- Named Best Florida Newspaper In Its Class -
VOL 22 No. 50
September 21, 2022
BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | leslielake@aol.com
Turtle hatchlings break record on AMI BARBARA RISKAY | SUBMITTED
Baseball statisticians have nothing on Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, which counts everything from sea turtle nests to sea turtle hatchlings like this one - and even nests that were not laid.
Water taxi plans detailed Several potential water taxi funding sources have been identified. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
MANATEE COUNTY – The county’s chief tourism official briefed county commissioners on Sept. 13 on plans in the works for a water taxi between Anna Maria Island and Bradenton, including new funding sources. Revenues generated by the countycontrolled Coquina Beach Market will help fund the water taxi, said Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Revenues generated by the 5% tourist development tax levied on vacation rentals, resorts and other lodging establishments in Manatee County could also be used, as could surplus
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beach concession funds, he said. Falcione is working with Manatee County Public Works Director Chad Butzow and Transit Division Manager Jason Harris to develop the water taxi service under the direction of County Administrator Scott Hopes. In August, Falcione told the Anna Maria City Commission he hoped to present a formal contract proposal to county commissioners on Sept. 13, but he told county commissioners that day that some final details were still being worked out with the proposed water taxi company. Falcione said he and Hopes plan to present a formal contract proposal to the county commission on Tuesday, Sept. 27 and he plans to present the tourist development tax funding request to the Manatee County Tourist Development Council (TDC) in October. SEE WATER TAXI, PAGE 23
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Sea turtle hatchlings have broken the Anna Maria Island record set by the 2018 crop of local loggerheads, with 35,850 hatchlings so far this year. The number, recorded last weekend by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, exceeds the previous record of 35,788 hatchlings that made it to the Gulf of Mexico from the Island’s beaches in 2018, and there are more to come. “It will continue to grow as there are nests to still hatch,” Turtle Watch volunteer Barbara Riskay said. Turtle Watch breaks down nesting data into three geographical sections. The first, from the Longboat Key Bridge north to Manatee Beach, has had 17,167 hatchlings so far this year. The second, from Manatee Beach north to Bean Point, has had 17,805 hatchlings so far. The third, covering bayside beaches, has had 878 hatchlings so far this year. The last time turtles set a record on AMI was in 2019, when turtle moms laid a record number of nests - 544. This year’s nesting tally is approaching that record, at 531 nests. Turtle Watch also counts nests that were not laid, known as false crawls, identified by tracks left by nesting mothers that did not dig nests. Sea turtle nesting season ends on Oct. 31.
County, vendors face off on takeover of beach market BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | leslielake@aol.com
BRADENTON BEACH - Manatee County commissioners debated the county’s takeover of the Coquina Beach Market last week as vendors defended ousted organizer Nancy Ambrose. The beach market saga began publicly on Aug. 2 when, in a press release, Manatee County Information Director Bill Logan announced that the county would take over the market from Ambrose. At an Aug. 18 county commission land use meeting, Commissioner Carol Whitmore voiced her opposition. “I think this needs to be decided by the board if we’re going to do this,” Whitmore said. “I don’t believe in the
board interfering with the private sector in this. I don’t want to run a market.” The issue arose again on Sept. 13 when Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) gave an update to the board. “For many months, the county administrator has been going through an optimization process organizationally allowing certain positions to gain more responsibility bandwidth,” Falcione said. “This additional bandwidth gives an expertise and oversight ability to operate the beach market at the county-owned park, allowing the proceeds to go to the community.” Falcione said one market objective is to provide tourists and residents SEE MARKET, PAGE 23
FALL IN LOVE
HOLMES BEACH to regulate
with an autumn wedding on Anna Maria Island. 24, 25
food trucks. 10
Anna Maria Island, Florida
TREES SAVED at Kingfish Boat
Ramp. 5
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