Top Stories this week: Wednesday, June. 8, 2005 Anna Maria fire West Manatee Fire and Rescue District firefighters battled a fire last Saturday morning at a duplex on Sycamore Street in Anna Maria that resulted in the death of several dogs and cats trapped in the fire upstairs. No one was home at the time of the fire. Islander Photo: Bonner Joy Click image to enlarge Fire guts Anna Maria home, pets destroyed By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter A fire Saturday morning at a duplex at 208 Sycamore St. in Anna Maria resulted in about $200,000 in damages to the property and the loss of five dogs and three cats trapped upstairs in the blaze. No one was injured in the fire, but West Manatee Fire & Rescue District firefighter Ryan Moore was taken to Blake Medical Center for heat exhaustion where he was treated and released. Full Story... Another fine Anna Maria mess By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter In a city that seems to reel from one inconsistent land use code to another - and occasionally one legal opinion to another - Anna Maria city commissioners agreed to hire a professional planner to help rewrite the land development regulations in conjunction with the comprehensive plan now undergoing revision. Full Story... Dock moratorium to be lifted A two-year U.S. Army Corps of Engineers moratorium on construction of new docks in Manatee County will be lifted in the near future, said Manatee County Natural Resources Administrator Doug Means. Full Story... County 2009-2011 beach renourishment planning under way By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter Manatee County Ecosystems Administrator Charlie Hunsicker said the county has received a federal grant to study eroding beaches in Anna Maria that were not part of the 2002 beach renourishment project, and will not be renourished under a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project scheduled to begin this summer. Full Story... Still awaiting beach advisory signs By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter The near decade-long Manatee County project to construct beach advisory signs for motorists heading to Anna Maria Island is "on hold," members of the Bradenton Beach Corridor Management Entity Scenic Highway Committee learned at their May 31 meeting, and not likely to be completed in the near future. Full Story... Non-conforming lots buildable, board recommends By Paul Roat. Islander Reporter Two 5,000-square-foot lots are buildable in Bradenton Beach, according to one advisory board, contrary to an opinion by the city's building official. Full Story... A busy holiday for Egmont bird protectors By Paul Roat. Islander Reporter Tampa Bay area residents who love the bay, birds and the Egmont Key Wildlife Refuge volunteered from dawn until dusk the three days of the Memorial Day weekend, making sure birds nesting on Egmont weren't disturbed. Full Story... Planners eye eliminating short-term rentals in residential zones By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter The Holmes Beach Planning Commission wants to revise the city's new comprehensive plan to limit rentals in the residential single-family and medium density zones to a minimum 30-day stay. Such a move would eliminate the "non-conforming" shorter-term rentals that presently occur in those zones, said commission member John Monetti at the commission's June 1 meeting. Full Story... Bird nesting territory squeezed for turtles By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter Beach reserved for nesting seabirds at the north end of the Island has been shuffled northward to provide more room for turtle nests displaced by beach renourishment. Full Story...