VOL 23 No. 43
- Named Best Florida Newspaper In Its Class -
June 21, 2023
Pat Copeland, an Island treasure Pat Copeland made a lasting impact on Anna Maria Island and touched many lives along the way.
BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA – Beloved Anna Maria resident, newspaper reporter and Island historian Pat Copeland passed away on Tuesday, June 13, at the age of 76. She passed away at Manatee Memorial Hospital in Bradenton from complications associated with the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other respiratory challenges she faced in recent years. In 2000, Pat joined the newly-formed Anna Maria Island Sun newspaper as a reporter and copy editor. As a Sun reporter, Pat spent many years covering the city of Holmes Beach, the Holmes Beach City
COPELAND FAMILY | SUBMITTED ANNA HAYDEN | SUBMITTED
Commission and West Manatee Fire Rescue. As the copy editor, she proofread and corrected almost every story that ran in The Sun during her tenure, which ended in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. AMI Sun Publisher Mike Field said, “Pat was the first person I hired for The Sun’s news department when Maggie
and I began planning in 1999 to start a weekly community newspaper on the Island. Looking back, that hire was one of the single most important things I ever did as owner and publisher of the paper. Pat’s knowledge of local history and her experience covering Island news brought instant credibility to the upstart Sun.
Family was of the utmost importance to Pat Copeland. She left a lasting mark on Anna Maria Island with her reporting, her historical preservation efforts and her dedication to family, friends and community. “Pat knew absolutely everybody and had a deserved reputation for treating the subjects of her stories with respect and honesty. Her accuracy in reporting and attention to detail were phenomenal. She almost never made a mistake. As an editor, she helped many young reporters by deftly catching errors in their copy long before
the stories ever made it into print. If you needed to know who to talk to on any given assignment, Pat was the person you asked. “Personally, I will always remember the wry sense of humor she had, one that often left me in stitches and helped diffuse the mounting pressures of approaching deadlines.
It was a pleasure to have worked with Pat Copeland and an even greater one simply to have known her. She will be missed,” he said.
AN ISLAND LIFE
Pat was born and raised in Beavercreek, Ohio, just east of Dayton. Her husband
SEE PAT COPELAND, PAGE 12
Local developer arrested for DUI
Island business owner and developer Shawn Kaleta was arrested for DUI and resisting arrest. BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
HOLMES BEACH – Anna Maria Island developer and business owner Shawn Thomas Kaleta, 45, of Holmes Beach, was arrested for driving under
the influence and resisting arrest on June 15. In a 29-page police report, Holmes Beach Police Officer Andrew Adkins said that he observed a black Kaleta Mercedes-Benz SUV speeding while traveling east on Manatee Avenue. While following the vehicle across the Anna Maria Island Bridge, he noticed that
the driver was driving erratically, causing him to initiate a traffic stop. In the police report, Adkins said Kaleta did not follow directions, left the SUV without being ordered to do so and failed to provide his driver’s license. Once out of the car, Adkins said that Kaleta continued to disregard directions, placing a phone call and giving the officer varying stories about whether he was on his way to visit his mother in the hospital or on his way back.
Adkins attempted a field sobriety test after detecting alcohol on Kaleta, who refused to cooperate, according to the report. When the officer informed him that he was under arrest, Kaleta pulled away and didn’t comply with orders to stop, resulting in Adkins wrestling him to the ground to complete the arrest. While at the police station, Kaleta complained of being dehydrated and
SEE DEVELOPER, PAGE 36
IT'S JUNE, and that
PARKING GARAGE BILL awaits
18-19
WOULD A PARKING GARAGE affect
means wedding time!
the Easter Sunrise Service? 5
Page 31 Anna Maria Island, Florida
governor's decision. 4
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