MARCH 2, 2022 Free
VOLUME 30, NO. 19
the Best news on anna Maria island Since 1992
doT analyzing Hb speed restrictions
astheworldterns. 6
Q&A 030222.
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aM sets dates for Pine ave., Mote meets. 4
Meetings. 4
By Kane Kaiman islander reporter
comp plan changes reach hB commission. 4 BB ScenicWaVeS seeds arbor day plans. 5
Opinions. 6
10-20 YeARS AGo
Looking back. 7
GoodDeeds. 8 Happenings community events. 10-13
Save a date. 10-11
School days. 15
nick Jones, visiting aMi from Minnesota, drives a rented LSV alongside family members andie Sarafolean in the passenger seat, edie Kleinboehl, right rear seat, and nancy Sarafolean, left rear seat, south on State road 789/east Bay drive in holmes Beach feb. 25 toward their rental home in Bradenton Beach. islander Photo: Kane Kaiman
community key to $16m record home sale By Kane Kaiman islander reporter
Welcome to the neighborhood. A lavish Anna Maria beachfront estate 18-19 sold for $16 million Feb. 22, breaking the all-time residential sale record for Manatee County of $13 million for a Longboat Key Obituaries. 18-19 home sale in July 2020. Listing agent Charles Buky said the Cops & Courts. 20-21 appeal of Anna Maria was as important to the buyer as the mansion itself. Streetlife. 21 “At this price point, you have to sell not only the house but the community,” Buky said Feb. 23. The Coldwell Banker agent accompaeagles suffer exposure. 23 nied the showings of the custom-built in 2020 five-bedroom, six-bathroom estate at 100 Beach Ave. Buky said he treated the buyers — of Colorado — to lunch at the Waterfront Restaurant before touring the Anna Maria area, Sporting news, horseshoe including stops at some Pine Avenue bou-
Gathering.
record set. 24
Sheepshead are biting.
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Isl Biz: 26
Burritos in, subs out, kudos
CLASSIFIEDS. 28-29
PropertyWatch. 30
NYT puzzle. 31 islander archive: uoff florida digital newspaper collection at ufdc.ufl.edu.
islander.org
tiques, the Anna Maria City Pier, the Center of Anna Maria Island and the Holmes Beach dog park. The 7,500-square-foot gated home is on a 1.26-acre lot, unusually large for Anna Maria, affording new owners a sense of privacy and tranquility, Buky said. An open floor plan, large kitchen and 180-degree beachfront views were other factors that influenced the buyers to sign. The mansion boasts a gourmet kitchen and wet bar, a primary suite with spa-style bathroom and laundry, a game room, a partially-covered swimming pool, a spa and elevator, as well as a seven-car garage. The builder/seller was Joseph Acebal, a chiropractor and founder of Ideal Image, a chain of med-spa aesthetic clinics he coowned and sold in 2011 for $175 million. Neither Acebal nor the buyer agreed to speak with The Islander about the transaction. Buky — who manages a four-person realty team with his father, Gabe Buky — said the record-setting sale was further proof of the strength of the island market. “The demand for this area, it’s not stopping. It’s moving upward,” Buky said. Also, due to the property’s large lot size, the island native said he doesn’t think the record will be topped in the near future. “I think it will be beat, of course, like all records. But right now it’s tough in the short term, because that type of property doesn’t exist,” he said. taylor Mcfadden, left, gabe Buky, charles Buky and Jim Ptak of the Buky real estate team pose feb. 22 on the beach fronting the $16 million home they sold.
For now, the tortoise is winning the race in Holmes Beach. The Florida Department of Transportation, which has the authority to prohibit the use of low-speed vehicles on state roads in the interest of safety, is coordinating with Holmes Beach to determine if low-speed vehicles are appropriate on state roads, according to a Feb. 22 email to The Islander from Andy Orrell, DOT District 1 director of communications. In an October 2021 email, former DOT community liaison Jesten Abraham told Holmes Beach Commissioner Jayne Christenson low-speed vehicles were not allowed on state roads, which in Holmes Beach includes State Road 64/Manatee Avenue and State Road 789/East Bay Drive. Soon after, the Holmes Beach Police Department, which had received complaints turn to speed, Page 2
Anna Maria cell tower mobilizes for AT&T
a dynamic Structures employee dangles in a bucket feb. 24 while adding an at&t cellular antennae to the cell tower outside anna Maria city hall, 10005 gulf drive. the tower previously had a single server, Verizon. islander Photo: ryan Paice