Is Anna Maria Island nearing a new normal?
Between public beaches, hair salons, fitness centers, restaurants and retailers, much of island life is returning after closures due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Manatee County’s vacation rentals opened May 21, taking last-minute reservations for a busy Memorial Day weekend under a safety plan that prohibits reservations from international travelers or people from U.S. COVID-19 hotspots. The plan — posted at mymanatee.org — also requires a 24-hour wait after guests check out before accepting check-ins.
Island officials had mixed reactions to opening the vacation rentals.
Anna Maria Commissioner Jonathan Crane said he was “very disappointed” in Gov. Ron DeSantis and county commissioners for reopening the rentals.
“Hopefully, it didn’t result in any more cases and deaths,” Crane said. “In two weeks, we’ll see what havoc will wreak from reopening vacation rentals.”
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy, in a May 28 email to The Islander, said he is concerned with enforcement.
“It presents some issues which would be very difficult for the city or county to enforce,” he said. “While the current plan is at a minimum a workable one, we are still evaluating and developing feedback.”
Murphy told city commissioners during a May 28 telemeeting that he was drafting a letter to the county on how to adjust the plan for better enforcement.
Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said she preferred the safety recommendations made by the state’s Reopen Florida Task Force, but she did not detail which aspects of the task force plan she preferred over the county’s.
Despite concerns, the officials said that reopening short-term rentals had yet to cause significant issues.
Anna Maria experienced a “perfect storm” of congestion and overcrowding over Memorial Day weekend, the mayor said, but he attributed the hectic weekend more to beach closures on the east coast and the elimination of parking in Holmes Beach.
Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer told The Islander May 29 that he noticed an uptick in traffic the day after vacation rentals reopened.
Thus far, traffic was the only downside in reopening the vacation homes, he said.
“But we won’t know if it brings any infection our way for some time, so it’s too soon to tell if it will cause an uptick in the spread of the virus,” he added.
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie did not respond to The Islander.
Bars and nightclubs
While many businesses have reopened under the first phase of Florida’s plan for recovery, bars remained shuttered.
DeSantis closed bars and nightclubs March 17 to counter the spread of the novel coronavirus, when less than 200 people had tested positive for the virus in Florida.
Joe Cuervo, owner of the Drift In, 120 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach, and another bar and liquor store on Cortez Road in Bradenton, tuned into DeSantis’ May 29 news conference hoping to hear the governor announce when he could reopen.
But DeSantis did not address the selective closure.
Liquor establishments that serve more alcohol than food are licensed separately from restaurants with bars that serve more than 50% food. Phase 1 prohibited seating at restaurant bars, but phase 2 allows bar/counter seating with social distancing.
“He’s reopened just about everything else, including restaurants,” Cuervo said. “They can serve drinks and open up to 50%. What difference is it whether they order a hamburger or order a beer?”
Cuervo said his losses across two locations is about $400,000.
“I can’t go on like this. It’s going to bankrupt me and all these other bars out here,” Cuervo said. “We’re talking now about getting an attorney and seeing what we can do about it.”
“It’s just so unfair,” he added. “The bills keep coming, and I have no money coming in. Not a nickel.”
Sean Murphy, owner of two restaurants and a bar, Beach Bistro and Eat Here and the Doctor’s Office, a craft cocktail bar, all in Holmes Beach, said he also disagrees with DeSantis’ handling of the situation for bars and nightclubs.
“I don’t think (DeSantis) is motivated by fairness,” Murphy said. “I think he’s treating all bars as if they were all the same, and I think he’s treating bars and food operations as if they are substantially different.”
“There’s no substantial difference between a bar and a restaurant,” Murphy continued. “There’s no reason why a bar should be closed and a restaurant should be opened.”
Anna Maria to open city hall
Anna Maria City Hall will open to the public June 8.
City commissioners reached consensus May 28 to reopen city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive, with a full staff and regular business hours — 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Mayor Dan Murphy said members of the public would be required to wear masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines during encounters with staff. He also suggested sanitizing city buildings twice a day.
Also, the city will hold it’s first in-person commission meeting in more than two months at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at City Pier Park, on the southwest corner of South Bay Boulevard and Pine Avenue.
Murphy said the outdoor venue will provide enough space for people to social distance.
City halls in Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach were to remain closed the week of June 1 and both cities will continue to hold virtual meetings until further notice.
— Ryan Paice