Anna Maria News

This past week has signaled the end of the springtime patterns and the start of summertime patterns.

Troy Williamson with a Terra Ceia redfish caught on a CAL jig with a curl tail while fishing with Capt.

What's the sound of a busy season? For the Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce, it was the stream of phone calls from visitors asking if there were any available accommodations.

Longbeach Village resident Craig Walters had reservations about many of the ideas presented at the north-end planning charrette organized by the Longboat Key Revitalization Task Force earlier this year.

A vacationing commissioner may have no choice but to sit out the November election.

State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota employees were recognized for years of service at the 2012 Employee Recognition this spring.

While Manatee County students fell below the statewide average in writing, they equaled the state average in high school reading, according to FCAT scores released Friday.

These teams will not give up when it comes to finding a cure for cancer. It's rare for Relay for Life to get rained out, but severe thunderstorms in April put an early end to the marathon events in Bradenton and Sarasota.

Anna Maria Island has a charm all its own and if you build something new there, it has to fit.

A A A A A A A a May 5, 200 N. Shore Drive, criminal mischief. A group of adults and teenagers became involved in a verbal dispute at the Anna Maria City Pier, but separated without incident.

Installation of new sewer lines on North Shore Drive at Cypress Avenue in Anna Maria is under way and the project should last several months, according to the Manatee County Utilities Department.

Looking north from the Anna Maria City Pier toward the Lake LaVista inlet, the beach along the shore of Tampa Bay appears to have shrunk from the original renourished 150-foot width.

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring volunteer Glenn Wiseman shows off a sea turtle egg May 4 from the first confirmed nest of the nesting season, which began May 1. Islander Courtesy Photos: Suzi Fox Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch volunteer Glenn Wiseman digs deep to verify the first loggerhead nest of the season May 4 on Bean ... (more)

Bordered on the north by Anna Maria and on the south by Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach boasts three miles of gorgeous white, sandy beaches.

More than 60 vendors will convene on Anna Maria Island this weekend to make their sell to brides-to-be now scouting the area's beaches for a destination wedding.

No experience or talent is necessary - just enthusiasm and two hours of time between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Crews will also be working in the water on some of the bridge pilings. The main channel for boat access remains open but caution should be used when passing by construction barges.

But if you take that 3.3 increase and factor in that Bradenton's population also dropped from 53,871 to 49,724, then Bradenton's crime rate per 100,000 residents spiked to 11.9 percent.

Bayfront Park in Anna Maria is empty of vehicles now that the winter-spring tourism season has ended, but Island law enforcement officials expect it to fill up quickly this Saturday for Cinco de Mayo.