- Named Best Florida Newspaper In Its Class -
VOL 18 No. 43
August 8, 2018
Pier construction permits issued A second request for proposals has been issued in hopes of getting a better price for the construction of the new Anna Maria City Pier. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
SHERMAN BALDWIN | SUBMITTED
Paradise Boat Tours general manager Sherman Baldwin took this photo of the waters near the Bridge Street Pier Monday morning.
Red tide is here Red tide that’s recently plagued the waters to the south is now impacting Anna Maria Island. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The impacts of red tide were felt up and down Anna Maria Island over the weekend and on Monday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website describes red tide as an algae bloom that produces toxic or harmful effects for people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals and birds.
BRADENTON BEACH
Bridge Tender Inn and Dockside Bar manager Shannon Dunnan said no one sat at their waterfront bar on Sunday because of all the dead fish that washed ashore along the bay side.
INSIDE NEWS 4 OPINION 6 SUN SURVEY 7 SCHOOL 17 OUTDOORS 18-19 OBITUARIES 24 TOP PRODUCERS 25 SPORTS 26
“It’s horrific, the most horrendous smell ever. You start gagging on the smell of fish. The storm last night drove them all out and the high tide brought them all back in,” Dunnan said Monday morning. “We’ve got guys out there now putting up fencing up so the dead fish don’t land on our shores,” Dunnan said. Later in the day, she said the situation had improved. Sherman Baldwin runs Paradise Boat Tours in Bradenton Beach and lives in Siesta Key. “We’re 70 percent off our normal business. We would typically be really busy the last week before the kids go back to school,” Baldwin said. “This morning it was brutal,” he said of the conditions near the Bridge Street Pier. “Siesta Beach was eerie, there was nobody out there,” he added. “I’m headed to Tallahassee Wednesday to try and find out
ANNA MARIA – The city now has the federal permits needed to build a new city pier. On Friday, Aug. 3, Mayor Dan Murphy sent an email to city commissioners that said, “We have just received the approved Army Corp of Engineers permit to construct our new pier. This concludes all federal permitting required. We received this permit much sooner than expected. This action clears the way and facilitates our revised RFP (request for proposals) as to specifications and should help in shortening the bid process. Thank you for your confidence during this process.” The permits for the pier demolition and the pier construction were conducted as separate permitting processes. In July, Murphy told city commissioners he expected to have the construction permit by late August. Murphy included in his email to commissioners a copy of the notification he and Ayres Associates Vice President Jaz Saxena received from Katy Damico. Damico works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Jacksonville District Tampa Permits Section in Tampa. Ayres Associates is designing and engineering the new pier. “The application for a Department of the Army permit has been reviewed and the information and drawings provided shows the proposed work depicted on the enclosed drawings is authorized by Nationwide Permit 3,” Damico wrote. “A review of the information and drawings provided indicates that the proposed work would result SEE PIER, PAGE 15
RYAN DAVIS | SUBMITTED
On Sunday, Yolo Adventures owner Ryan Davis took this photo of the shoreline near the Bridge Tender Inn in Bradenton Beach. what’s being done about this on long term basis. I’m going to try to get with some of the state SEE RED TIDE, PAGE 13
CITY OF ANNA MARIA | SUBMITTED
This rendering provides a rear view of the new buildings to be built at the end of the new pier.
COOL foodie flicks
BRADENTON Beach day dock
for hot summer days and nights. 20
is on its way. 3
Anna Maria Island, Florida
DR. NORMAN says goodbye to
his patients. 4 The Island’s award-winning weekly newspaper www.amisun.com