Anna Maria City Commission Chair John Quam has scheduled a special commission meeting at 7 p.m. today, June 10, to reconsider the commission’s May 27 denial of a site plan for 308 Pine Ave.

The commission had rejected the site plan at the May 27 public hearing by a 3-2 vote following more than two hours of testimony. The plan was presented by developer Pine Avenue Restoration LLC.

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Michael Pierce resigned his mayoral post in Bradenton Beach June 3 citing “family needs.”

Pierce had won a second two-year term last November, defeating William Shearon, also his opponent in 2007, and receiving 65 percent of the vote.

With Pierce’s resignation, Bob Bartelt stepped out of the vice mayor role and Ward 4 commissioner seat to serve as mayor.

The development unfolded early in the commission meeting at city hall, 107 Gulf Drive N., and came more than a week before qualifying begins for the November municipal election.

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As he campaigned for mayor last fall, Michael Pierce often told voters, “I just want what’s good for the city.”

Last week, saying he will always want what’s good for the city, Pierce resigned from the mayoral post. He said he must focus on family needs.

Colleagues and friends, citizens and business owners, responding to the announcement, said Pierce can take pride in his achievements.

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Carol and Dennis Stene of Bradenton were shocked by the crash of a Verizon telephone utility pole over the rear of their Ford Focus while waiting at 11:30 a.m. June 6 for traffic to clear at the stop sign at Marina and Palm drives in Holmes Beach. The utility pole fell, apparently due to wear and tear. No injuries were reported. Islander Photo: Toni Lyon

Both sides in the push to recall Anna Maria Commissioner Harry Stoltzfus have submitted legal motions in the Manatee County Circuit Court and the state court of appeals.

Through his attorney, Richard Harrison, Stoltzfus filed May 24 for dismissal of the recall, as well as an accelerated hearing and a temporary injunction to halt the recall petition effort until a hearing could be scheduled. The accelerated hearing motion was denied by Circuit Court Judge Ed Nicholas.

On May 28, Harrison appealed Nicholas’ decision on the accelerated hearing to the Florida Second District Court of Appeals in Lakeland and again asked for an expedited hearing.

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There are so many lawsuits, legal complaints and motions involving Anna Maria residents, city staff and elected officials that it’s almost impossible to tell the “players” without a scorecard.

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Anna Maria Preservation Trust executive director Sissy Quinn said the owner of the Angler’s Lodge on North Bay Boulevard has agreed to donate the lodge to the trust.

Quinn said owner Agatha Hebebrand will donate the lodge, and the trust will seek permission from the city commission to move the structure to the city-owned Anna Maria Historical Park in the 400 block of Pine Avenue.

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Lawton M. “Bud” Chiles III officially announced June 3 that he is an independent candidate for governor in the 2010 general election.

The 57-year-old Chiles, a Tallahassee businessman, was widely expected to make the announcement, having devoted the past year to walking more than 300 miles in the Sunshine State to talk with its citizens.

The frontrunner for the Democratic nomination is Florida CFO Alex Sink.

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Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed a House bill June 3 that annexed the area west of the Anna Maria Island Bridge into the city of Holmes Beach.

The area includes the Kingfish Boat Ramp, which formally was part of unincorporated Manatee County. For years, Holmes Beach thought the land was within city limits and policed the boat ramp.

City officials have been wanting to bring the area back into the city, primarily for patrol by Holmes Beach Police Department officers.

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Algae turning the water a murky brown in the shallow water off Anna Maria Island caused a scare.

So did the black jelly-like “sea pork” on the beach in Fort Myers.

Beachgoers feared the arrival of oil from a leaking British Petroleum-leased deepwater well off the coast of Louisiana.

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The federal government expanded the closed fishing grounds in the Gulf of Mexico last week to about 37 percent of federal waters.

The closed area, described by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as precautionary, represents about 88,502 square miles. On a map, the area looks as large as the state of Florida. The most significant expansion was to the area of southwest Florida just west of the Dry Tortugas.

All commercial and recreational fishing, including catch and release, is prohibited in the closed area, but transit through the area is allowed.

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From the dock at his family’s property on the north tip of Longboat Key, Tom Mayers looks out on Longboat Pass, the drawbridge spanning the pass and then, to the east, the mangrove shoreline, the island sanctuaries.

The native Longboat Key resident, boat builder and environmental consultant is refining his idea to protect the Sarasota Bay region from oil.

“It’s not a 100 percent solution, but it could ameliorate the problem,” Mayers says. “Obviously it’s best if no oil comes here.”

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