The Islander Newspaper E-Edition: Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Page 1

VOLUME

JUNE 23, 2021 Free

NO. 35

The Best news on anna maria Island Since 1992 Astheworldterns. 6 cell tower panel falls to BB marina. 2

Q&A 062321

islander.org

Mighty Moose makeover

3

Budget talks. 4

Meetings. 4 cortez stilt-house benefits from pen pals. 5

Opinions. 6 10-20 YeARs Ago

Looking back. 7

HB mayor says algae removal not needed. 8 confirmed: Independence day parade is July 3. 9

Save the date. 10

artist chad “cheeta” Ruis, above, signals June 10 to onlookers from a lift as he takes on a high section of his underwater scene at the moose Lodge in Bradenton Beach. Right: The gulf drive facing wall. more, page 11. Islander Photos: Kelsey mako

Rotary announces ame honors. 12

cortez Bridge lawsuit enters new phase, clock starts for BB

Top notch entries welcome. 12 Journey to the center. 13

Streetlife. 14 storm ready. 15 Where’s Tuna Street?

16-17

Gathering. 18

Obituaries. 18 Saluting Flag day. 19 disney honors dolphin researchers. 21

NESTING NOTES.

22

Pressing for manatee protections. 23 Soccer finals set. 24 Red tide persists. 24 Summer angling. 25 Tdc celebrating island businessman. 27

CLASSIFIEDS. 28 cortez tiny-home developer breaks ground. 30

PropertyWatch. 30

NYT puzzle.

By Kane Kaiman Islander Reporter

Is Bradenton Beach willing to cross this bridge? A group challenging the Florida Department of Transportation’s decision to replace the 17-foot-clearance Cortez drawbridge with a 65-foot-clearance fixed-span megabridge has reached an agreement with the agency on the draft administrative record, a more than 6,000-page document detailing how the department came to its decision to build the high bridge. The coalition — which lodged a 47-page complaint against the fixed-span bridge in federal court in 2020 — signed off on the DOT record June 17.

Should the suit reach the summary judgment phase, a federal magistrate will review the finalized record, along with written arguments from both parties, before ruling. According to former Manatee County Commissioner Joe McClash, who spearheads the anti-megabridge group, the DOT is expected to file the finalized record soon with the court. Once filed, a 45-day clock will start on the city of Bradenton Beach to join the lawsuit. The city has flirted with joining McClash, Jane von Hahmann, also a former county commissioner and a Cortez resident, and Linda Molto and Joe Kane, Cortez residents, to become the fifth anti-megabridge

complainant. The coalition is advocating for the construction of a 35-foot-clearance drawbridge to replace the 17-foot bascule bridge, which was built and opened to traffic in 1957, spanning the Intracoastal Waterway and connecting Cortez on the mainland to Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island. Bradenton Beach commissioners and the mayor unanimously voted March 18 to direct city attorney Ricinda Perry to coordinate with outside counsel to join the suit and allocated up to $15,000 for legal costs. On April 8, Perry communicated to the commission that the case could eventually cost the city six figures and commissioners TuRn To Bridge, Page 2

shots by the shore returning June 24 medical professionals inoculate people with the oneshot Johnson & Johnson coVId-19 vaccine June 17 under tents at a pop-up clinic at the manatee Public Beach, 4000 gulf drive, Holmes Beach. The city will host another pop-up vaccine clinic 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday, June 24, at the location. no documentation is required for adults aged 18 and over to receive the vaccine. For more information about vaccination against the coronavirus, go to mymanatee.org. Islander Photo: Ryan Paice

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