VOLUME
AUG. 11, 2021 Free
NO. 41
the Best news on Anna maria island since 1992 Astheworldterns. 6 fisH joins fight to halt cortez megabridge. 3
Q&A 081121
Top Notch
islander.org
‘Beach gymnastics’
3
interest lags for HB water committee. 4 BB continues tree city honors. 4
Meetings. 4 RoadWatch. 5 election 2021. 5
Opinions. 6 10-20 YEARS AGO
Looking back. 7
HB planning committee member canned. 8
Week 5: ‘Beach gymnastics’ Julie gaskins of odessa photographed daughter emma and niece Alexandra practicing their aerials on the beach at Bean Point while vacationing in Anna maria. gaskins is a winner in the islander’s 2021 weekly top notch photo contest of a “more-than-a-mullet wrapper” t-shirt and the photo is in the finals, which offers a grand prize of $100 from the islander and gift certificates from islander advertisers. Photographers, there is one more week to enter the contest. details are on page 11 and online at islander.org.
A batch of loggerheads leave their imprint …
dead fish blanket icW. 9
BB leaves Cortez in lurch By Kane Kaiman islander reporter
save the date. 10
The courtship has ended. After a presentation, back-and-forth discussion and a recess to review a draft contract at a Bradenton Beach City Commission meeting Aug. 5, commissioners reached a 3-2 consensus to continue megabridge negotiations with the Florida Department of Transportation and declined to join the legal challenge facing the department’s decision to replace the 17-foot-clearance Cortez drawbridge with a 65-foot-clearance fixedspan structure in 2026-27. Mayor John Chappie and Commission-
Happenings community activities. 11 Privateers race into ‘invasion Weekend.’ 12 Back to school. 13
Gathering. 14 Obituaries. 14 commercial fishing a family affair. 15
turn to BB-Cortez, PAge 2
monitoring Piney Point. 16
Rockin’ and readin’
Streetlife. 16 Anna maria asked to back clam project. 17
storm season outlook, take 2. 20 registration for mAYso league begins. 21 fish for success: Avoid storms, red tide. 22
TideWatch. 22 June tourism soars. 22 Biz come, biz go. 23
CLASSIFIEDS. 24
PropertyWatch. 26
NYT puzzle. 27
sea turtle hatchlings make their imprint in the sand as they scramble Aug. 2 to the gulf of mexico after being released by AmitW volunteers near the moose Lodge in Bradenton Beach. the nest was disturbed by people and these hatchlings remained behind after the clutch of loggerheads crawled out or were carried to the gulf. for more “nesting notes,” see page 18. islander Photo: samara Paice
Anna maria elementary kindergartner Ariyah carlton, 6, finds her groove Aug. 5 during Back-to-school night. for more, see page 13. islander Photo: ryan Paice
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