spring break splash. 17
‘Do not disturb.’ 30 seriously, 411 on waterspouts. 31
Astheworldterns loathe the lawsuits. 6
APRIL 3, 2019 FREE
VOLUME 27, NO. 23
HB suspends website. 4
Meetings
On the government calendar. 4
Celebrating the Best News on Anna Maria Island Since 1992
AM funds pedestrian improvements. 5
Op-Ed
Opinions. 6
10-20 YeaRs ago
From the archives. 7
Water main caves under trolley. 8 Concern raised over AMCP decking. 8
Happenings
Community announcements, activities. 10-11 Save the date. 12-13 HB sets golf cart regs. 14 Confusion in BB over KORN initiatives. 15 Island bridges get checkups. 16 Coquina lot closed for resurfacing. 16 Long-range planning on transportation plans. 18 Charter review continues in HB, nears end in AM. 23
Gathering.
24
Obituaries. 25 26
Streetlife. 29 Key Royale plays President’s Cup. 32 March winds can’t fool with AMI fishing. 33
isl BiZ
34
Real estate sales. 36 CLASSIFIEDS. 32 NYT crossword. 39
www.islander.org
Treehouse owners file new case in federal court
By Kathy Prucnell Islander Reporter Lynn Tran and Richard Hazen opened a new front for the treehouse in federal court. The Holmes Beach couple filed a sixcount federal lawsuit, naming the city of Holmes Beach, mayors, commissioners, building and code enforcement officials and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, as well as DEP officials. It is the second complaint filed in March by Tran and Hazen in the U.S. Middle District of Florida. A prior complaint was superseded by the new, amended complaint served at city hall March 27. DEP officials are in the process of being served, Tran said March 29. The six counts allege civil and constitutional violations under federal laws — Title 42, Section 1983, civil rights; Title 42, Sections 1985-1986, neglect and failure to prevent abuse; Fifth and 14th amendments, due process and equal protection; the First Amendment; the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution; International Covenant on PLEASE SEE treehOUse, PAGE 2
The treehouse in Holmes Beach stands tall in an Australian pine tree March 28 on the beachfront at Angelinos Sea Lodge, 103 29th St. The owners took their quest to keep the treehouse to federal court in Tampa at the end of March. Islander Photo: Kathy Prucnell
Celebrity costs run $200k in tourist tax dollars
By Sandy Ambrogi Islander Reporter She has celebrity power. And her draw for Manatee County cost taxpayers a pretty penny. In January, a three-day visit by Jane Seymour to the Bradenton area included the unveiling of a 7-foot tall “Open Heart Icon” by Seymour at the Bradenton Riverwalk, an invitation-only reception at the Studio at Gulf and Pine in Anna Maria and a lecture at the Manatee Performing Arts Center in Bradenton. But will the cost of at least $193,981.50 bring a return for the Manatee County Tourist Development Council? Guests at the Studio art reception clamored for photos with the star. There was a lot of browsing of the dozens of the prints, oils and statues offered for sale — priced $2,000-$30,000 — at the Studio. However, not one item sold, according to Tina Chiles, who manages the art gallery. Chiles’ husband, Ed, is a member of the TDC board. He owns the Studio at Gulf and
Jane Seymour poses Jan. 18 with her self-portrait at the Studio at Gulf and Pine in Anna Maria. Her appearance at the gallery was paid with tourism tax dollars. Islander File Photo: Sandy Ambrogi Pine, the Sandbar and Beach House restaurants on Anna Maria Island, and Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant and Pub on Longboat Key. Earlier that day, Seymour attended an unveiling of the 7-foot-tall icon of her “Open Hearts” jewelry design purchased by the TDC for the Realize Bradenton Art Walk
Project. She also spoke Jan. 19 at a ticketed event at the MPAC. In the talk, “Jane Seymour Art — Up Close and Personal,” she shared her philosophy and her life challenges with the audience. One of her sons, a musician, opened the two-hour show. The event did not sell out, and the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau offered some tickets to locals at no cost to fill the seats, according to an Islander source. Seymour’s appearance and a series of music concerts held at nonprofit venues were promoted by the BACVB to help businesses and workers overcome the impacts of red tide in 2018. Much earlier, however, before the outbreak of red tide in Manatee County, on June 18, 2018, Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, asked the Manatee County Tourist Development Council to amend an agreement with Realize Bradenton to increase funding for art in the urban core $150,000, as a one-time expenditure. PLEASE SEE Celebrity, PAGE 3