#AMitogether
VOLUME 28, NO. 45
the Best news on Anna Maria Island Since 1992
Astheworldterns are glad you’re here. 6 Moose food truck hits roadblock. 2 Labor Day closings. 2 AM sets steps for pier tenant selection. 3 AM revokes chamber Bayfest permit due to pandemic. 4
Meetings. 4
Vote Notes. 4
Anna Maria accepting commissioner applications. 5
Opinions. 6 10-20 YEARS AGO
Looking back. 7
treehouse couple notches a win. 8 AM impact fees. 8 Renourishing news. 9
Happenings Announcements. 9
Skimming AMI
12
Top Notch Achievements. 13
Streetlife. 16 Gathering. 18 Obituaries 18
Island landscaper Surf’s up on AMI dies of COVID-19 Most who knew him say he was an angel. Angel Cruz, 42, of Bradenton, owned Cruz Landscape. He was hospitalized Aug. 8 and died Aug. 23 from complications associated with COVID-19. He is one of 254 people in Manatee County to die from COVID-19 as of Aug. 28. “Angel Cruz was one of the finest men I’ve known,” Ann Grit, Holmes Beach resident and Cruz client, told The Islander Aug. 27. “He was honest, hard-working, dependable, humble and kind, and I will miss him dearly. My heart goes out to his family and anyone else who had the pleasure of knowing him.” Jim Eatrides of Sarasota knew Cruz when Eatrides lived on Longboat Key and Cruz worked for another company. Eatrides encouraged Cruz to start his own business nearly 15 years ago. “He was one of the most diligent, honest and thoughtful people I have ever met,” Eatrides said Aug. 27. “The more I saw him and got to know him, the more I saw that potential. He was the American Dream.” Cynthia Lacy, a Holmes Beach resident and Cruz client, shared a post to social media when she learned the landscaper died. The response was overwhelming — more than 600 people liked the post and many shared comments on how Cruz affected their lives. “He was able to do anything we needed, PLeASe, See Covid-19, PAGe 3
county exempts churches. 19
NESTING NOTES. 20 no watering down. 21 Adults, kids on pitch. 22 Know tides, check weather. 23
PropertyWatch. 24
NYT puzzle.
islander.org
By chrisAnn Allen Islander Reporter
county resumes evening bus services. 19
CLASSIFIEDS. 24
SEPT. 2, 2020 FREE
Angel cruz, left, with his son Angel Jr., 17. Known on Anna Maria Island for his landscaping business, the father died Aug. 23 from complications associated with coVID-19. Islander courtesy Photo: cynthia Lacy
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Hurricane Laura pushes 6-foot swells to Anna Maria Island
ABoVe: Shae Lopez jumps a wave Aug. 26 in the surf near White Avenue in Holmes Beach. Hurricane Laura passed west of Anna Maria Island Aug. 26, boosting the surf in the Gulf of Mexico to more than 6 feet. Left: A surfer drops down the front of a wave Aug. 26 near White Avenue in Holmes Beach. the swell in the surf generated by Hurricane’s Laura’s passage through the Gulf of Mexico some 700 miles west of AMI and tampa Bay drew surfers to the popular White Avenue break. Islander Photos: chrisAnn Allen