INIONOP

from Anna Maria Island Sun May 20, 2020

NEWS

6THE SUN OPINION

COVID-19: Choose people, not money

As Anna Maria Island homes continue to be converted to vacation rentals, a rivalry – sometimes polite, sometimes not so much – continues to escalate between dwindling residents and increasing vacation rental owners.

Locals complain about “Yankee carpetbaggers” and ugly big box houses with 20 bedrooms and loud parties. Vacation rental owners counter that without them, Islanders could not survive economically.

But in the COVID-19 world we live in now, survival means far more than the economy.

Manatee County commissioners should give more weight to human health than economic health as they consider whether to approve Monday’s Tourist Development Council (TDC) recommendation that the county petition the state to reopen vacation rentals.

The Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 statistics show that three of the county’s target markets for tourism - Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward counties - are the worst three counties in the state for COVID-19, with nearly 27,000 cases.

Manatee County has 867 cases as of Monday and continues to experience an increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

There were 23 more cases of COVID-19 reported here this weekend. Perhaps it would be prudent to reopen vacation rentals when there aren’t any new cases being recorded.

Otherwise, it’s like playing Russian roulette with the health of Manatee County residents, especially those who live on Anna Maria Island.

Let’s face it - vacationers come here to relax, and they’re only human. We all are. We all want the same thing when we travel: a chance to unwind, to let go, to explore new things.

But "travel" has changed, hasn't it.

There is no reason to think that tourists will not let their guards down during the pandemic. They likely will forget about handwashing and social distancing and limiting themselves to groups of 10. Chatting in narrow hallways with new neighbors will be so much easier, as will using communal stair rails and touching elevator buttons, gate latches and garbage can lids, regardless of the consequences.

So what the heck are we supposed to do?

Yes, the economy is unquestionably important.

But isn't life, unquestionably, more important?

MAY 20, 2020 The Anna Maria Island Sun newspaper 3909 East Bay Drive, Suite 210, Holmes Beach, FL, 34217 Phone: (941) 778-3986 email: news@amisun.com | ads@amisun.com | classifieds@amisun.com Like us on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AnnaMariaIslandSun

ON THE AGENDA

AME teacher says goodbye

It is with sadness in my heart that I say goodbye to all my friends, students, parents, coworkers, volunteers and community members on Anna Maria Island. After 43 years of teaching, the time has come to retire and make way for some new teachers to begin their journey.

In 1977, Wayne and I were married in Lyons, N.Y., and soon ventured to Florida. We drove by Anna Maria Elementary and I exclaimed, “Look at that cute little elementary school on the bay. It looks like a motel.”

The next day, I returned with my resume to inquire about substitut

ing and Mr. Kronus hired me on the spot. I substituted on and off, taught for 10 years and taught preschool, visually handicapped children, special needs children, kindergarten and fourth grade, before coming back to AME in 1987. Wayne and I lived and raised our two children, Ryan and Kelsey, on Longboat Key, where Wayne worked as a manager for more than 30 years.

I feel blessed to have worked at Anna Maria Elementary School with such devoted friends and colleagues. To have my children attend school at AME was an added bonus. I have taught in so many different grades and had the pleasure of teaching those students’ offspring as well. What a joy that has been! The experiences I have had at this school are too innumerable to even begin to describe; truly from birth to death, tragedies and miracles. This community of generous and devoted human beings has gone above and beyond every time we asked for help and support. Anna Maria Elementary will always hold a special place in my heart.

So, as I celebrate my 43rd wedding anniversary and my last day of school, May 28, 2020, I say thank you, thank you to everyone. Most of all, I thank my present and former students for making my career one that I can look back on with pride, happiness and joy in my heart.

Peace and love to all.

Drop us a line

Got an opinion, a complaint or a compliment? Is there something you need to get off your chest? Send us a letter to the editor and have your say. There are a couple of ways to do it. The easiest and most direct is to email The Sun at news@amisun.com. Remember to put Letter to the Editor in the subject field. Or you can snail-mail a letter to us at The Anna Maria Island Sun, P.O. Box 1189, Anna Maria, FL 34216. Letters should be kept to 300 words or less and must contain your name and the city in which you reside. Personal attacks and obscene language will not be printed. The Sun reserves the right to edit letters for length or content.

ANNA MARIA 10005 GULF DRIVE For information, call 941-708-6130 City hall is currently closed to the public. All meetings will be held virtually until further notice. May 25, all day – City offices closed for Memorial Day May 28, 6 p.m. – City Commission regular meeting

BRADENTON BEACH 107 GULF DRIVE N. For information, call 941-778-1005 City hall is currently closed to the public. All meetings will be held virtually until further notice. May 20, 1 p.m. – Planning and Zoning board meeting May 21, noon – City Commission regular meeting May 25, all day – City offices closed for Memorial Day

HOLMES BEACH 5801 MARINA DRIVE For more information, call 941-708-5800 City hall is currently closed to the public. All meetings will be held virtually until further notice. May 25, all day – City offices closed for Memorial Day May 26, 6 p.m. – City Commission meeting with work session to follow

May 20-27 Area events are canceled.

All Anna Maria Island churches are closed; check their websites for virtual services.

The Island Branch Library and Tingley Memorial Library are closed.

All classes at area parks and recreation areas are canceled.

Local beaches are open.

The Holmes Beach Dog Park, skate park, basketball courts and tennis courts are open.

The Center of Anna Maria Island’s fitness center is open with limited capacity. Local preserves are open including Grassy Point Preserve, Neal Preserve, Perico Preserve and Robinson Preserve.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

SUBMITTED | WEST MANATEE FIRE RESCUE

WMFR firefighters lend helping hands

Two teams of firefighters from West Manatee Fire Rescue lent helping hands to their fellow firemen, journeying to Collier County to assist in containing a wildfire that had spread to more than 8,600 acres. Capt. Chad Brunner and firefighter Jeff Taylor went to help relieve local firefighters who’d been battling the blaze on May 13. Brunner and Taylor were relieved by the team of Capt. James Leigh and firefighters Jerrod Apple, Nate Bergbom and Robert Haygood on the morning of May 14. They were also joined by Battalion Chief Rich Jasinki, serving as strike team leader. All five returned home the evening of May 15, after the fire was 40% contained.

City Attorney Ricinda Perry expects the ordinance to remain in effect until restaurants and retail operations return to 100% capacity.

BY JOE HENDRICKS

SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com

BRADENTON BEACH – The city of Bradenton Beach will allow restaurants and retail businesses to expand their outdoor and open-air dining and retail operations in time for Memorial Day weekend.

On Thursday, May 14, city commissioners unanimously supported Ordinance 20-516 as presented on first reading. The ordinance is scheduled for second reading and final adoption on Thursday, May 21.

Upon final adoption, the ordinance will create a temporary citywide allowance for additional outdoor dining and retail space during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) reopening and recovery process.

According to Ordinance 20-516, “To promote business operation and economic recovery while maintaining focus on core safety principles, the city of Bradenton Beach is providing a temporary waiver of strict adherence to outdoor dining and retail sales. This will be accomplished by temporarily granting the utilization of additional areas of private property and city rights-of-way for all local eating establishments for the duration of Governor DeSantis' Executive Order 20-112 and any subsequent executive orders that adversely impacts occupancy loads,

JOE HENDRICKS | SUN Island Time Bar & Grill (left) recently added a few extra tables to its main entry and waiting area. The Anna Maria Oyster Bar at the Bridge Street Pier (above)offers additional outdoor seating along the side of the building.

limits seating capacities or mandates social distancing requirements.”

The ordinance allows business owners to convert up to 50% of their onsite private parking spaces to additional dining or retail space.

“The converted use must be in conformance with all Florida fire codes. No parking for disabled persons may be repurposed for restaurant or retail use,” the ordinance says.

“All public parking spaces on the south

side of Bridge Street from the westernmost side of the structure located at 119 Bridge Street shall be closed to all vehicular and golf cart parking and shall be temporarily converted to a pedestrian walkway. No tables may be placed by any businesses in said area. Additional public or public/private parking spaces may be closed upon a request to the city commission,” according to the ordinance.

SEE OUTDOOR, PAGE 11

The CRA would prefer an owner-operated parking shuttle program. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com

BRADENTON BEACH – The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) seeking a qualified company to operate a parking tram shuttle service.

“The CRA is looking to partner with a business that will help it assist the residents, day-trippers and tourists visiting the city by providing a predictable and fast-paced option for pedestrians to traverse the CRA district and connect the day-trippers from the beach to the business district,” the RFP says.

“There is currently no established tram program and the CRA will be evaluating the success or failure of the tram with the coordination of the successful bidder for a period of one year. The city has been developing a tram path that can bypass standstill traffic along Gulf Drive. A successful program will result in the winning bidder being granted an exclusive right to renew the contract for services for up to five one-year terms. Preference will be given for a proposer with a turn-key operation that is financially advantageous to the CRA,” according to the RFP.

Using electric, golf cart-like trams, a parking shuttle service in Bradenton Beach has been discussed off and on for more than a decade, using the county-owned parking spaces at Cortez Beach and Coquina Beach.

In December, a preliminary presentation was made to county commissioners who expressed a mix of preliminary support and preliminary opposition to the use of county-owned parking spaces.

For safety purposes, City Engineer Lynn Burnett has proposed converting the Cortez Beach parking spaces to diagonal parking spaces, but that would require county commission approval. The CRA members also envision a dedicated tram path that would run along the west side of Gulf Drive South – an idea that would also likely require county commission support.

As currently proposed, inbound trams would pick up passengers from the Cortez Beach and/or Coquina Beach parking areas, cross Gulf Drive at Fifth Street South, proceed east to Bay Drive South, turn north on Bay Drive South and eventually turn around near the small city-owned parking lot by the Bradenton Beach Marina.

Some Fifth Street South and Bay Drive South residents continue to express opposition to the proposed tram route and have requested the tram route utilize Bridge Street instead.

The CRA members anticipate Burnett providing a more detailed plan in June.

OPERATOR OPTIONS

The RFP provides for two options: an operator-owned tram service or a tram service utilizing trams leased or purchased by the CRA.

Regarding both options, the RFP says, “During peak season and on holidays, proposer is expected to provide an ADA-compliant tram service designed for no less than 200 riders per hour on a pathway that travels through the CRA District and along Gulf Drive to the CRA designated trolley stop at Coquina Beach seven days a week from 11 a.m. through 10 p.m. – Friday and Saturday hours will be 11 a.m. through 11 p.m. – and provide employee drop off from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.”

The RFP notes the proposed hours are subject to change depending on public demand.

Regarding an owner-operated tram service, the RFP says, “It is the desire of CRA that the operator provide the shuttles, maintenance, insurance and staff to operate the service. The CRA will also require metrics and data on total ridership, peak hours of use, input on routes for service, an assessment for overall issues and success of the tram service. The CRA reserves the right to exclusive advertising rights on the trams and proposer shall provide adequate advertisement space for same,” the RFP says.

Regarding trams owned or leased by the CRA, the RFP says the CRA will acquire the trams needed for the program while seeking the same maintenance, insurance, operating staff and ridership data provisions from the contracted operator.

A copy of the RFP can be obtained from the city clerk’s office. RFP responses are due by June 5, unless the response period is extended.

Our building may be closed, but our MINISTRIES continue!

THE GOOD NEWS

We invite you to w ship with us online! www.RoserChurch.com/worship

Every Sunday 10:00 AM Watch LIVE (interactive) or LATER! Call the office if you need assistance. Call the church text ROSER to 22828 to receive the weekly eBulletin. FACEBOOK> follow> see first, join a group. Need help? Call the office! The FOOD PANTRY is open to assist island residents/w kers in need. The CHAPEL is open 9:00 to 3:00 weekdays f prayer & meditation. Send PRAYER REQUESTS to info@r erchurch.com call the office.

Call the church office if you would like to talk to a PASTOR.

COMMUNITY CHURCH • 512 Pine Ave, Anna Maria [near Pier] A NON DENOMINATIONAL CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY 941-778-0414 • www.RoserChurch.com • Facebook @RoserChurch

Commissioners de

cided to do away with the idea of not charging business owners a fee this year with their BTR renewal in favor of potentially reducing property taxes.

BY KRISTIN SWAIN

SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com

HOLMES BEACH – After discussing eliminating the fees for business tax receipts in the 2020-21 fiscal year, commissioners are now leaving the fees intact and considering lowering property taxes instead.

During a May 12 work session, commissioners brought their previous decision to eliminate the BTR fees for commercial and home-based businesses back to the table and reversed it, reinstituting the fee.

Mayor Judy Titsworth said that if commissioners want to eliminate the fee for one year, it would still cost the same amount to operate the program,

KRISTIN SWAIN | SUN Holmes Beach business owners will still have to come to city hall to renew their business tax receipts and pay the associated fees in the fall.

revenue that would need to be made up in a different way. She added that eliminating the BTR fee for a year wouldn’t financially help vacation rental owners.

Commissioner Carol Soustek said that she’d like to find a way to help more people than just business owners. She said that she doesn’t feel like the city can ask for a tax increase in the coming fiscal year and that she’s concerned about giving away money when the city’s leadership isn’t sure that there will be enough funds to operate at current levels.

OUTDOOR: expanded dining and retail

FROM PAGE 8

Perry presented the proposed ordinance one day before Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order allowing restaurants and retail businesses to increase from 25% to 50% capacity beginning Monday.

When asked later if the governor’s latest executive order (EO 20-123) lessens the need for the city ordinance, Perry said she expects the city ordinance to remain in effect until restaurants and retail businesses are allowed to return to 100% capacity.

Commissioner Kim Rash said that eliminating the BTR fees only gives a minimal financial break to business owners and sets a wrong precedent for other people in the city.

Commissioner Terry Schaefer said he was still in favor of eliminating the BTR fee for one year and wants to see the city’s leaders make up the lost revenue by cutting spending. His fellow commissioners agreed that cutting spending for the next fiscal year is a goal, but Commissioners Jim Kihm, Pat Morton and Soustek said they’d rather use the rollback rate for property taxes and reduce or keep taxes the same for property owners in the coming year rather than eliminate the BTR fees for one year.

“We need to come up with a reasonable budget and reasonable ad valorem rate that applies to everyone,” Kihm said.

It was noted during Thursday’s meeting that other cities have temporarily closed their main street areas to create more outdoor dining space, but there was no discussion about closing Bridge Street.

It was also noted that the ordinance will apply to the entire city, and Wicked Cantina and Sharky’s Seagrill were mentioned as two examples of non-Bridge Street establishments that could benefit from the additional outdoor space.

To receive this benefit, an application for temporary expansion of a retail or restaurant footprint must be completed and emailed to kaiken@cityofbradentonbeach.com. The application process requires a general site plan, proof of insurance and a few other documents. City staff will review the submitted applications and Mayor John Chappie will sign off on those approved.

Perry said she would hand-deliver applications to the businesses on Bridge Street and downloadable applications would be posted at the city website, www.cityofbradentonbeach. com. Applications can be submitted before Thursday’s meeting or anytime thereafter.

The commission also authorized Public Works Director Tom Woodard to spend up to $800 to purchase portable safety delineation devices as part of this endeavor.

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BY KRISTIN SWAIN

SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioners want to have more discussion before they move a new Adopt-ASpot agreement to a vote.

During a May 12 work session, commissioners discussed the proposed agreement with the city’s Parks and Beautification Committee Chair Mary Lange.

Lange said the proposed agreement was developed by the committee as a more user-friendly alternative to the one previously approved by commissioners. The new agreement also gives adopters a financial assist of $1,000 for the purchase of mulch, plants and other supplies for their spots. Commissioner Carol Soustek said the funds already budgeted for the use of the Parks and Beautification Committee would cover the proposed financial assistance for spot adopters.

The agreement did away with a liability waiver, which City Attorney Patricia Petruff said would most likely need to be added to the application packet.

One of the items that commissioners were concerned about was if the city’s current liability insurance would cover adopters who do work on the spots, which are city property, or if new insurance would need to be purchased to cover volunteers. The matter of a liability waiver also is still under consideration and discussion.

Lange said that out of the 20 eligible spots in the city, 12 had been officially adopted, though no paperwork has been signed and turned into the city clerk’s office due to the ongoing discussions concerning the Adopt-A-Spot agreement. Three of the remaining spots, she said, have potential business sponsors which leaves five spots left for adoption by residents, businesses or other local organizations.

Petruff and Mayor Judy Titsworth both expressed concern that there is work being done on city property without proper agreements, liability forms or proof of insurance on the city’s behalf to protect itself.

Commissioners agreed to continue the discussion at their next work session. Members of the Parks and Beautification Committee won’t meet again until the fall.