Top Notch
Catching a wave. 13
Photo contest opens. 3
AsTheWorldTerns cut the cake. 6
VOLUME 26, NO. 36
Happy 4th of July
‘Pelican Lady’ to the rescue. 19
JULY 4, 2018 FREE
HB committee: Hire a city manager. 2
Election report. 4
Op-Ed
The Islander editorial, reader letters. 6
10-20 YEARS AGO
From the archives. 7
budget talks City spending. 8
Meetings
On the government calendar. 8
Make plans. 10
Happenings
Island happenings. 11 Fire up the 4th of July. 12 AMI murder novel catches critics’ attention. 14 Shark! Whale sharks swim nearby. 18 Family worship service. 20
Obituaries. 20 Streetlife. 22 Mechanical sandbaggers arrive. 25 Sports. 26 R&R at Rod & Reel. 27 Mid-summer spike in turtle nesting. 28 All-American tradition on the beach. 29 Island biz news. 30
PropertyWatch. 32 CLASSIFIEDS. 32 NYT crossword. 35
The Best News on Anna Maria Island Since 1992
www.islander.org
Holmes Beach burglar, attacker on the run
By Kathy Prucnell Islander Reporter Lock your doors. That’s the warning that went out to Holmes Beach residents after a brutal attack June 28. Keep your doors locked. Apparently surprised by the resident on returning home from lunch, the suspect struck the victim repeatedly and ran. Her purse was where she left it, at the door. Authorities are searching for the burglar who attacked the 71-year-old woman inside her Holmes Beach home in the 500 block of 75th Street. The victim called 911 at 2:03 p.m. June 28, saying that when she arrived home a man came at her, hitting her “over and over again in the face” and she “lost a lot of blood.” Manatee County Sheriff’s Deputy Patrick Manning and HBPD Chief Bill Tokajer arrived first at the home and rendered aid to the victim until EMS arrived. MCSO K-9s were deployed and helicopters were hovering above the neighborhood within the hour. MCSO crime scene techni-
cians responded. “It appears she interrupted him while he was burglarizing her house,” HBPD Detective Sgt. Brian Hall said. As of June 29, investigators had no leads, Hall said, adding police “didn’t have a good description” of the suspect, but he wore dark clothing, a hat and a painter’s mask. It is unknown how he fled the scene, Hall said. And, he added, it may be weeks before lab results on fingerprints and DNA come back. EMS treated the victim and transported her to Blake Medical Center. Tokajer reassured the public the victim was stable after a June 30 home visit. He urged people to secure their homes. And he asked that people in the neighborhood check home surveillance video between the hours of 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and report to Hall if they see a possible suspect walking in the area, or a suspicious biker or motorist. Anyone with information should call Holmes Beach police at 941-708-5804 or email detective@holmesbeach.org.
Manatee County Sheriff’s Office crime scene investigators, including Lt. Darin Bankert, left, huddle June 28 with Holmes Beach Chief Bill Tokajer and MCSO Sgt. Mike Jones in the 500 block of 75th Street, where a female resident was injured by a burglar when she returned home. Islander Photo: Kathy Prucnell
By ChrisAnn Silver Esformes Islander Reporter It appears the much-anticipated floating dock at the Historic Bridge Street Pier soon will be on its way to Bradenton Beach. In a June 27 email to Bradenton Beach Police Chief Sam Speciale, the lead contact on the project and pier team chair, dock contractor Technomarine’s chief operating officer Ryan Miller said the dock will be ready to ship July 7, four days ahead of the most recent production schedule. Included in Miller’s email were pictures and a shipping schedule that calls for the dock to arrive Aug. 2 at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. But there’s a hitch. Before the dock ships, Technomarine requires a $29,691 payment from the city. The company received the city’s deposit of $29,995 in April 2017 and two more payments. The total cost for the dock is $119,980. After paying the $29,691 demand, the balance on the dock contract will be $9,288, due within 30 days of installation. The CRA held a special meeting June 29 to discuss the payment demand.
Mayor John Chappie, a CRA member, said the contract specifies no check will be issued until the CRA receives the bill of lading for shipping the dock. “We are not giving them anything until we know it’s on the boat and on the way,” Chappie said. CRA member Ed Chiles made a motion to direct staff to draft a letter that the check will be issued when the city clerk receives
the bill of lading. The motion passed unanimously. Technomarine has assured the city the new dock will be installed by September, following four schedule delays over the course of more than a year. The next Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 11, at city hall, 2017 Gulf Drive N.
Bradenton Beach finally on track to finish floating dock
A Technomarine photograph provided June 27 to the Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency shows sections of the floating dock awaiting shipping from the manufacturer in Spain to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. Islander Courtesy Photo