Celebrate Earth Day!
VOLUME 30, NO. 26
APRIL 20, 2022 Free
the Best news on Anna maria island Since 1992
islander.org
astheworldterns. 6 Am hastens pool safety ordinance. 2 Am calls emergency meet on mote-pier center. 3
Q&a 042022
3
Meetings 4
HB reverses course on golf cart sunset. 4 BB charter committee to convene. 5
Opinions 6
10-20 Years ago
looking back. 7
Cops & Courts 8
Streetlife 8
Save the date. 10-11
Happenings
easter celebrated on the beach the 57th easter Sunrise Service held April 17 at the manatee Public Beach in Holmes Beach had perfect weather, a setting moon over the gulf of mexico, a sunrise at 7:05 a.m. and the biggest congregation by most recollections. the event is sponsored annually by the Kiwanis club of Anna maria island. more, page 14. islander Photos: Bonner Joy And, April 16, the easter Bunny arrives on Anna maria island for a beachfront egg hunt and other festivities at the Sandbar restaurant in Anna maria. more, page 12. islander Photo: dara caudill
community events. 10-11
Ame gets lessons in ocean cleanup. 13
Gathering. 14 earth day plans at longboat chapel.
GoodDeeds 15 Obituaries 15 fawn season arrives for island rescuers. 16 mother nature, islanders prepare for nesting. 18
Happy earth day every day. 19 news from the pitch, putting green and pits. 20 Spring fishing is here. 21
Isl Biz: 22
openings, taking flight.
CLASSIFIEDS. 24-25
PropertyWatch 26
NYT puzzle. 27
find the islander dating to november 1992 online at the uoff digital newspaper collection at ufdc.ufl.edu.
By ryan Paice islander reporter
Holmes Beach launches 3rd aMe battery suspect arrested earth day campaign
Holmes Beach is making a push to limit single-use plastics ahead of Earth Day. Code administrator Kim Charron emailed The Islander April 15 to announce the city’s “Say No to Single-Use Plastic” campaign to observe the April 22 holiday. Charron said city staff would place banners at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive, and Kingfish Boat Ramp, 752 Manatee Ave., to promote the campaign, as well as ask businesses in the city to support the effort. A flyer for the campaign shows the negative environmental impacts of single-use plastics, such as plastic grocery bags and disposable water bottles, which can take up to 1,000 years to disintegrate. The flyer also provides advice for how to limit single-use plastics, such as using cloth diapers and less detergent, avoiding disposable cutlery and bottled water, as well as choosing reusable shopping bags. Information about the campaign can be found at holmesbeachfl.org. Other environmental efforts The city also is moving forward on two other environmental fronts: • City commissioners reached consensus April 12 to authorize the $45,000 purchase of a wooded lot at 204 31st St. that will be maintained as a buffer for the Grassy Point
Preserve to the property’s east. The city had $50,000 in its 2021-22 budget to acquire the land. • City commissioners unanimously voted April 12 to send to second/final reading an ordinance establishing a land swap with the owners of 104 34th St. Part of the deal involves owners Jonathan and Jessica Cooper donating $10,000 to the city to fund environmental projects. The city’s electorate voted to approve the land swap in the 2021 general election.
Holmes Beach’s earth day flyer. islander graphic: courtesy Holmes Beach
By ryan Paice islander reporter
The third of three suspects wanted for a March 23 battery case in Holmes Beach is in custody. Sarasota County sheriff ’s deputies arrested Cameron Evans, 18, at his Sarasota home around 10:30 a.m. April 14 for his alleged involvement in the incident, which happened outside Anna Maria Elementary, Holmes Beach, and sent Evan Purcell, 41, of Holmes Beach to the hospital. Purcell was walking his dog with his 10-year-old niece when he asked a group of young adults and teenagers to leave the school grounds on observing them vandalizing the facility, according to a Holmes Beach Police Department report. The HBPD said the group became aggressive toward Purcell, who drew a pocketknife. Purcell was beaten to the point of unconsciousness and his niece ran to a nearby residence for help. Emergency medical services found Purcell unconscious and transported him to HCA Florida Blake Hospital in Bradenton, where he was in stable condition as of March 25, according to an HBPD news release. School security video of the incident was recovered by police, according to Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer. The HBPD identified Evans, Ellenton
turn to arrest, PAge 2