross Built Custom Homes recently built a new waterfront home on Jewfish Key. The Bradenton-based construction company is owned and operated by husband and wife Greg and Lee Ross. On Dec. 13, Lee Ross provided a tour of the new home soon to be occupied by its owners. Completed after hurricanes Helene and Milton hit, the home will be showcased in Southern Living magazine in March. “The premise of the article is homes that are built to last and we’re proud to be part of that,” Lee Ross said. “I presented the house to the client yesterday. On the boat ride over here, he told his kids they can never sell this house. They need to pass it down to their kids. We built the house to last and they want it passed down through the generations,” she added. The 3,000-square-foot home features four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms and comfortably sleeps 14 people, with bunk beds
The Island’s award-winning weekly newspaper
and planner,” Mayor John Chappie said. “This is opposed to the way it used to be with a department head as employees of the city.” Chappie said over the years, the system of contracting has worked out for the most part, but said he would like commissioners to evaluate the return of the building department positions to the city. “The past four or five months have been very challenging as we all know,” Chappie said, citing the importance of having department heads at emergency team meetings. Cushing serves as the city’s building official with Luis Serna as land planner. Both are contractual roles. Commissioners approved a contract for Cushing on Jan. 18, 2024 as city building official following the
SEE RESTRUCTURE, PAGE 15
DRIFT-IN TIKI BAR reconsidered by
Bradenton Beach officials. 9
ISLAND PLAYERS troupe puts on
"Birthday Suite." 8
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