The Anna Maria Island Sun newspaper reports this week of the restoration work on the Sister Keys.
It says: Volunteers with Sarasota Bay Watch, the Sarasota Bay National Estuary Program, Bay Buddies and Audubon of Florida removed crab traps, plastic chairs and other debris from the largest of the Sister Keys last week.
Paradise Pointe LLC completed a $1million restoration project on the key last year in mitigation for environmental damage to mangroves, seagrass beds and oyster beds anticipated during its planned Perico Harbor Marina, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The project has not yet broken ground.
Restoration included removing exotic plant species, planting native trees and creating a two-acre wetland on the north side of the island, said James Linkogle of the town of Longboat Key Public Works Department, who helped supervise the project, now in a five-year maintenance and monitoring period.
The Sister Keys are closed to people, he said, to protect gopher tortoises, birds and other animals on the key.
We love looking at them from afar, though, so thanks for the good work guys.
Friday 13 February 2009
Tuesday 10 February 2009
Bridge closures on the horizon
The Anna Maria Islander newspaper reports this week a Florida Department of Transportation press release which states that AMI Bridge contractor Quinn Construction will close the bridge to vehicular traffic for several brief periods during the week of February 16-20.
The closures are to perform tests on the mechanical and electrical systems on the bridge and each closing is expected to last about as long as a typical bridge closing for a boat passing through the draw. The release advises pedestrians and bicyclists that the south sidewalk remains closed, but the north sidewalk is accessible.
Meanwhile, the $10.2million Anna Maria Island Bridge rehabilitation project is due to finish March 3, according to Florida Department of Transportation District One director of operations Ed Gonzalez.
If contractor Quinn Construction Co. of Palmetto completes the project by March 3, the company earns another $60,000 bonus, Gonzalez added.
And that will push the final price tag for the project toward $11 million, including about $600,000 in bonuses to Quinn, Gonzalez said.
The closures are to perform tests on the mechanical and electrical systems on the bridge and each closing is expected to last about as long as a typical bridge closing for a boat passing through the draw. The release advises pedestrians and bicyclists that the south sidewalk remains closed, but the north sidewalk is accessible.
Meanwhile, the $10.2million Anna Maria Island Bridge rehabilitation project is due to finish March 3, according to Florida Department of Transportation District One director of operations Ed Gonzalez.
If contractor Quinn Construction Co. of Palmetto completes the project by March 3, the company earns another $60,000 bonus, Gonzalez added.
And that will push the final price tag for the project toward $11 million, including about $600,000 in bonuses to Quinn, Gonzalez said.
Friday 6 February 2009
Anna Maria keeps them coming
It seems that Anna Maria Island can still draw in the crowds, despite the global recession hitting home.
Figures released recently by the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and covered in The Islander, suggest occupancy was at 41.3 percent for November 2008, up slightly from the 40.5 percent reported for the same month in 2007. The Islander also reports December occupancy also rose when compared with December 2007.
The BACVB reported occupancy of Island accommodation units for December 2008 at 39.6 per cent, a 2.6 per cent gain from the 37 per cent reported in November 2007. For all of 2008, occupancy of Island accommodation units was virtually unchanged from 2007. The BACVB reported a 57.6 per cent occupancy rate for 2008 against a 57.5 for 2007.
However, it also states that while occupancy was going up on the island, the average daily rate was headed in the opposite direction, from $143.23 in December 2008 to $154.02 for the same month in 2007.
Seems like the ideal reason to rent a vacation unit from Anna Maria Vacations, the island's premier source of luxury vacation accommodation.
Check out www.annamaria.com for details of 32 beautiful condos, villas and cottages.
Tuesday 3 February 2009
Keep our sea shells on the sea shore
Everyone coming to Anna Maria Island will have their own ideas on how they want to best spend their precious time on the island. Many will simply want to lie on the beach soaking up the sun; some will want to catch as many of the hundreds of fish we have as they can; while others will simply want to wander up and down the beach looking for shells.
For those happy souls there is one important thing to remember, as pointed out by this week's Islander newspaper. It concerns limits being placed on those picking shells, and makes some interesting points for visitors.
It says: Generally, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission requires that residents and non-residents have a recreational saltwater fishing license to harvest a sea shell containing a live organism.
In Manatee County, at the urging of local officials, the state has limited collectors to harvesting or possessing no more than two shells containing live organisms of any single species, except for oysters, hard clams, sunray venus clams and coquinas. The rule applies to mollusks and echinoderms, including tulips, whelks, conchs, olives, augers, scallops, cockles, mussels, starfish, sand dollars, sea urchins and sea biscuits.
Also, the harvest of the Bahama Starfish and just the possession of a live Queen Conch is against the law in Florida.
So, come for all the right, wonderful reasons, but do be careful not to take too much of paradise away with you.
Come stay in the ultimate luxury apartments on Anna Maria Island at www.annamaria.com
For those happy souls there is one important thing to remember, as pointed out by this week's Islander newspaper. It concerns limits being placed on those picking shells, and makes some interesting points for visitors.
It says: Generally, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission requires that residents and non-residents have a recreational saltwater fishing license to harvest a sea shell containing a live organism.
In Manatee County, at the urging of local officials, the state has limited collectors to harvesting or possessing no more than two shells containing live organisms of any single species, except for oysters, hard clams, sunray venus clams and coquinas. The rule applies to mollusks and echinoderms, including tulips, whelks, conchs, olives, augers, scallops, cockles, mussels, starfish, sand dollars, sea urchins and sea biscuits.
Also, the harvest of the Bahama Starfish and just the possession of a live Queen Conch is against the law in Florida.
So, come for all the right, wonderful reasons, but do be careful not to take too much of paradise away with you.
Come stay in the ultimate luxury apartments on Anna Maria Island at www.annamaria.com
Tuesday 27 January 2009
Nice day for a white wedding
ABC 7 Suncoast news reported on the 2nd Anna Maria Island Wedding Festival, which saw hundreds of brides and grooms to be visit venues around the island to see how perfect a place it is to tie the knot.
Their report said:
The Chamber of Commerce was showing off the town and how beautiful a wedding can be on the island.
The Second Annual Anna Maria Island Wedding Festival took place Sunday. The island is called the beach wedding capital of Florida, and no wonder with the sand, surf and sunsets.
More than 400 brides came out to be dazzled with all the island has to offer. More than 40 local vendors showcased their services.
The Anna Maria Chamber of Commerce says the Wedding Festival is a big money maker for the island. It brings in a lot of brides depending on the size of the wedding. Once bride can bring in from 50 to 200 people to stay in area hotels, eat at island restaurants and shop in beach stores. This is why weddings are a big money maker for Anna Maria Island.
Check out this film of the event here
Their report said:
The Chamber of Commerce was showing off the town and how beautiful a wedding can be on the island.
The Second Annual Anna Maria Island Wedding Festival took place Sunday. The island is called the beach wedding capital of Florida, and no wonder with the sand, surf and sunsets.
More than 400 brides came out to be dazzled with all the island has to offer. More than 40 local vendors showcased their services.
The Anna Maria Chamber of Commerce says the Wedding Festival is a big money maker for the island. It brings in a lot of brides depending on the size of the wedding. Once bride can bring in from 50 to 200 people to stay in area hotels, eat at island restaurants and shop in beach stores. This is why weddings are a big money maker for Anna Maria Island.
Check out this film of the event here
Monday 26 January 2009
Fire actually helping key wildlife
There's no smoke without fire, but Anna Maria Island residents were relieved to discover that the plume of grey smoke filing upwards from Egmont Key last week was part of a controlled burn to help the wildlife on the tiny island.
The purpose of the burn, which covered southern third of the key, was to eliminate dead trees and non-native vegetation, including Australian pines, and clear the sand of exotic vegetation to open up more space for birds which nest in it, such as the royal tern and sandwich tern, and to encourage the growth of the vegetation preferred by birds which nest in cover.
Several bird species, including black skimmers, American oystercatchers and brown pelicans, nest on the southern part of the key – which is a sanctuary – in spring and summer, but they were long gone at the time of the blaze.
According to the AMI Sun newspaper, the key is also 'home to more than 1,500 threatened gopher tortoises. The colony is unique because it is free from an upper respiratory disease that plagues mainland tortoises. A dozen volunteers gathered up as many of the tortoises as they could find over the past two days and moved them in trucks to the north side of the key to minimize mortality'.
So there you have it, panic over. But well done to all the residents who were so quickly on the telephone to local government offices to inquire about the fire.
Visit annamaria.com for all your vacation rental needs
The purpose of the burn, which covered southern third of the key, was to eliminate dead trees and non-native vegetation, including Australian pines, and clear the sand of exotic vegetation to open up more space for birds which nest in it, such as the royal tern and sandwich tern, and to encourage the growth of the vegetation preferred by birds which nest in cover.
Several bird species, including black skimmers, American oystercatchers and brown pelicans, nest on the southern part of the key – which is a sanctuary – in spring and summer, but they were long gone at the time of the blaze.
According to the AMI Sun newspaper, the key is also 'home to more than 1,500 threatened gopher tortoises. The colony is unique because it is free from an upper respiratory disease that plagues mainland tortoises. A dozen volunteers gathered up as many of the tortoises as they could find over the past two days and moved them in trucks to the north side of the key to minimize mortality'.
So there you have it, panic over. But well done to all the residents who were so quickly on the telephone to local government offices to inquire about the fire.
Visit annamaria.com for all your vacation rental needs
Thursday 22 January 2009
Trolley not bringing in lolly
We all love the sight of the Anna Maria Island trolley traveling up and down our beautiful island. But it seems some of us take it for granted and are not willing to invest any hard-earned cash in supporting it.
The most recent edition of The Islander carries a story about how no one apparently wants to shell out for the in-trolley advertising system, except Beach Bistro, which does at least benefit from people traveling to and from its location.
The report reads: The advertising campaign for the Manatee Trolley has proven to be less than a stellar success.
Manatee County Area Transit division manager Ralf Heseler said that only one advertiser — the Beach Bistro restaurant in Holmes Beach — took out a $384 12-week ad on the trolley’s interior, scrolling, electronic message board.
The sum of advertising is a far cry from the $50,000 officials hoped to reap annually.
Heseler addressed the Island Transportation Planning Organization Jan. 12. The group is comprised of mayors representing Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach.
The Manatee Trolley on Anna Maria Island offers free fares to riders. From Oct. 1, 2007 through Sept. 31, 2008, there were 474,782 riders on the bus, which travels from Coquina Beach to the Anna Maria City Pier 365 days a year from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Cost of the trolley operation is about $1 million a year. Federal and state grants pay a portion of the tab for its operation, as well as Manatee County.
Last year, Heseler said, the operation faced a $50,000 shortfall. The three Island cities then ponied up $8,000 each to keep the trolley free for riders, with the Manatee County Tourist Development Council picking up the rest of the needed funding.
The agreement with the cities included reimbursement if the advertising program proved successful, which it has not to date.
Read the rest of the story here
The most recent edition of The Islander carries a story about how no one apparently wants to shell out for the in-trolley advertising system, except Beach Bistro, which does at least benefit from people traveling to and from its location.
The report reads: The advertising campaign for the Manatee Trolley has proven to be less than a stellar success.
Manatee County Area Transit division manager Ralf Heseler said that only one advertiser — the Beach Bistro restaurant in Holmes Beach — took out a $384 12-week ad on the trolley’s interior, scrolling, electronic message board.
The sum of advertising is a far cry from the $50,000 officials hoped to reap annually.
Heseler addressed the Island Transportation Planning Organization Jan. 12. The group is comprised of mayors representing Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach.
The Manatee Trolley on Anna Maria Island offers free fares to riders. From Oct. 1, 2007 through Sept. 31, 2008, there were 474,782 riders on the bus, which travels from Coquina Beach to the Anna Maria City Pier 365 days a year from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Cost of the trolley operation is about $1 million a year. Federal and state grants pay a portion of the tab for its operation, as well as Manatee County.
Last year, Heseler said, the operation faced a $50,000 shortfall. The three Island cities then ponied up $8,000 each to keep the trolley free for riders, with the Manatee County Tourist Development Council picking up the rest of the needed funding.
The agreement with the cities included reimbursement if the advertising program proved successful, which it has not to date.
Read the rest of the story here
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