Despite some complaints about “booms” and “blasts” of fireworks, first responders described the Fourth of July week on Anna Maria Island as a quiet holiday.
“Overall, we had no major incidents,” Bradenton Beach Police Chief John Cosby said.
The chief said the combination of boosted local law enforcement and Manatee County personnel made for a quiet holiday on land and water.
“We had one disorderly intoxication on Saturday,” Cosby said, referring to a July 1 incident on Bridge Street.
Cosby said fireworks complaints were minimal and no confiscations or citations were made.
“We had some minor noise complaints but nothing serious,” he said.
“Our new code enforcement officer was out enforcing, checking the turtle nests and making sure there was no construction on the holiday,” Cosby added. New hire Evan Harbus was sworn into office June 9 and the Fourth of July was his first holiday patrol for the city.
Cosby said the BBPD wrote 34 tickets for parking over the weekend and holiday. Parking tickets were less of an issue than in years past due to the completion of the parking lot remodel at Coquina Beach, the largest parking lot on the island.
“We had had meetings with the county about making some overflow parking … and it worked out really well,” Cosby said. “We didn’t start having issues until later in the day.”
Cosby said he appreciated the county, marine rescue and city code enforcement being on the job. “That makes a big difference,” the chief said.
He noted that the Anna Maria Island Privateers Fourth of July Parade went off without a hitch — although it slowed traffic.
And there were no concerns about traffic delays at the county sewer line replacement project as construction was halted July 1.
“They actually wound up shutting down a day earlier than we anticipated,” Cosby said.
In Holmes Beach, Police Chief Bill Tokajer reported a crowded but relatively uneventful holiday.
July 1-4, 166,364 vehicles passed the license tag cameras coming onto the island, Tokajer said.
“The parade was great,” he added. “We had a lot of people out there and a lot of fun. I know it does impede the traffic flow, but the benefits outweigh the time delay.”
Tokajer said the city used social media and electronic message boards to inform people of the parade and they received no complaints about parade traffic.
The chief also said HBPD had no fireworks confiscations.
Parking citations, however, were issued.
Tokajer said HBPD wrote 374 parking citations June 30-July 4 — roughly 75 citations a day. On a typical weekday, HBPD might issue 25 tickets.
City code enforcement officers also were working through the holiday, but no wildlife or code violations were reported.
The worst problem HPBD officers faced was a large party of underage drinkers, according to the chief: “There were about 150 kids at the north end of our beach that were unruly right after the parade and we had members of the sheriff’s office come up and give us an assist. We had them all leave the beach and confiscated their coolers. They were being disorderly, drinking and fighting among themselves.”
The crowd dispersed and no citations were issued.
In Anna Maria, which is policed by the MCSO, there were increased patrols on the beaches and streets for the holiday.
The MCSO dispatch confirmed deputies responded to five complaints for loud noise with two resulting in citations. Deputies also responded to two fireworks complaints that did not result in citations.
The MCSO also dealt with an arrest in Anna Maria after responding to complaints of a man exposing himself to beachgoers while rafting in the Gulf at Spruce Street on the beach. Deputies arrested the man for misdemeanor exposure of sexual organs and transported him to Manatee County jail.
Manatee County Beach Patrol Capt. Marshall Greene told The Islander July 6 that the beaches were crowded but lifeguards had no major rescues.
“We had a few lost children, that comes with a lot of busy days,” he said.
Greene said the biggest issue was heat exposure: “People fainting, heat exposure. It took a toll on our guards, too. Being out in that sun for 10 hours, those are a long few days.”
July 1-2, MCSO marine and traffic units participated in Operation Dry Water with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard, resulting in two water rescues, two arrests for boating under the influence and one motorist arrested for driving under the influence.
The MCSO also issued three boating citations and wrote 96 warnings for various maritime violations.
Also, MCSO mounted patrol and special response teams patrolled Coquina Beach July 1-2.