JAN. 31, 2024 FrEE
VOLUME 32, NO. 15
the Best news on anna maria island Since 1992 astheworldterns 6 am appoints charter committee. 2
islander.org
snowbirds flock to local waters
Q&A 013124 3 State rental bill draws concern. 4
Meetings 5 Opinions 6
By ryan Paice islander reporter
10-20 YEARS AGO
Looking back. 7
county force main project in HB approaches completion. 8
2024 elections 8 RoadWatch 9
Happenings What’s up on ami? 10-12
Save the date. 10-11
ame news. 13
Gathering. 14
GoodDeeds 15 Obituaries 15
Where’s Tuna Street?
american white pelicans — and a friendly brown pelican — bask Jan. 26 in shallow waters near Kingfish Boat ramp in Holmes Beach. unlike the smaller, resident brown pelicans, the migratory visitors do not dive for food. instead, white pelicans swim in formation to corral fish. islander Photos: robert anderson
Cold sends birds to rehab Brown pelicans await feeding while in rehab at Wildlife inc. in Bradenton Beach. the juvenile pelicans were brought to the rescue suffering from cold-induced starvation. more, page 26.
16-17
captains bring conservation message to ami. 18
NYT puzzle 18 Library board applicants declined. 20
Cops & Courts 22 HB tweaking noise ordinance. 23 Krc holds championship. 24 cheering at the center. 24 inconsistent bite on the water. 25
ruffling feathers. 27
cLASSIFIEDS. 28-29
Isl Biz: 30 trolley grants awarded.
anna Maria appoints 2 new commissioners
tourism officials driving cross-county connections By Lisa neff islander editor
The Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is fueled for a big drive. “We have to keep our foot on the gas,” BACVB executive director Elliott Falcione said Jan. 22, encouraging collaboration across Manatee County at a meeting of the tourist falcione development council. The advisory council, chaired by County Commissioner Ray Turner, meets periodically to consider projects funded with tourist development tax revenues and review BACVB efforts to promote the area. Falcione and others at the meeting focused on the tourism boost expected with
the opening of a hotel and the expansion of the county convention center in Palmetto and getting people from those sites to other locations in the county, especially Anna Maria Island. A new mode of transportation for visitors is the Gulf Islands Ferry, which launched in January to carry passengers between the downtown Bradenton riverfront and the Anna Maria City Pier. At the time of the TDC meeting, after multiple delays in the launch and then cancellations due to weather, the two-ferry service had operated one day out of the six scheduled. Falcione, with an eye on the weather forecast, predicted positive ferrying 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Jan. 26-28 and the possible addition of turn to tourism, Page 5
Two vacant seats on the Anna Maria City Commission are filled. City commissioners voted Jan. 25 to appoint residents Kathleen Morgan-Johnson and Gary McMullen to the depleted board, which had shrunk to three members following Robert Kingan’s and Deanie Sebring’s departures. Kingan did not seek reelection last year and no one qualified for his seat in November, leaving a vacant two-year term. Sebring resigned and moved away last October, leaving her successor to complete the remainder of her term, which expires in December. McMullen and Morgan-Johnson introduced themselves as candidates for the vacant seats at a Jan. 11 forum, where they answered questions from the public. Commissioners Jonathan Crane, Charlie Salem and Mark Short were left to vote Jan. 25 to fill the vacancies — or not. Crane attended the meeting via speakerphone and was allowed to participate remotely for the city to meet a three-member quorum. The commissioners were told to vote one for their first-choice applicant, two for their second choice, or zero if they did not find a suitable applicant. The applicant who received the most first-choice votes would have their pick of turn to am appoints, Page 2
BB Ward 1 applicants emerge By robert anderson islander reporter
If you live in Bradenton Beach and you’ve wanted to get involved in local politics, now might be your chance. Two people have applied to fill the Ward 1 city commission seat vacated near the end of 2023 by Jake Spooner and the application window remains open. Spooner, who had served as commissioner since 2015 and earned another unopposed term in 2023, cited the state’s newly expanded financial disclosure requirement as the reason for his Dec. 28 resignation. Applicants for the seat include: • Debbie Scaccianoce, co-owner of turn to bb Ward cHanGEs, Page 3