TURTLES

Keep on swimming

Cindy Lane

Alot of things are different in this first turtle season on Anna Maria Island since the coronavirus pandemic began.

To limit people’s exposure to COVID-19, there are no public turtle nest excavations to watch as Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch volunteers extract and count egg fragments to determine how many eggs hatched from each nest.

There are no Turtle Talks for visitors to attend to learn about sea turtle nesting and hatching on the Island, and how they can help them survive.

There is no satellite tagging of a nesting sea turtle to follow online in the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s annual Tour de Turtles race.

There will be no Turtle Watch awards luncheon to recognize the many volunteers, only a few of whom are allowed to work on the beach this year due to the pandemic. TURTLE TIPS

During sea turtle season, May 1 – Oct. 31, please follow these tips: • Turn off lights visible from the beach and close blinds from sundown to sunrise; lights confuse nesting sea turtles and may cause them to go back to sea and drop their eggs in the water, where they won’t hatch. Light can also attract hatchlings away from the water. • Don’t use flashlights, lanterns or camera flashes on the beach at night. • Remove all objects from the sand

CINDY LANE | SUN All sea turtle nests laid on Anna Maria Island this year are being relocated to one section of beach in Anna Maria to avoid being damaged by the beach renourishment project that began last week.

Turtle Watch is indefinitely postponing its annual fundraiser, “Turtle Watch Wednesday,” to keep people safe.

And there are difficulties not related to the coronavirus.

Beach renourishment in Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach has forced Turtle Watch to dig up all sea turtle nests on the Island this season and relocate them to a safe from sundown to sunrise; they can deter sea turtles from nesting and disorient hatchlings. • Fill in the holes you dig in the sand before leaving the beach; they can trap nesting and hatching sea turtles, which cannot live long out of the water. • Don’t use wish lanterns or fireworks; they litter the beach and Gulf. • Do not trim trees and plants that shield the beach from lights. • Never touch a sea turtle; it’s the law. If you see people disturbing turbeach in Anna Maria and dig new nests.

Turtle Watch Director Suzi Fox is worried that someone is following nesting turtles this season, distracting them from their task, based on turtle and human tracks.

And, as always, people are digging holes in the sand and not filling them in, trapping one nesting turtle so far this season that

was rescued by Turtle Watch. tles, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

NESTING NEWS

Turtle nests laid: 291, up from 261 last week (Record: 544 in 2019)

False crawls: 390, up from 355 last week

Nests hatched: 6

Hatchlings hatched: 434 (Record: 35,788 in 2018)

Nest disorientations: 0

Beach furniture continues to be left out at night, and lights facing the beach continue to be left on at night, which diverts turtles from the water.

But despite the obstacles, Turtle Watch has always strived to keep sea turtles safe while also keeping people safe - for example, they investigated and found turtle lighting options that allow people to see where they’re going while shielding turtles from distracting light sources.

Now, during the pandemic, the organization is striving even harder to keep volunteers safe from the coronavirus while continuing to protect turtles.

So here’s a wave of the flipper to Turtle Watch, and when it seems that all your efforts are just a drop in the ocean, it might help to remember that with all the hindrances to the continuation of the species, sea turtles are still around, and have been for about 100 million years.

According to some Native American tribes, one was present at the creation of the world, which rests on the turtle’s back while it “swims” forever in space.

So, to Turtle Watch and the 434 sea turtles that have hatched on the Island so far this year, keep on swimming.

BIRD TIPS

During bird nesting season, March through August, please follow these tips: • Never touch a shorebird chick, even if it’s wandering outside a staked nesting area. • Teach kids not to chase birds – bird parents may abandon nests if they’re disturbed. • Don’t feed birds – it encourages them to fly at people aggressively and is not good for their health.

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W H E R E ‛ S Y O U R C O M F O R T Z O N E ? SCHOOL: Including mandatory face covers

FROM PAGE 3 there. There will be actual teacher instruction. If a teacher is teaching 10 students in front of them and has 10 that are at home for eLearning, they will be able to see the teacher teaching that lesson streaming live at the same time. They will be able to ask questions, get their questions answered and be a part of the class even though half of them may be sitting in their living room. We have the technology for that to happen.

“If a teacher doesn’t want to do it that way, we’ve given them a day in the week where they can record all of their lessons. If you’re on eLearning, there will be a live or taped teacher instruction. They will see the lesson taught by the teacher. It’s just as if they’re in the classroom. The teaching is going be occurring,” Saunders said.

In response to a question from board member Dr. Scott Hopes regarding eLearning, Saunders said the school district has already purchased many electronic devices to distribute to lower-income families in need, but there are still concerns about internet access at the student’s home.

“I do think we are going to have some problems with internet service, but we will have to come up with a plan for this,” Saunders said.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

When the school year begins, extra-curricular activities including sports, band and cheerleading will be limited to outdoor, socially-distanced training activities only. Saunders said there are currently no plans for students to engage in competitive sporting events with other schools.

COVID CONCERNS

During last week's meeting, Saunders acknowledged the lingering concerns about the coronavirus.

“We can’t really say that it does not affect children. It is a new virus. Until we have schools open, I don’t really know that we have all the facts yet,” she said.

Saunders’ presentation included a slide that referenced COVID-19 test results for children in Manatee County and Florida.

“If you look at June 12th through now, and you compare our data and the number of cases compared to the state, in each one of these calculations we have exceeded the percent of infected cases per tested children than the state has. We’re at a 35.7% positive rate compared to 24.2% of those tested being positive for the state versus Manatee County. So, our percentage is pretty substantial,” Saunders said.

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Unique designs at Blooms By The Beach

BY LOUISE BOLGER

SUN STAFF WRITER

Sometimes it doesn’t take much to lift your spirits - a smile from a child, a beautiful sunset or a bouquet of fresh flowers. During these difficult times a delivery of fresh flowers can mean the difference between an ordinary day and one that makes memories.

Just one year ago, Blooms By The Beach opened in Bradenton Beach, the first flower and floral design shop on the Island in many years. Felica Goett, originally from New Jersey and living in Denver for 20 years, frequently vacationed and visited relatives on the west coast of Florida for most of her life. But it wasn’t until two years ago while she and her mother were staying on Anna Maria Island that she realized there wasn’t a flower shop on the Island. They went back to Colorado and started making plans for a permanent move to Florida.

For seven years in Denver, Goett owned an event and floral business in addition to working for a nonprofit providing services to senior citizens, but her passion was always with flowers. Her mother was a professional florist and an aunt who lived in Sarasota was

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a lead designer. Flower DNA was in her blood.

Goett is proud to say that Blooms By The Beach never closed its doors when the COVID-19 pandemic began. They provided sanitized curbside pickups and deliveries to a grateful clientele, including many older people who were unable to leave their homes.

When holidays came everyone wanted to reach out to family members to let them know they were thinking

LOUISE BOLGER | SUN Felica Goett Floral Designer and Owner,

about them even if they couldn’t visit. Floral arrangements for Mother’s Day were frequently accompanied by touching personal notes and stories, and some people had flowers delivered to themselves to brighten up their home. To say that Goett provided an impor

tant service during a difficult time would be an understatement.

Blooms By The Beach has fresh flowers every day chosen by Goett during her morning market visit, as well as some international products sent. The company has a crew that delivers to Anna Maria, Longboat Key, Bird Key, North Sarasota and Bradenton. In addition, Goett can wire and receive anywhere through FTD, Teleflora and Flower Shop and she offers gift certificates. She also points out that her beginning price point is lower than most florists.

Since opening her business, Goett has immersed herself into the Island community. She is a member of the Anna Maria Island Chamber and was invited to join the AMI Wedding Association. Her wedding business is blossoming, booking six to eight weddings a month even during this slow time and providing flowers for four weddings over the July 4 weekend.

Even if something doesn’t seem essential it may be surprising when it actually is. Call your Island florist and see the unique designs Felica Goett offers at Blooms By The Beach - world class floral arrangements across from a world class beach.

City seeks removal of grounded sailboat

The out-of-state owner has been located and is being given 35 days to remove the boat or it will be removed by the state.

JOE HENDRICKS

SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA – With hurricane season looming, Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy is trying to get a derelict sailboat removed from the waters southeast of the Anna Maria City Pier, but the task has proved easier said than done.

The boat has remained aground since mid-December. From time to time, visitors have been seen boarding it in search of bounty or souvenirs.

When an abandoned or derelict vessel requires removal, local municipalities often seek West Coast Inland Navigational District (WCIND) grant allocation funds from the county. But the sailboat offshore of Anna Maria is located in the state waters of Tampa Bay, which brings the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) into the equation.

On Friday, Murphy emailed Manatee County Administrator Cheri Coryea seeking her assistance.

“I cannot wait much longer. If our city acts and has this vessel removed, whom shall we send the bill to? Our city attorney feels that since we know it poses an imminent threat and danger to our residents and visitors, we can and should act to protect the safety of the city. Since the money, $32,500, has already been identified, the city should be entitled to those funds,” Murphy wrote.

In response, Coryea forwarded Murphy an email she received from Manatee County Environmental Program Manager Alan Lai Hipp.

“I was informed by the investigating officer that FWC legal directed him to repeat the investigation due to concerns regarding due diligence for a rightful owner. The subsequent ownership search led from an individual in Clearwater, to a charity organization based in Arizona and then to an individual in Virginia who acknowledged that it was his boat, but that he was letting a friend use it and hadn’t talked to that person in months. The ownership trail seems to at least end with the person in Virginia,” Lai Hipp’s email said.

“FWC’s standard operating procedures for derelict vessels requires presentation of a packet of rights which then starts a 21-day administrative hearing request period,” Lai Hipp wrote, noting the COVID-19 pandemic

JOE HENDRICKS | SUN This large sailboat has been grounded off the coast of Anna Maria since mid-December.

and the out-of-state owner contributed to the noticing delays.

“One positive thing is the funding agreement is in place between WCIND and FWC. Once the second investigation is completed, the contractor can be greenlighted to start removing the vessel,” Lai Hipp wrote.

He also advised contacting FWC Public Information Officer Adam Brown to hear directly from him what happened and what happens next, which Murphy did.

“This vessel poses several public safety hazards and threats to our residents, visitors and the city. In the event of a storm, the debris may wash ashore in a residential neighborhood and cause bodily harm or structural damage. The proximity to our new pier presents the potential of structural damage in the event of a storm. The wreck poses an environmental hazard to our waters with potential contaminants onboard the vessel and its serves as an ‘attractive nuisance’ to passers-by. Please advise as to what steps can be taken to immediately rectify this situation,” Murphy wrote in his email to Brown.

On Monday, Brown referred Murphy to Capt. Guy Carpenter at the FWC field office in Fort Myers.

“He said FWC’s finally been given the go-ahead to serve notice to the out-of-state owner, but the owner is being given 35 days’ notice because of the COVID pandemic. So, it will be at least 35 days before we close this case, maybe longer,” Murphy said.

When contacted later in the day, Brown said the notice period was extended by 14 days because of the COVID quarantine restrictions and the out-of-state owner, and that the notice would be sent by certified mail in a day or two.

“Once we receive word the owner has signed for it, he has 35 days to remove it. If he hasn’t removed it within 35 days, the state will remove the vessel and seek reimbursement from the owner,” Brown said.