fall back 1 hour. 2 Astheworldterns advise: Don’t answer the door. 6
VOLUME 27, NO. 1
government play day. 14
Happy Halloween!
ame-Pto fall fest. 26 OCT. 31, 2018 FREE
Anna Maria begins pier negotiations. 2 Treehouse case goes to court — again. 3
Candidates count down to Election Day. 4-5
Op-Ed
The Islander editorial, reader letters. 6
10-20 YearS ago
Looking back. 7
Meetings
On the government calendar. 9
Happenings
Community announcements, activities. 10-11
Make plans, save a date. 12-13 Red tide revisits. 16 Holmes Beach strengthens VROs. 18 Church happenings, obituary. 20 Longboat Key bridge work planned. 21 Get in the game. 23
Streetlife. 24 Nature’s way. 27 Soccer action tops center’s news. 28 Fall fishing is a treat. 29
iSl BiZ
Business roundup. 30
PropertyWatch.32 CLASSIFIEDS. 32 NYT Sunday Magazine Crossword. 35
Celebrating the Best News on Anna Maria Island Since 1992
www.islander.org
fire erupts, stalls opening at lBK Shore restaurant
By Sandy Ambrogi Islander Reporter Just weeks away from a long-awaited opening, a fire Oct. 24 stopped construction at the Shore restaurant on Longboat Key. Just after 10 p.m. Oct, 24, firefighters from the West Manatee, Sarasota County and Longboat Key fire departments responded to a blaze at 800 Broadway St. in the north end village on Longboat Key. Responders found “heavy fire showing from the entrance” to the restaurant, according to a news release Oct. 25 from Longboat Key Fire Rescue. The state fire marshal was summoned the night of the fire, secured the scene and called for an arson dog at the site. The news release said the dog was “normal operating procedure to assist with locating any accelerants.” “This does not indicate the fire was arson, rather it provides further evidence to assist with a complete investigation,” the release stated. Samples sent to the state lab may take up to four weeks for processing.
A fire Oct. 24 melted and blew out windows and significantly damaged the interior of the Shore restaurant on Broadway Street on Longboat Key. The state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the blaze. Islander Photo: Courtesy LBKFR
The Shore restaurant has been marred with fits and starts since its beginning. Moore’s Stone Crab Restaurant was bulldozed at the site in May 2016, after Tom Leonard and a partner purchased the property. Leonard owns the Shore restaurant on St. Armands Circle in Sarasota and fe put into motion plans to build a second loca-
Spirited story: a haunting on gulf drive
Sandy Ambrogi Islander Reporter Ghost stories just don’t go away. Take the case of Bradenton Beach’s most famous haunting at the Curry House. It is just shy of 100 years since the rambling wooden home was built on the beach at 10th Street North and Gulf Drive among the sea oats. The three-story, 18-room house needed more than a few repairs when Romaine and Glenn Thomasson purchased it shortly before Halloween. They moved in by candlelight Oct. 14, 1967. Soon they realized the house already was occupied — by spirits. County records don’t go back to 1922, when the house was built and the owners’ names are sketchy. But ship Capt. Henry Curry is credited with building the large PLEASE SEE HAUNTING, PAGE 8
tion where Moore’s operated from 1967 to 2015. After parting ways with his first partner in early 2017, Leonard was joined by John Mays, one of the original Bonefish Grill PLEASE SEE FIRE, PAGE 2
Election 11-06-18
Election Day arrives
Glenn and Romaine Thomasson stand by the Curry House in Bradenton Beach. The year is unknown. Islander Photo: Courtesy Bradenton Herald/“Haunted Manatee County”
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6, with polling 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on the island. Voters will find federal, state and local races on their ballots, as well as state constitutional amendment questions and, in Bradenton Beach, questions on local initiatives. Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach voters will decide municipal races for city commission and, in Holmes Beach, there is an open race for mayor. Voters must provide at the polls a valid photo ID with signature. Also, any voters waiting in line at 7 p.m. will have the opportunity to cast a ballot. The Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Office reports 245,518 active voters in the county, including 106,052 Republicans and 74,935 Democrats. For more information and sample ballots, go online to votemanatee.com or call the elections office at 941-741-3823. Results will be posted at islander.org as they become available.