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Treehouse opposition files Supreme Court briefs By ryan Paice Islander reporter
All parties involved in the U.S. Supreme Court case that entangles the treehouse in Holmes Beach have introduced their cases. The city and the Florida Department Meetings. 4 of Environmental Protection filed briefs of cities resolve to protect opposition March 26 in response to treehome rule. 5 house owners Richard Hazen and Lynn Tran-Hazen’s Dec. 22, 2020, writ of cerhB reviews parking. 5 tiorari asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case. Opinions. 6 The matter began in 2011, when the city discovered the property owners at 103 39th St. were building a treehouse without a 10-20 YEARS AGO permit in an Australian pine tree seaward of Looking back. 7 the erosion control line on the beachfront. Longboat bridge proThe city found the structure in violation cess starts up. 8 of the municipality’s land development code and moved for its removal in 2013, sparking cortez Bridge update. 9 litigation with the owners. The Hazens have since been on the losing end of each ruling through several Save a date. 10-11 lawsuits and appeals. Litigation has so far cost the city Happenings $184,955 and the property owners $170,000, activities. 10-11 according to the parties. Additionally, almost $100,000 in city Florida native takes helm fines are bearing down on the Hazens. at cortez museum. 12 Questions surround federal stimulus money. 4
The treehouse developed into a controversy in 2011 when richard and Lynn Tran-hazen began construction without permits on a two-story elevated treehouse on concrete pilings, pictured in December 2020, attached to a pine tree seaward of the setback for the state erosion control line on the beachfront at their residence. Islander File Photo
Two circuit court cases between the par- U.S Supreme Court in 2018, but the court ties remain open, but the property owners declined to take up the case. petitioned last December for a review by the This time around, it’s unclear if their U.S. Supreme Court. petition will follow the same route. The property owners previously sought The city and DEP’s briefs of opposition Turn To treehouse, Page 3 a hearing on a constitutional claim with the
State expands vaccine eligibility, county readies rollout
Testing to begin. 13
By ryan Paice Islander reporter
“In line for Moderna.” “Hoping for Pfizer.” “Searching for Johnson & Johnson.” Obituaries. 15 Florida’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout Where’s Tuna St.? 16-17 efforts are set to dramatically expand over the coming weeks. Streetlife. 18 Gov. Ron DeSantis announced March 25 that the state was to expand eligibility BB infrastructure progfor two-dose Moderna and Pfizer and singleress. 20 dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines to people ages 40 years and older by March 29. aM seeks road safety solutions. 21 Then, beginning Monday, April 5, everyone age 18 and older will be eligible nesting notes. 22 to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, while everyone age 16 and older will be eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Bloom time. 23 DeSantis’ target date to expand statewide vaccine eligibility to all adults is almost a 3 sports, 3 champs. 24 month ahead of President Joe Biden’s May Stellar fishing ahead. 25 1 target date to achieve the same goal on a nationwide scale. hB changes course on The move comes as more than 3.2 million resiliency project. 26 Floridians ages 65 and older — around 70% of the 4.4 million seniors in the state — have artist gains ‘fans.’ 27 been vaccinated, according to DeSantis. PropertyWatch. 27 Despite Florida’s large senior population, the state has kept pace with nationwide CLASSIFIEDS. 28 rollout efforts that have distributed first ISL BIZ: 30 doses of the vaccine to 71.1% of the same demographic across the country. puzzle. More than 5.47 million Floridians had
easter sunrise service. 14
NYT
Turn To treehouse, Page 3
been vaccinated as of March 26, according to the Florida Department of Health. In Manatee County, more than 118,144 residents have been vaccinated and all registrants over the age of 50 had been contacted at least once as of March 26, according to the DOH. The county also scheduled 8,000 firstdose and 8,000 second-dose vaccinations for adults age 40 and older March 29-April 2 at Tom Bennett Park and the Manatee County Public Safety Center. DeSantis’ announcement aired only a week after Manatee County opened registration March 19 to its COVID-19 vaccine standby pool to everyone 18 and over. County strategic affairs manager Chloe Conboy wrote in a March 26 email to The Islander that opening registration to all adults ahead of time helped the county get ready to reach a broader population. She added that the county’s previous well of registrants had run dry or grown unresponsive. “We are very pleased with the governor’s decision to expand eligibility, because we have already exhausted everyone that’s eligible in our standby pool,” Conboy said. “Right now, we’re seeing 60% of eligible patients in our standby pool not even respond when Manatee County notifies them for an appointment.” Conboy stressed that, since the county’s registration pool had grown thin, now was a
better time than ever to get in line. “The demand for the vaccine isn’t as high as it was in the beginning and you will be getting scheduled very quickly after you register,” Conboy said. “We are starting to see a significant decline of people registering for the vaccine.” Carol Whitmore, a Holmes Beach resident and at-large Manatee County commisTurn To CoVID, Page 4
In his name a scholarship fund in honor of the late John van Zandt is accepting applications for an award in 2021. For the story, turn to page 15.