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VOL 25 No. 12
November 13, 2024
Short wins Anna Maria mayor’s race
Mark Short will be sworn in as mayor on Nov. 19. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
Kaleta seeking investors
JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
This hurricane-damaged home at 110 Ninth St. N. in Bradenton Beach is mentioned in developer Shawn Kaleta's AMI Development Fund prospectus. See the story on Page 3.
ANNA MARIA – Mark Short will serve as Anna Maria’s next mayor, succeeding five-term mayor Dan Murphy. Short, the current city commission chairman and vice-mayor, defeated former city commissioner Brian Seymour in the general election that concluded on Nov. 5. Short received 387 votes (60.47%) and Seymour received 253 votes (39.53%), according to the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections website. Running unopposed, incumbent city commissioner Gary McMullen and former charter review committee chairman Chris Arendt also earned two-year terms on the Anna Maria City Commission. Short, McMullen and Arendt will be sworn in on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
SEE SHORT, PAGE 18
Titsworth re-elected as mayor
Mayor Judy Titsworth won the election over rival Mike Roth by just 41 votes. BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
HOLMES BEACH – Election night was a tense one for many voters but it was especially a nail-biter in Anna Maria Island’s largest city as the night closed out with just a few votes separating the two candidates for mayor, incumbent Judy Titsworth and newcomer Mike Roth. When all the votes were counted by the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office, Titsworth took home the victory with 1,012
votes, 51.03% of the total number of votes cast. This was just enough to claim victory without triggering a mandatory recount per the city’s charter. If candidates are separated by 0.5% or less of the total number of votes, Holmes Beach voters would have to wait for a recount to take place before swearing in a winner. Though Roth received more votes in early and election day voting, Titsworth brought in the most votes by mail. Roth received 971 votes, 48.97% of the total number of votes cast in the mayoral race. This will be Titsworth’s fourth term as mayor.
SEE HOLMES BEACH, PAGE 19
FILE PHOTO
Mayor Judy Titsworth won another two years on the dais in Holmes Beach.
CHRISTMAS on Bridge Street and other holiday festivities are a go. Page 16
10
Anna Maria Island, Florida
Bear takes Bradenton Beach commission seat
The Island’s award-winning weekly newspaper
Scott Bear will be sworn in on Monday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. as the new Ward 2 city commissioner. Bear, who ran Bear unopposed, will take the seat currently held by Marilyn Maro. He will serve a two-year term. Maro had been absent with excuse from commission and CRA meetings for more than a year for an undisclosed reason. She has telephoned into some of the meetings. Bear’s swearing in will take place at Bradenton Beach City Hall in the Katie Pierola Commission Chambers, 107 Gulf Drive N.
SEE MANATEE COUNTY election
results. 5
ANNA MARIA adopts four charter
amendments. 8
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