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VOL 23 No. 47
July 19, 2023
On Aug. 3, the Anna Maria City Commission is expected to make a final decision as to whether the City Pier will serve as a water taxi stop. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA – Manatee County’s two newly-built water taxis have arrived and negotiations continue between the county and the city of Anna Maria regarding the City Pier being used as a water taxi stop. On July 13, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione issued a press release regarding the arrival of the two newly-built pontoon catamarans that will serve as the Gulf Island Ferry Service fleet. “The two 50-foot catamarans, as part of the highly anticipated Gulf Island Ferry Service, have splashed down in Cortez. The water ferry service is set to transport visitors and locals between downtown Bradenton and Anna Maria Island. The service is anticipated to launch later this summer,” according to the press release. “We anticipate families parking in downtown Bradenton, hopping on the ferry at the downtown port located just off the Riverwalk near Green Bridge and enjoying a beautiful boat ride out to the Island. At the same time, visitors staying on the Island can enjoy a leisure boat ride to downtown Bradenton to enjoy our amazing restaurants and attractions located on the mainland,” Falcione said in the press release.
County water taxis arrive MANATEE COUNTY | SUBMITTED
The new water taxis were placed in the water at the N.E. Taylor Boatworks in Cortez. The map illustrates proposed water taxi stops.
City hopes to incentivize permanent residents Anna Maria City Attorney Becky Vose is researching possible incentives that could include grants for full-time residents. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA – City officials are exploring the possibility of using grants and other incentives to attract and retain full-time residents. City Commissioner Charlie Salem first proposed the idea during the commission’s June 22 budget meeting and he suggested budgeting $75,000 for a feasibility study to help determine what can be done.
Salem proposed possible tax breaks and possible building code allowances for property owners who formally and voluntarily agree to not use their home as a short-term vacation rental. He also proposed marketing Anna Maria as a place for full-time residents to live. City Attorney Becky Vose said she’d research what can and can’t be legally done before the commission seeks a feasibility study. On July 13, Vose provided the commission with an update on her initial and ongoing research. She said property tax reductions and rebates are not allowed in Florida.
Group disputes county claim that drinking water remains safe BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
MANATEE COUNTY – A blue-green algae outbreak reported last week at Lake Manatee, the county’s primary drinking water reservoir, has prompted a local water quality watchdog group to question Manatee County’s claim that the water is safe, despite discoloration and an unusual odor. In a July 19 press release, Suncoast Waterkeeper members noted that the blue-green algae, known as Anabaena or Microcystin-LR, is a cyanotoxin that may be safe from a regulatory standpoint, but not necessarily from a health standpoint.
SEE INCENTIVES, PAGE 15
SEA TURTLE NESTS trampled, run
over by vehicle. 11
SEE WATER, PAGE 8
KRISTIN SWAIN | SUN
Water straight from a faucet in Manatee County shows water that county officials say is safe for consumption. Large particles of unknown material came out of the faucet along with the water.
ISLAND CITIES work to keep millage
rates the same or lower. 4-5
SUNCOAST WATERKEEPER
launching new monitoring program. 21
Page 23 Anna Maria Island, Florida
SEE WATER TAXI, PAGE 12
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