- Named Best Florida Newspaper In Its Class -
VOL 24 No. 36
May 1, 2024
Turtle Watch volunteers find season’s first sea turtle nest Turtle Watch reminds visitors to shield lights facing the beach, remove beach furniture at sunset, and fill in holes in the sand. BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com
PEGGY WELCH | SUBMITTED
From left, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch volunteers Maureen Richmond, Danielle Kimberly, Robert Brown and Turtle Watch Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella mark the first loggerhead nest found on Anna Maria Island this year.
Voters to decide tourist tax increase
Manatee County tourism officials want to raise the tourist tax from 5% to 6%, but voters will decide. BY JASON SCHAFFER SUN CORRESPONDENT | jschaffer@amisun.com
MANATEE COUNTY – County commissioners were set to vote on whether to increase the county’s tourist tax, also known as the bed tax, from 5% to 6% at their April 23 meeting, but the item was removed from the agenda due to a recent change in state law. The Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) unanimously recommended that the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) increase the tax at its April 15 meeting, but neither body was aware of 2023
legislation that gave voters the power to levy an increase in the tax. “So, what happened was we met the revenue criteria for calendar year 2023” to increase the tax, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director (CVB) and TDC member Elliott Falcione said. “The short-term rental tax has to generate $30 million and we generated $30,091,000, making us eligible to increase the tax from 5% to 6%, which is the maximum allowed in Florida.” Falcione said after meeting the criteria, a request was sent through the county’s Office of Financial Management to the Florida Department of Revenue, which issued a letter certifying that the county had met the required criteria. The county attorney’s office then drew up a new
SEE TOURISM, PAGE 21
SEE TURTLES, PAGE 24
Mayor, state legislator discuss consolidation Mayor Judy Titsworth said she feels city leaders are “moving the needle” in a positive direction after a talk with Rep. Will Robinson Jr. BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
HOLMES BEACH – Mayor Judy Titsworth met with Rep. Will Robinson Jr. recently to discuss the potential for consolidation or elimination of the three Anna Maria Island cities. She said that after the meeting, she feels he’s listening to city leaders’ concerns. Robinson is one of the five-member Manatee County state legislative delegation that initiated the process for the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) study looking at
PORSCHE 911 meets watery end in Holmes Beach canal. 4
consolidating the three Island cities into one, eliminating the cities and folding them into unincorporated Manatee County or the city of Bradenton, or leaving them Titsworth as-is. The results of the state agency study will be sent to Robinson and Sen. Jim Boyd for review, but are not required to be released to city leaders or to the public. During the April 23 Robinson conversation, Titsworth said that they discussed the report and Robinson said he’s looking forward to seeing the report and related numbers. One of the sticking points with state legislators
SEE CONSOLIDATION, PAGE 27
BRIDGE STREET newly lined with 80
coconut palms. 3
IT'S BACK. Lyngbya is washing up on local
shorelines. 14
Page 23 Anna Maria Island, Florida
ANNA MARIA ISLAND - Volunteers with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring have found and marked the first loggerhead sea turtle nest of the season on the Island. “We are excited to start the nesting season on Anna Maria Island and look forward to a productive season protecting nests and educating the public,” Turtle Watch Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella said in a statement. Under a directive from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Turtle Watch volunteers began patrolling local beaches
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