The Anna Maria Islander

Lorri Webb of Oldsmar captured this photo Aug. 4 of a wizard — Luke Webb — on the shore near 64th Street in Holmes Beach. “Not every day you see a wizard on the beach,” the photographer wrote. She is the fifth weekly winner in The Islander’s 2026 Top Notch photo contest. There will be one more weekly winner on Page 1 in the Aug. 19 issue. All the weekly winners will be entered into the grand prize round, which offers $100 from The Islander and gift certificates from Islander advertisers.

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The Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage board voted Aug. 3 to oppose a federal permit for a Sarasota Bay development, citing concerns over potential impacts to wetlands and mangroves. The board agreed to send a letter opposing the permit to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by the Corps’ Aug. 7 comment deadline.

Sheila Zink, left, front office secretary at Anna Maria Elementary School, and Dawn Trejo, a teacher aide, smile Aug. 6 after the annual open house for students, parents and other guardians at AME. A squall with lightning and 50-mph winds rocked the area for about an hour just as the event was getting underway at the campus, 4700 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. Islander Photos: Bonner Joy VPK teacher Erin Bobo engages in conversation with a parent in the VPK classroom Aug.

A conceptual plan to redevelop the old Pines Trailer Park and surrounding properties includes hotel rooms, condominiums, restaurants, retail space and public areas along the bayfront and Bridge Street. The Pines Trailer Park property, 103 Church Ave., is adjacent to the Historic Bridge Street Pier, 200 Bridge St. The project area also includes property on the southeast side of the roundabout at Bridge Street and Gulf Drive, formerly designated for hotel/retail space.

Florida’s primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 18? Will you vote? Yes, at the polls. Yes, already voted by mail. No, independent voter. No, not interested. No, not registered in Florida. View Results Last week’s question The anniversary of the unsolved 1980 Kingfish Boat Ramp killings was Aug. 1. Four people were killed that afternoon 46 years ago. What do you think happened? Revenge killing. 64% Random killing. 18% A spree killing. 12% A political hit.

Sea turtle nesting is winding down on Anna Maria Island while the last of the island’s least tern chicks have fledged. According to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring’s weekly report released Aug. 7, nesting turtles laid just six new nests and produced five false crawls Aug. 1-7, while hatching activity keeps climbing.

In June, the county took in more than $4.6 million from the tourist development tax, an increase of 27.63% from the June 2025 collection, according to a report provided Aug. 3 by the county tax collector’s office. In June, the collection was $4,605,833. For June 2025, the collection was $3,608,714. For May, the tax collected from accommodations, also known as the bed tax, was $3,128,373.82. The income comes from the 6% tax on rentals of six months or less.

Tangerine Group employees wheel carts Aug. 5 along protective matting out to the T-end of the Anna Maria City Pier so debris from demolition work can be hauled back to dumpsters at the structure’s base. The pier has remained in disrepair since sustaining damages from Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024. Mayor Mark Short told The Islander Aug. 6 that the contractor was set to complete demolition and remediation work in 2-3 weeks. Islander Photo: Ryan Paice