where’s tuna street? 16-17
garden party. 11
from the heart. 19 FEB. 5, 2020 FRee
VOLUME 28, NO. 15 astheworldterns look ahead to shell shops. 6 BB cra seeks new streetlight estimates. 4
Meetings. 4 Scenic highway extensions get oK. 5
the Best news on anna maria island Since 1992
state deP to request removal of net camp
HB hikes fines. 5
Opinions. 6
By Leslie Lake islander reporter
10-20 Years ago
Looking back. 7
transportation advisers approve 2020 list. 8 detour plans delayed for cortez roadwork. 8
Happenings announcements.
Save the date.
Streetlife. HB to revisit ‘Scootcoupe’ ban.
Gathering. take 5:00:
Obituaries.
islander.org
Centenarian honored for WWII service World War ii veteran alvaro “al” Fernandez, 100, is pinned Jan. 31 by Korean War veteran terry Willis, an honor guard member with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10141 in Bradenton, at Fernandez’s home on Sixth avenue in Holmes Beach. the pinning was part of the tidewell Hospice Honors Veterans Program. Fernandez was a u.S. air Force communications sergeant. He also received a certificate and his wife Yolanda and daughter margie received veteran caretaker pins. islander Photo: chrisann allen
meals on Wheels to serve diners on ami.
After nearly three years of legal wrangling, the failure of a last-ditch attempt to save a stilt house illegally built on the water has opened the door to its demolition. The legal battles began in 2017 when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection demanded Raymond Guthrie Jr. remove the 1,200-square-foot house he built on pilings in Sarasota Bay near the Cortezbased A.P. Bell Fish Co. and pay fines for ignoring the order. Guthrie built the structure — a metal roof, air conditioning and other amenities — including installing the pilings — between February 2017 and May 2017 without state permits. In June 2017, the DEP determined the state owns the submerged land where the structure stands. On Feb. 6, 2018, the DEP sued Guthrie and petitioned the court for enforcement and compliance. On that date, there also was a PLeaSe, See net camp, Page 2
anna Maria advertises for new pier tenant
Volunteer opportunities.
ready, set for dolphin dash day. turtle watch plans for added sand.
Murderer speaks from jail
Spring brings rays’ season. Sports on ami. Sheepherding season starts.
isl BiZ departures, arrivals in island business.
PropertyWatch. CLASSIFIEDS.
NYTimes puzzle.
By Sandy ambrogi islander reporter
Anna Maria Islanders and friends of Sabine Musil-Buehler waited a long time for William Cumber to speak publicly. Even more than seven years, which was how long family, friends and investigators searched for the woman who went missing on Election Night, Nov. 4, 2008, before she was unearthed in 2015. Cumber worked as a handyman at PLeaSe, See mURDeR, Page 3
EatHereFlorida.com (941) 778-0411 5315 Gulf Drive • Holmes Beach
Work continues on the anna maria city Pier in January. islander Photo: Jack elka By Phil colpas islander reporter
Anna Maria officials cast a request for proposals, hoping to net a tenant for the restaurant and bait shop on the new city pier by spring. The city issued the RFP Jan. 22. The deadline for written questions is noon Feb. 19. The commission will hold a non-mandatory, pre-bid meeting at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 26 while the opening of the bids will be at 1 p.m. March 10. A date for the city commission to
approve a contract for a 10-year lease with a 10-year, or two five-year, extension options has yet to be determined. The commission decided Jan. 10 to reject a lease offer from Mario Schoenfelder, Anna Maria City Pier tenant since 2000, and instead seek bids for the buildout and operation of the pier amenities. “It is premature to speculate as to who may submit a response or when,” Murphy wrote in a Jan. 29 email to The Islander. “To submit a response requires a great deal of market data analysis, business case analysis
PLeaSe, See pIeR, Page 2