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THE SUN
ISLAND NEWS
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JULY 8, 2020
IN BRIEF July 4 traffic numbers
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer reported a total of 109,723 vehicles entering the city over the holiday weekend, Thursday, July 2 through Sunday, July 5. That number is a slight increase over the 107,971 vehicles entering Holmes Beach over the same four days last year. Friday saw the highest number of vehicles with 29,534 counted coming into Holmes Beach. Saturday saw 28,024 vehicles crossing the bridge and Sunday was the slowest day of the weekend with 25,000 vehicles entering the city. Tokajer said no major issues were reported to police over the holiday weekend.
Scam targets Holmes Beach residents Holmes Beach police officers are warning of a new scam targeting the city’s residents. A card stating that it’s from the Holmes Beach Emergency Appeal National Police Association is asking for resident signatures and contributions. The problem is, HBPD officers aren’t endorsing the plea nor do they receive any assistance from the entity asking for money. Chief Bill Tokajer advises that any resident receiving the postcard not respond and those who wish to assist the HBPD reach out directly to the department via email at chief@ holmesbeach.org.
JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
The mayor and city commission amended and extended the city’s emergency mask order last week.
Anna Maria extends mandatory mask order Mayor and commission strongly recommend wearing masks or face coverings in outdoor waiting areas. BY JOE HENDRICKS
The Island Library’s doors are open
SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
The staff at the Island Branch Library is ready to welcome back visitors. The library is open to the public at 40% capacity. Masks or facial coverings are required and social distancing will be observed. The staff asks that patrons limit their computer usage to 30 minutes per person per day. Patrons also are encouraged to limit their visits to 30 minutes to accommodate more people during library hours. More information on the library’s opening procedures is available online at https://mymanatee.org/departments/manatee_county_public_library_system/library_reopening_f_a_q_s. The library is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from noon to 7 p.m. on Wednesday. It’s closed on Sundays and Mondays. The Island Branch Library is located at 5701 Marina Drive in Holmes Beach.
ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy and the Anna Maria City Commission have extended the city’s mandatory mask order for another seven days. The emergency mask order originally enacted on June 25 as City Order #33 was amended during a special commission meeting Thursday morning. The amended order, City Order #36, is now posted at the city website, www.cityofannamaria. com. The mask order can be accessed by hitting the “read more” link in the COVID-19 informational column along the left side of the city’s home page. Similar to the original mask order, the amended and extended order only applies to certain indoor places. But City Order #36 also includes new recommendations regarding outdoor waiting areas and vacation rentals. “Every person working, living, visiting or doing business in the city of Anna Maria shall wear a face covering in any indoor location, other than their home or residence, when not maintaining social distancing from other persons, excluding family members or companions,” the amended order says. The order lists the following exceptions:
Dredging to begin in August Dredging at the 63rd Street boat ramp and basin and along the 64th Street canal to Marina Drive is scheduled to begin in Holmes Beach on or around Aug. 17. Work is expected to last until Sept. 4. Director of Development Services Eran Wasserman said that all permits are in place for the project and the work is budgeted to take place within the 2019-20 fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30.
Corrrection Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 6608 Marina Drive in Holmes Beach, is holding Sunday services virtually on Facebook and YouTube at 9:30 a.m. A listing in last week’s Sun had the wrong time.
• Children under the age of two years; • People for whom a face covering would cause impairment due to an existing health condition; • People working in a business or profession who do not have interactions with other people; • People working in an office when all interactions with others are done with social distancing as recommended by the CDC; • People eating and/or drinking at a restaurant; provided, however, that face coverings must otherwise be worn in restaurants. City Order #36 includes new language that says, “Businesses are requested to strongly encourage face coverings and social distancing for customers and persons waiting in line outdoors for service. Also, vacation rental owners and management companies are requested to give out informational material, such as a copy of this order, to each of their vacation rental customers upon check-in.” A violation of the mask order is punishable by a code enforcement citation that carries a $50 fine per violation. During Thursday’s meeting, Murphy said no citations had been issued for mask violations to date and the city had not received any complaints about noncompliance. When Thursday’s discussion began, Murphy addressed expanding the order to include outdoor public spaces. “It’s very difficult for me to tell you that you have to stay 6 feet away from your husband or your wife or
your child while you’re on vacation outdoors in the state of Florida. I think it would be nice if everybody wore face masks, but I don’t think we can infringe upon people’s personal rights that much. And I know we can’t enforce it. I think it’s going too far,” Murphy said.
OUTDOOR WAITING AREAS
The new language regarding outdoor waiting areas arose from concerns raised by commissioners Jon Crane and Mark Short, based on what they’ve seen outside some restaurants and other food establishments, including ice cream shops. Crane suggested expanding the mask order to include outdoor waiting areas, but the commission did not go that far. Commissioner Joe Muscatello asked if the city was going to encourage that masks be worn on the City Pier. The commission did not address the pier in its amended mask order, but Murphy said free masks are available at the pier entryway when the pier is open. Commissioner Amy Tripp agreed with Crane and Short, but said enforcement of the outdoor waiting areas would be challenging. She recommended calling on business owners and patrons to use common sense instead. Muscatello shared feedback he received from business owners. “They don’t want to see a shutdown and they would go along with anySEE MASK, PAGE 5
