Brightening Bridge St. 4 Astheworldterns scuttle the long-awaited dock. 6
Kiwanis kudos. 10
Nautical fever. 15 OCT. 24, 2018 FREE
VOLUME 26, NO. 52
Outlook improves — red tide diminishes. 3
Op-Ed
The Islander editorial, reader letters. 6-7
10-20 YEARS AGO
From the archives. 7
Meetings
On the government calendar. 8 Tourism declines, outlook good. 8
Happenings
Community activities, announcements. 10-11 Save a date. 12-13 Cortez exhibit harkens Halloween past. 13
Gathering. 16
Obituaries. 17 AME PTO planning for fall fest. 18 Employee arrested, fired for defrauding Hurricane Hanks. 20
Streetlife. 21 AMITW ends recordbreaking season. 22 Does the skunk ape howl? 23 Center ‘select’ team wins on the road. 24 Fall fishing heats up. 25
ISL BIZ Tiki tour launches, bookstore closes. 26 CLASSIFIEDS. 28 NYT Sunday Magazine Crossword. 31
The Best News on Anna Maria Island Since 1992
End of the line: BB CRA torpedoes dock contract
www.islander.org
Bayfest awakens Anna Maria
By ChrisAnn Silver Esformes Islander Reporter The time has come to fish or cut bait. The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency met Oct. 18 to discuss the fate of the long-awaited floating dock at the Historic Bridge Street Pier. In a series of motions approved 6-0, the board opted to notice contractor Technomarine it is in breach of contract and move forward with a new plan. Commissioner Randy White, also a CRA member, was absent with excuse. Technomarine was contracted by the CRA in April 2017 to build and install the dock, but the project has been met with a series of delays and stalemates by Technomarine since the contract was initiated. The dock ramps were manufactured and shipped from Spain in August and transported to a laydown yard in Tampa, according to an Oct. 3 email to the city from Erik Sanderson, Technomarine CEO. However, since no address for the laydown yard was provided, the city has been unable to confirm the ramps are in Tampa. PLEASE SEE DOCK, PAGE 2
See more Bayfest photos and story, 14-15.
By Kathy Prucnell Islander Reporter Was the shark dead before it was dragged behind a boat by a group of sport fishers? According to reports from two defense attorneys, an expert witness for the state — world-renowned shark expert Stephen Kajiura of Florida Atlantic University — has testified the blacktip shark was dead before it was dragged behind a boat near Egmont Key in June 2017. Whether the shark was dead or alive before it was dragged is significant. Benac “The plain language of the statute is that it has to be alive,” said defense attorney Charles Britt III, who represents Michael Wenzel, referring to the aggravated animal abuse Wenzel
statute that reads in part: “A person who intentionally commits an act to any animal … which results in the cruel death, or excessive or repeated infliction of Kajiura unnecessary pain or suffering, or causes the same to be done, commits aggravated animal cruelty.” Kajiura, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii and a professor of biological sciences at FAU, is one of the state’s experts in a court case that grew from a video showing four men laughing while pulling the shark behind a speedboat. The video was widely shared on social media to the outrage of animal lovers and activists worldwide, as well as Gov. Rick Scott. Britt said Kajiura changed his initial opinion in a second October deposition after viewing four or five videos from the trip — and that he’d only seen one video when his
Islander Photo: Jack Elka
Expert witness: Shark died before being dragged
first deposition was taken. “He’s now clearly saying the shark was dead before the dragging,” Britt told The Islander Oct. 17. But Britt’s new finding is in contradiction to a remark by Burns Easterling on the viral video, saying “Look, it’s already almost dead.” Easterling was not charged after agreeing to talk to prosecutors. According to Robert “Bo” Benac’s attorney, Justin Petredis, Kajiura didn’t change his opinion, he completed his deposition testimony after viewing additional videos. The prosecutor and the public information officer for the prosecutor’s office did not return Oct. 18-19 calls and emails for comment on Kajiura’s testimony. Kajiura is one of two state witnesses thus far deposed. A third, Robert Hueter, a Mote Marine Laboratory veterinarian, is expected to be deposed before the next hearing. See related shark drag story, page 5.