#AMItogether
VOLUME 28, NO. 23
APRIL 1, 2020 FREE
the Best news on Anna maria island Since 1992
Astheworldterns bring AMI together. 6 About coVid-19. 4 testing site opens. 4
Meetings. 4 Voter registration opens. 4 Help for employers, employees from feds. 5
Opinions. 6 10-20 Years aGo
Looking back. 7
Gathering.
8
first responders find encouragement. 9 trolleys keep rolling. 9
Happenings community events, activities. 10-11
Save a date. 10
Streetlife. island’s anti-scooter regs face challenges.
RoadWatch. Horseshoes play out spring season. Ame adjusts calendar. march fishing opportunities roar.
IsL BIZ delivering produce, aid for italy, car-side and takeout services.
Governor declares CoVID-19 disaster, businesses close, boating restricted, 2 island cities limit rental reservations By ryan Paice islander reporter
A dire situation calls for dire measures. All three cities on Anna Maria Island, as well as Manatee County, extended emergency declarations the week of March 23 to enact additional powers to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including the closure of boat ramps in the county. Emergency declarations also will allow the municipalities to recover costs down the road. Meanwhile, confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in Florida continued to mount. There were 4,950 confirmed cases as of March 30, up from 1,007 March 23 and 136 the week before. The number includes 38 cases in Manatee County, where 11 people had been hospitalized for the virus and one person had died as of March 30. The virus, which first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, is spread person to person. Public health guidelines urge people to stay at home, practice social distancing and observe government orders — at all levels — including closures or restricted operations. Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said the pandemic has hit here economically harder than any other county in the United States, with business down 28%. He said also that the county’s suicide rate had tripled due to the trying times. After ordering public access to the beaches closed the previous week, Manatee County issued another order March 26 to restrict access at Beer Can/Greer Island at the north tip of Longboat Key and close
A “Beaches closed” sign is posted march 20 at Bayfront Park in Anna maria as a preventative measure to mitigate the spread of coVid-19. islander Photo: chrisAnn Allen
county- and city-owned boat ramps to prevent public gatherings. The order allows commercial fishers — monitored by county personnel — to operate out of the Coquina South Boat Ramp in Bradenton Beach. Fishers must have a saltwater product license, which is issued by the state Department of Agriculture to qualify as a commercial operation. The county also opened a drive-through site March 26-29 at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd., Palmetto, to test people for the coronavirus. A doctor’s prescription, identification card and an appointment were required for testing. On the municipal level, all three island cities implemented measures against the
virus, including closing city buildings to the public, holding virtual meetings and cancelling nonessential meetings. Anna Maria and Holmes Beach held their first meetings via teleconference the week of March 23. Bradenton Beach planned to hold a tele-meeting March 31. At their March 26 meeting, Anna Maria city commissioners voted unanimously to extend the city’s state of emergency for another seven days, as well as authorized the mayor to extend the deadline every seven PLeASe, See COVID-19, PAge 2
aMe families prepare for distance learning By Brook morrison islander reporter
PropertyWatch. CLASSIFIEDS.
NYT puzzle. #AMItogether
on these pages, as well as the islander’s social media accounts, readers will see #Amitogether — a hashtag of encouragement, a rallying cry to help cope with the spread of coVid-19. Join us in sharing your posts, photos, news and videos via facebook, twitter and instagram about #Amitogether as we look out for the safety and security of our family, friends, neighbors and coworkers, as well as ourselves. #Alonetogether. #Amitogether.
islander.org
Don’t tread on the boat ramp garden project concrete barricades remain march 28 at the Kingfish Boat ramp in Holmes Beach following a manatee county order temporarily closing boat ramps to the public as a precaution against the spread of coVid-19. now, an island-based group is petitioning the county to transform the vast boat ramp parking lot into a community farm and pollinator garden. “it would really make a beautiful, unique entrance to the island,” said Betty gotchu, president of growing Ami. “i bet by week’s end we’ll see wildflowers coming up in the parking lot. maybe even by April 1.” then she added with a smile, “oh, and happy April fool’s day. everyone, please, laugh a little.” — Lisa neff
Anna Maria Elementary began distance learning March 30 through “Schoology,” an online program allowing teachers to create lessons and communicate with their students. Students will complete and submit assignments via the online platform. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the district took action and Manatee County schools were closed until at least April 15. The week of March 23-27, teachers returned to AME to train in “Schoology” and prepare take-home packages for students that contained pencils and paper, workbooks and information on how to connect with school during the pandemic. AME kindergarten teacher Kelly Crawford said while preparing for online teaching, there were a lot of tears and she was “extremely blessed to work with such a great group of educators and staff members.” “We miss our students and would much rather be teaching them in class, but we will do what must be done for the students to continue learning and all stay healthy,” Crawford said. PLeASe, See AME, PAge 3