VOLUME 32, NO. 34
Happy Father’s Day
JUNE 12, 2024 FREE
THE BEST NEWS ON ANNA MARIA ISLAND SINCE 1992 Astheworldterns 6
Q&A 061224 3
Summer campers build ‘Green’
Candidate qualifying opens. 4
Meetings 4 Opinions 6
10-30 YEARS AGO
More Kids Day smiles. 9
Save the date. 10
Happenings Community announcements. 11
Gathering. 14
Olivia Sholey, 9, left, Vivianna Harwood, 7, and Simon Messinger, 8, smile June 6 as “Team Green” competes in a friendly Lego-building competition during the Summer My Way Camp at the Center of Anna Maria Island. The youth summer camp will include a four-day Lego-building competition July 8-11. Islander Courtesy Photo
GoodDeeds 14
Commissioner Former elected sparks competition official makes bid for AM mayor’s seat for HB seat
Obituaries 14 Milestones 15 Where’s Tuna Street?
Shooting in Cortez, local man arrested By Robert Anderson Islander Reporter
Looking back. 7
Memorial Day observance. 12
ISLANDER.ORG
By Ryan Paice Islander Reporter
There will be a political race in the city of Anna Maria in November — the first race Federal grant sought for since 2017. ferry. 19 Former City Commissioner Brian Seymour filed forms June 3 with the Manatee Cops & Courts 20 County Supervisor of Elections Office to RoadWatch 21 qualify to run for mayor. Seymour owns the Anna Maria General Fire district raising rates. Store, 503 Pine Ave., as well as operates the 22 City Pier Grill and Bait Shop on the cityowned pier. puzzle. 23 He also spent time on the city commission. Seymour was first elected to the board Center crowns soccer in 2016, became chair in 2018 and served champs. 24 in that role until he resigned due to personal Fishing intensifies. 25 reasons in August 2019. Mayor Dan Murphy, who has served in NESTING NOTES 26 the office for a decade, announced in May 100 and counting. that he would not seek reelection. Commission Chair Mark Short was the first to file forms with the SEO to qualify for Research roundup. 27 the post. CLASSIFIEDS. 28-29 Short originally was a member of the 2019 charter review committee. He was Isl Biz: 30 appointed to the city commission later the PropertyWatch. 30 same year and reelected without opposition in 2020 and 2022. While the SEO had yet to qualify the explore The Islander archive pair as of June 7, they have set the stage dating to for the first election the city has had for an 1992 at elected official in seven years. ufdc.ufl.edu.
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NYT
PLeASe, See ELECT AM, PAGe 4
By Ryan Paice Islander Reporter
A familiar face might return to the Holmes Beach City Commission for the first time since 1998. Carol Whitmore, a former city commissioner and mayor, told The Islander June 7 that she filed forms with the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office announcing her intent to run for commissioner in the Nov. 5 election. Whitmore was elected in 1991 to the city commission, which she served until 1998, when she was elected mayor. She was reelected three times and served as mayor until 2006, when she won a seat on the Manatee Board of County Commissioners. Whitmore, a Republican, served on the county board until 2022, when she lost the at-large District 6 GOP primary race to Jason Bearden. She told The Islander that she had many existing relationships with people at the federal, state and local levels due to her experience and wanted to help the city repair some of its own relationships. “I love where I live, so I figured I’d throw my name in the hat,” Whitmore said. “I’ll help however I can to close my political career.” Whitmore will face competition in the general election for the city commission. PLeASe, See ELECT HB, PAGe 5
Manatee County sheriff ’s deputies arrested Kevin R. Armstrong, 47, June 6 in connection with a shooting in the 3900 block of 116th Street West, Cortez. A verbal altercation escalated when Armstrong confronted a 33-year-old woman as she arrived with two men on a golf cart to retrieve personal items from a residence in Sunny Shores, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. According to the release, Armstrong fired a shotgun at the woman as she and two men who accompanied her to the residence attempted to flee. Armstrong allegedly continued firing and one of the men grabbed a handgun from the golf cart and fired in Armstrong’s direction. During the exchange of gunfire, the woman was shot in the chest, the MCSO said. The two men who arrived with the injured woman at Sunny Shores then drove PLeASe, See SHOOTING, PAGe 3
Treehouse demo?
See page 3. A rainy day on AMI, rods and reels, dad and son The Islander’s Capt. Danny Stasny, who writes the weekly fishing column, looks back at a rainy day when, at age 10, he faked being sick to get a day off school and got a surprise — a day of fishing on AMI with his dad. Read his reflection on page 21. And, from The Islander to dads, Happy Father’s Day.