The Islander Newspaper E-Edition: Wednesday, Jan 10, 2018

Page 1

Planks to fences. 5

Plunging into 2018. 21

JAN. 10, 2018 FREE

VOLUME 26, NO. 11

AsTheWorldTerns look up to heroes. 6 Islanders plot against rental legislation. 3 AM approves new vacation rental fees. 4 Center exceeds fundraising match. 4

Meetings

On the government calendar. 4

Op-Ed

Our opinion. 6

10-20 YEARS AGO

From the archives. 7

On the trail of beach fitness equipment. 8

Happenings

Community announcements, activities. 10-11 Save a date. 12-13 MPO sets priorities. 14

Obituaries. 16 Streetlife. 20 PropertyWatch. 20 5K for AME. 25 Thought it was cold? Think again. 26 Top sports stories. 28 Temps cool fishing action. 29

ISL BIZ Back to business in new year. 30

BizCalendar. 31 CLASSIFIEDS. 32

Eagle fights off owl. 24

The Best News on Anna Maria Island Since 1992

www.islander.org

Holmes Beach captain rescues 5 from capsized canoe

By Kathy Prucnell Islander Reporter A Holmes Beach fishing guide on a Jan. 7 charter saved the lives of three boys and two men after finding their canoe capsized in a choppy, cold Sarasota Bay. Two men, Steven Brubacher, 37, of Sarasota, and Darren Martin, 39, of Ontario, Canada, and their sons, ages 5, 6 and 11, were treated for hypothermic conditions at Cannons Marina, 6040 Gulf of Mexico Drive, after the water rescue, according to Longboat Key Police and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports. The children were air-lifted from Cannons to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg and EMS transported the adults to Blake Medical Center in Bradenton. “All were treated and released and everyone is OK,” FWC spokesman James Boogaerts said. To be credited with the rescue is Holmes Beach Capt. Taylor Rahn, 23, also a marketing major in his last year at the University of South Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. The third-generation Anna Maria Island fisher has operated Ultimate Fishing Adventures for three years. Rahn was operating his charter for two Tampa men Jan. 7 — and even confirmed

Fahrenheit temperatures, winds at 20-30 mph and a chop of 1-2 feet. It was about 10:30-11 a.m. when Rahn observed a paddle waving on the water in the distance about 100-150 yards south of his boat. Rahn said no other vessel was in eyeshot. As they got closer, south of Sister Keys, he could see there were five people in water about 10- to 15-feet deep, gripping a canoe. During the rescue, one boy was slipping in and out of consciousness, and the others were crying, screaming and shivering, Rahn said. “We’re going to save their lives,” the charter boat captain said, as he advised his clients on the importance of remaining calm. “We needed to get them immediately One of the rescued men huddles with two lifted out of the water,” he added. boys aboard Capt. Taylor’s Rahn’s boat So Rahn pulled out the children first, Jan. 7 on their way to meet EMS at Cancircled the boat around and lifted out the nons Marina on Longboat Key after Rahn men. plucked them from Sarasota Bay. Islander One of the men said they’d been stranded Photos: Courtesy Taylor Rahn for nearly an hour. PLEASE SEE RESCUE PAGE 2 ahead if they wanted to take the trip despite the cold conditions. They agreed. So the party left Kingfish Boat Ramp at 8 a.m. to face what Rahn called “pretty brutal conditions,” 45-degree

Islanders of the year serve and protect

Hurricane headed our way? Rick Well’s deputies in Anna Evacuate? Maria were on the job. Yes. And city crews returned While a few of the folks we often call to work before residents and “hardcore” islanders — the ones who vow business owners, clearing they will never leave home in fear, run from roads and preparing for our Jones a storm or back off from the pending surge of safe return. water — rode out Hurricane Irma, there are We asked the three many more of us who have seen the damage mayors of the island cities from past storms to know better. during the islandwide Better scurry than be sorry. evacuation in September in Some people stayed home for Hurricane advance of Hurricane Irma Irma in September 2017, but most island- Cosby to recognize the response of ers evacuated. And business owners closed their teams. shop, too. Anna Maria Island became a ghost Here’s what they said town. about our hurricane heroes. All but our local law enforcement, who Anna Maria Mayor Dan were aided by dedicated public works crews Murphy: in advance of the all-clear for residents. Once Hurricane Irma Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach Tokajer had passed, the effort to PLEASE SEE ISLANDERS PAGE 2 police officers and Manatee County Sheriff

Treehouse denied high court review The Islander learned at press time that the U.S. Supreme Court listed the case of Hazen-Tran v. Holmes Beach among the cases denied for hearing Jan. 8. What is next for Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen in their years-long quest to keep the treehouse? See page 3 for more.


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