The year began with a plunge into the Gulf of Mexico, but without many other traditional holiday celebrations and seasonal events that unite islanders, snowbirds and vacationers as the AMI community.
Many on Anna Maria Island focused on coming through the coronavirus pandemic, as well as helping their family, friends, neighbors and local business owners through the hard times.
While people continued to flock to the beach, attend their church, open their business doors and assemble to lead municipal governments, doing so required adjustments — sometimes simple measures, like masking in public, and sometimes extraordinary measures, like staging a socially-distanced sunrise service on the beach for Easter.
Below is The Islander’s traditional review of the first half of 2021.
January
Islander of the Year named: After months of masking, social distancing, sterilizing restaurants, sacrificing revenues, enduring sicknesses and losing friends and family due to the coronavirus pandemic, the newspaper named “you” its Islander of the Year.
“Thank YOU for helping keep yourself and others safe and well,” we wrote.
Treehouse owners make plea to state high court: Owners of the Holmes Beach treehouse on the beach filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the Florida Supreme Court in another attempt to keep their structure from being removed by the city.
Food pantry receives $30K: Local officials and representatives from the Mayors Feed the Hunger program delivered a $30,000 check to the Roser Food Pantry. The money came from federal pandemic relief dollars.
Privateers launch 50th celebration: The Anna Maria Island Privateers announced a year of activities to mark their 50th anniversary of serving the island community.
Islanders begin to get coronavirus vaccines: The pool flooded fast. Manatee County seniors began registering for coronavirus vaccines, entering a lottery system for the shots, which were in short supply and high demand.
Holmes Beach plans to sow community garden: Members of Holmes Beach’s parks and beautification advisory committee pursued the idea of creating a community garden on land near Grassy Point Preserve.
Island police called to inauguration: Members of Anna Maria Island’s law enforcement community traveled to Washington, D.C., to help provide security for the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Holmes Beach city hall closes due to COVID-19: Holmes Beach officials closed city hall to curb the spread of the coronavirus after reporting infections among some staff.
Anna Maria seeks input for pier: Anna Maria officials went fishing for ideas to fill the vacant building on the T-end of the rebuilt Anna Maria City Pier. The city held a series of meetings to discuss concepts.
February
Holmes Beach, county continue parking discussions: Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth asked Manatee County staff, “What is the magic number?” when it comes to beach parking spaces in order to secure renourishment funds.
HB rolls toward boots for parking violators: City commissioners approved an ordinance to use wheel-locking devices on autos owned by repeat parking violators with unpaid fines.
Islanders create COVID-19 memorial: “I felt compelled as I watched these numbers just tick off every day,” said Anna Maria resident Cathy Tobias, who created a memorial of ribbons at her home for the tens of thousands of Floridians who had died from virus complications.
State programs Cortez Bridge construction: Construction of a 65-foot clearance, fixed-span bridge to replace the Cortez draw was programmed for 2026-27 in a five-year Florida Department of Transportation plan.
Mote baits hook on city pier: A proposal for a discovery center run by Mote Marine Laboratory of Sarasota caught a wave of enthusiasm when Anna Maria officials entertained proposals for the city pier’s T-end.
Suspect in hit-and-run surrenders: A woman accused of leaving the scene of a Holmes Beach crash that killed a pedestrian surrendered to law enforcement. The case is still pending in the local circuit court.
Coquina Beach parking improvements continue: A second round of improvements to the parking lot at Coquina Beach began. The project involved resurfacing the lots and removing Australian pine trees.
Controversy erupts over VIP vaccine grab: Complaints, including to the state ethics commission, followed reports that Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh reserved coronavirus vaccines for people living in two ZIP codes in her district, as well as herself and several allies, despite the county professing to administer vaccines by lottery.
Bradenton Beach explores future for city hall, library: Bradenton Beach commissioners discussed options for the city hall and Tingley Memorial Library as they discussed storm-hardening and consolidating municipal property.
Bradenton paves way for ‘tiki bar’ on spoil island: The Bradenton City Council voted to approve an ordinance amending the city comp plan to allow a developer to build a personal tiki bar on a spoil island to the northwest of Perico Island.
March
Bradenton Beach chooses dredge contractor: The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Authority selected a contractor for a $600,000 dredging and seagrass mitigation project in Sarasota Bay.
Longboat Key plans to plant mangroves after spill: Longboat Key announced plans to plant more than 8,600 mangroves in Bradenton, part of its proposed fix following a sewage spill in Sarasota Bay in the summer of 2020. Mangroves were destroyed as teams worked onshore to carve a path to repair the leaking sewage pipe.
BBPD report confirms murder-suicide: The Bradenton Beach Police Department released a report finding that Zachary Winton killed Sabrina Dumdei in their home in October 2020 and then killed himself. The investigation lasted 140 days.
BB mayor favors joining bridge battle: Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie showed his support for challenging the Florida Department of Transportation plan in court to replace the Cortez drawbridge. “If this is the last-ditch effort, let’s see what we can do,” he said.
Center brings concert plans to commission: The Center of Anna Maria Island, gearing up for another season of rock and pop concerts, asked the Anna Maria commission for permits and permission to stage them. Commissioners had stipulations.
A year after start, pandemic still forcing cancellations: Many nonprofit organizations decided not to hold season events due to the ongoing pandemic. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade was canceled, along with the Center of Anna Maria Island Tour of Homes and the elementary school PTO’s spring gala.
HB magistrate hands treehouse owners a loss: Holmes Beach’s special magistrate ruled that the owners of an illegally built treehouse on the beach must stop renting and advertising their vacation rentals at the property until they obtain a rental certification.
BB enters megabridge fray: Bradenton Beach commissioners voted to become the fifth complainant in a lawsuit challenging the state’s plan to replace the Cortez drawbridge with a high and fixed span structure.
BB names next police chief: Bradenton Beach commissioners voted to make Lt. John Cosby the city’s next police chief, succeeding retiring Chief Sam Speciale.
Vaccines opened to all adults: Manatee County began allowing anyone 18 and older to register in its coronavirus vaccine lottery.
DOT initiates process on Longboat Pass Bridge: The Florida Department of Transportation held a meeting on Longboat Key for the public to comment on the project development and environment study, a first step for planning replacement of the 1957-built Longboat Pass Bridge.
HB, county officials clash on parking: Tensions rose again as county and Holmes Beach officials exchanged words over the city’s decision to implement a park-by-permit system near the beach, as well as removal of some beach parking in 2020.
April
Concerns persist in Piney Point catastrophe: Multiple warning signals went out before the crisis at a retired phosphate plant resulted in the flow of more than 200 million gallons of polluted water into Tampa Bay and Manatee County’s groundwater.
1st look at storm forecast: Colorado State University predicted an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season for 2021. They forecasted 17 named storms.
BB tram service picks up speed: Ridership and advertising on the tram service operating between Bradenton Beach’s beaches and the commercial district around Bridge Street increased in the spring.
Estate to donate preserve land: Holmes Beach commissioners voted to authorize the mayor to sign an agreement for the Hames Family Preserve, which is adjacent to the Grassy Point Preserve.
BB-DOT hold private meeting on bridge: Bradenton Beach’s city attorney teleconferenced privately with state transportation attorneys to discuss the city’s concerns with plans to replace the Cortez drawbridge with a megabridge.
Campaign — Hey visitors, Love it Like a Local: The Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau launched a new marketing campaign encouraging visitors to act like they live in Manatee County and care for its amenities, especially the beaches.
BB seeks trade on Cortez Bridge: Bradenton Beach tried negotiating with the Florida Department of Transportation, seeking to win infrastructure improvements with the DOT’s planned megabridge and avoid joining a lawsuit.
County OKs deep well for Piney Point: Manatee County commissioners voted to move forward with a plan to inject wastewater from the defunct Piney Point plant deep into the ground.
May
Tank explosion ends festival: Boom! The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce Beach ’N’ Food Truck Festival at city field in Holmes Beach ended abruptly when a leaking propane tank exploded.
High Court denies treehouse review: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up an appeal from the owners of the illegal treehouse on the beach in Holmes Beach. It was the second time the Supreme Court refused a case in the long-running dispute.
AM preservation board designates 1st historical sites: The Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum and the Island Players theater became Anna Maria’s first designated historic sites.
HBPD to wear body cams: Holmes Beach commissioners voted to approve a $178,918 five-year agreement for vehicle and body cameras for the police department.
County repeals last mask order: Manatee County dropped the last of its coronavirus safety measures when commissioners voted to repeal mask requirements and temperature checks at county-run buildings.
32-person house advertised in BB: Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency member David Bell raised concerns about an advertisement he read for a home being built to accommodate 32 people.
Rezone of bank building sought: Holmes Beach officials began considering a request to rezone the former Regions Bank property at 503 Manatee Ave. to house a liquor store and pharmacy run by Publix.
AM, HB commissions withhold center money: Commissioners in Anna Maria and Holmes Beach decided to withhold contributions to the Center of Anna Maria Island, which was more than $95,000 in the red.
BB opts for dining exemptions: Bradenton Beach commissioners voted for a motion to extend a coronavirus-related ordinance that expanded outdoor dining opportunities.
AM seeks solutions for chaos on Pine: Anna Maria commissioners decided to hire a civil engineer to help guide a “Reimagining Pine Avenue” study that also would look at congestion and transportation patterns on Spring and Magnolia Avenues.
Environmental groups sue over Piney Point pollution: Local and national environmental groups announced their intent to sue in federal court over the decades of problems that resulted in the dumping of 215 million gallons of wastewater into Tampa Bay and county groundwater.
Cortez bridge committee concludes design plans: The volunteer Cortez Bridge Aesthetics Committee concluded its work proposing design ideas for a planned fixed, high bridge to replace the Cortez drawbridge.
June
BB CRA approves decorative lights: The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency voted to authorize $38,550 for new decorative streetlights on Gulf Drive between Third Street South and 13th Street South.
Costs skyrocket for buried utilities in Bradenton Beach: City officials learned of a 330% increase in the cost estimate to bury utility lines along a section of Gulf Drive. Florida Power and Light said it had erred in its initial cost estimate.
HB planners back commercial rezone: The Holmes Beach Planning Commission voted to recommend the city commission approve an ordinance to rezone a long-vacant bank property on Manatee Avenue. The commission did so less than a week later.
County gives nod to Mote center on pier: Manatee County commissioners voted in favor of spending $500,000 to build out the T-end of the Anna Maria City Pier to accommodate Mote Marine Laboratory’s planned education center.
Privateers agree to change July 4 parade date: Responding to complaints from island church officials, the Anna Maria Island Privateers agreed to hold the July 4 Independence Day Parade on July 3, moving the event from Sunday to Saturday.
Center increases member fees: The Center of Anna Maria Island announced an increase to its membership fees for fiscal 2021-22, which began July 1.
County OKs funding for BB pier project: Manatee County commissioners green-lighted a request from Bradenton Beach to match $850,000 to add 20 finger docks at the Historic Bridge Street Pier, as well as rebuild the dinghy dock and establish shuttle access.
Shockwave: Repurpose AME?: In a June 25 one-on-one meeting with Holmes Beach City Commissioner Jayne Christenson, Manatee County administrator Scott Hopes said he’d prefer the school district repurpose Anna Maria Elementary as a marine science research center.
Anna Maria seeks public input to fill seat: Anna Maria Commissioner Joe Muscatello vacated his seat, leaving an empty chair that needed filling before the November 2021 election.
Conservation groups sue over Piney Point pollution: Conservation groups went to federal court to sue over the release of 215 million gallons of pollutants from the Piney Point phosphorous plant into Tampa Bay and Manatee County groundwater.
Next issue: Flashback 2021, part 2.