VOLUME 32, NO. 5
Happy Thanksgiving
The Best News on Anna Maria Island Since 1992 Astheworldterns 6 Anna Maria seeks charter reviewers. 3
Q&A 112223 3 Holiday closings. 3
Meetings 5 Opinions 6
islander.org
AMI gov’ts face risks
Lighting the way to the holidays
By Ryan Paice Islander Reporter
10-20 YEARS AGO
Looking back. 7
Sworn to serve. 8-9 DoT bans golf carts, LSvs on AMI bridge. 8
Save the date. 10-11
Happenings Where’s Santa? 11
4th-graders on stage. 12
Gathering. 14 Obituaries 15 Holiday happenings, recipes. 18
Cops & Courts 20 Garden club’s commerce. 22
Get in the Game. 23 Champs crowned. 24 Anglers thankful for bites. 25
NYT puzzle. 26 Damage assessment. 27
CLASSIFIEDS. 28-29
Isl Biz: 30 AMI honors.
Find The Islander archive dating to 1992 at ufdc.ufl.edu.
With the moon rising, Bradenton Beach’s 42-foot Christmas tree is illuminated Nov. 18 on Bridge Street. Joe Cuervo, operator of the Drift In, 120 Bridge St., lighted up the tree. For more from the celebration, go to 18-19. Islander Photo: Robert Anderson
New resort gets provisional OK By Robert Anderson Islander Reporter
Bradenton Beach commissioners voted Nov. 16 to advance a Bridge Street resort development that promises to transform the commercial district. The Bradenton Beach Planning and Zoning Board, on a motion by vice chair John Burns, unanimously recommended Nov. 13 that the city commission approve the major development application along with an ordinance amending the zoning atlas for the 1.61-acre site, provided certain conditions are met. (See list, page 5-A.) The planning and zoning board recommended changes to accommodate the resort, with up to 106 rooms, a restaurant and retail space on Bridge Street and Third Street South at Gulf Drive. The city commission will hold a second hearing and is expected to take a final vote on the matter at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, at city hall, 107 Gulf Drive N. The commission approval followed the hearing at which 20 people spoke. Some properties involved are owned or leased by developer Shawn Kaleta and Najmy-Thompson PL. Other involved properties — 108 Third St. S.;110 Third St. S., Unit W;112 Third St. S. and117 Bridge St. — are registered to Commissioner Jake Spooner. Spooner, who was absent from the Nov. 16 resort meeting and the Nov. 17 swearing in of commissioners due to illness, had previously filed paperwork to recuse from voting on the resort. The proposed development has stirred controversy since plans became public about a year ago. The resort group is asking the city to
NOV. 22, 2023 FrEE
Anna Maria Island’s three governments are at risk of consolidation and city leaders are speaking up. Officials from Anna Maria and Holmes Beach addressed the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability’s study of island consolidation at separate Murphy meetings during the week of Nov. 13. The resounding message from island officials? They say they found disappointment in the study’s scope and lack of Titsworth public access to the potential results. An information request Anna Maria received Nov. 16 from OPPAGA includes 15 questions for the city to answer before 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8. Many of the questions require sourcing information for the past five fiscal years, running from fiscal 2018-19 to 2022-23. Eight questions pertain to services and ask the city to provide: • A list of services provided, as well as consumer feedback and performance audits;
consider the project as a planned development, meaning typical zoning and codes would not apply, easing the way for final approval by the city commission. Chappie The development team — attorney Steven Thompson of Najmy-Thompson PL, traffic consultant Nathan Poole, architect Shaun Luttrell of Luttrell TURN To CItY rIsK, PAGe 2-A Architecture and planner Cole Susan Swift — said the hotel would bring economic growth, tourism and jobs. Critics of the project, including those who launched a petition drive against it, maintain it will vosburgh destroy the small-town character of the city and negatively impact the already congested commercial corridor. City staff recommended approval of the application, which city planner Louis Serna presented to commissioners and, before them, the P&Z recommended approval. Serna said the planned development is to provide “a flexible zoning overlay with a submission of a custom plan of development for the site” and the proposal is in line with the comprehensive plan. Making wishes come true on AMI “The Bridge Street mixed-use overlay district is intended to be the most intense land use category in the city,” Serna said. “The subject parcels and the surrounding community are also located in the community redevelopment agency district, which Making wishes come true. Look is an area that is statutorily established to inside, and don’t forget to make
Wish Book Nov. 22, 2023
The holidays are the time to take a moment to offer someone a smile or send a greeting, to give a hug or share words of praise. And, as we approach another year, we find the added smiles, greetings and hugs gratifying. In The Islander Wish Book, we annually present the needs of organizations in the community. The groups that share their wishes help families and individuals, teach and mentor our children, care for sick animals and protect endangered species and more, all with the goal of making Anna Maria Island a better place to live. Your contribution to these organizations, how-
TURN To rEsort, PAGe 5-A
ever small or grand, is appreciated. Please, peruse The Islander Wish Book and select a gift — or more — to add to your shopping list. And to our generous sponsor advertisers, thank you for helping us to make this special section possible. We hope you receive the same return as we do each year from The Islander Wish Book — the joy of giving. Here’s wishing you the happiest holidays and peace, health and joy in 2024! — Bonner Joy and The Islander staff
your list and check it twice.