The two hurricanes that struck Anna Maria Island over September and October are still taking a toll on people across the island.
Anna Maria Commissioner Jonathan Crane made an announcement at the Nov. 14 city meeting that took most everyone present by surprise.
He resigned effective at midnight.
Crane has served the city commission since 2019, having previously served the on planning board. He said then he was “not a politician. I’m a public servant.”
He was elected without opposition that year and subsequently for three terms.
He told the commission, “I’ve come here today with a heavy heart.”
His emotional statement cited the loss of his home in the city to the hurricanes and a decision by he and his wife, Dusty, not to rebuild on the island.
They plan to stay in the Bradenton area, he told The Islander Nov. 16 by phone.
And he said he’d like to stay involved in some sort of community service, but first they need to find a home.
“I figured I’d be on the commission for the rest of my life,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Nov. 18 city email announced the city is accepting applications to fill the vacant seat.
Candidates must be a registered voter in the city and a resident for the past two years.
The deadline to apply is Dec. 20.
For additional information about the vacancy, contact city clerk/treasurer LeAnne Addy at amclerk@cityofannamaria.com.
The city will convene at 2 p.m. Nov. 19 — after press time for The Islander — for a swearing-in of newly elected Mayor Mark Short, Christopher Arendt, chair of the 2024 charter review committee, who qualified for a seat on the commission and had no opposition, and Commissioner Gary McMullen, who also qualified. He was appointed by commissioners in January to serve the remainder of a term that expires in December.
Since Arendt and McMullen were the only candidates for the two available seats, they are each automatically elected to serve two-year terms.
Short said they intend to have a short meeting following the ceremony to discuss the city’s progress on the city pier repairs.
Short reported Nov. 15 to The Islander that the city anticipates all landscape and household debris will be cleaned up and removed from the city by mid-week the week of Nov. 17.
“Once streets have been cleared with our final pass, no additional debris will be permitted in the rights of way,” according to Short.
Initial permit information was submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the rebuild of the walkway to the T-end of city pier park. On Nov. 19, the commission will consider a proposal from an engineering firm to commence work on the first phase of the rebuild project, which includes geotechnical work, inspections, preliminary design work and permitting.