The Islander Newspaper E-Edition: Wednesday, Feb. 02, 2022

Page 1

FEB. 2, 2022 FRee

VOLUME 30, NO. 15

the best news on anna maria island Since 1992 astheworldterns. 6

Q&A 020222.

3

Game nights kick off

glance at ’22 elections. 4 cortez stilt-house case could be dismissed. 4

am defers decision on clam project. 5

Opinions. 6

10-20 YEARS AGO

Looking back. 7

am honors 2 citizens. 8 Hb preps for county workshop. 9

Save a date. 10-11

Happenings community events. 10-13 Library friends fundraise.

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Gathering. 14 Obituaries. 14 GoodDeeds. 15 chamber presents trolley grants. 15 Where’s Tuna Street.

Jim Hassett calls a bingo game Jan. 27 at the annie Silver community center, 103 23rd St. n., bradenton beach. bingo games are played at 6 p.m. thursdays into the spring at the center. the center also plans to host community dinners this season. For more information, call Silver president Hassett at 413-441-6823. For more photos, turn to page 13. islander Photo: Lisa neff

The island’s top dog is taking a big bite. Developer Shawn Kaleta has purchased Anna Maria Vacations, a Holmes Beach rental property management company, and Anna Maria Beach Resort, bringing the total number of vacation rentals under a Kaletaowned umbrella of businesses to more than 800 units. Kaleta bought Anna Maria Vacations and the company’s annamaria.com URL from Joe Varner, a former business partner, for an undisclosed sum in November 2021. Varner But The Islander does know the price for Anna Maria Beach Resort, 6306 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. It cost the developer $46 million. Varner purchased the 50-year-old resort in 2017 — then-Blue Water Beach Resort — and took it down to the studs and added a resort pool in an 18-month multimillion dollar remodel. turn to DeVeLoPeR, Page 3

Mote dumps live tanks, revises plan for Anna Maria pier outpost

Bistro ‘magic’ changes hands

by ryan Paice islander reporter

by Kane Kaiman islander reporter

Engineering concerns could water down Mote Marine Laboratory’s proposal for an 16-17 educational outreach center at the Anna City Pier. Cops & Courts. 20-21 Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said Jan. 27 that Streetlife. 21 Mote sent the city new conceptual plans for the outreach center that day but city comShark bites increase in missioners could not yet consider them 2021. 22 since they were not included on the meeting agenda, which must be prepared at least Winter color in Florida. 23 a week in advance. The city built the new pier at the end adults dominate center of Pine Avenue to replace the historic pier, gridiron. 24 which opened in 1911 but was removed by the city after damages from Hurricane Irma Winter settles in on the in September 2017 and a declaration from water. 25 the insurance company that it was beyond amob takes on St. repair. armands cafe. 26 The new pier features two buildings at the T-end, one of which was filled by the CLASSIFIEDS. 28-29 City Pier Grill & Bait Shop in late 2020. PropertyWatch. 30 The city has been working to lease the second building, an empty 1,800-squarepuzzle. 31 foot 42-by-40-foot space, since after com-

NYT

Developer devours vacation units by Kane Kaiman islander reporter

Meetings. 4

School days. 13

islander.org

missioners decided the space would not be used for a restaurant. While Mote entered a 10-year lease agreement with the city in September 2021 to build and operate an outreach center in the shell building, on Jan. 28 it remained empty — and the plans continue to change. Mote’s first proposal included four dis-

It’s all over but for dessert and a clink of the glass. After operating the Beach Bistro for more than 36 years, husband-and-wife founders Sean Murphy and Susan Timmins have sold the renowned surfside eatery at turn to Mote-aMCP, Page 2 6600 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, to developer Shawn Kaleta and attorney Louis Najmy for an undisclosed sum. The deal was inked Jan. 25, Murphy said, after a yearslong courtship that included a few other suitors. “It was a combination of age — it’s time for Kaleta Susan and I to lighten up a little bit. The second part was probably the continuing COVID environment, a drawing provided Jan. 27 by mote which was creating extra marine Laboratory depicts the educational stress,” Murphy told The outreach center being planned for the Islander Jan. 28. t-end of the anna maria city Pier. islander najmy graphic: courtesy anna maria

turn to BIStRo, Page 27


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