Anna Maria Island Information

Hands Across The Sand logo

This Saturday June 25^TH, hundreds of people will join hands on Anna Maria Island Beaches as part of the global event “Hands Across The Sand” to oppose offshore oil drilling, and to promote clean energy alternatives.   

The first Hands Across The Sand took place in February 2010, and was followed by an even bigger event in June 2010 that was organized to oppose drilling for oil off the coast of Florida.  The idea is to find more suitable energy alternatives for our planet.

If you would like to be a part of this year’s Hands Across The Sand event, there are 2 places on Anna Maria Island that you can join in this worthy cause.  One location is on the beach near the 52^ND street beach access in Holmes Beach, and another location is on the beach near Cedar and Mangrove Ave in Anna Maria.

The 11^th annual Island Blood Drive raised over $46,000 for local non-profit organizations last weekend, and has been the largest Island Blood Drive on Anna Maria Island yet. 

The Island Blood Drive took place at St. Bernard’s Church in Holmes Beach last weekend where 466 people donated their precious blood over the 2 day event.  A private donor contributed $100.00 for each person who donated a pint of blood in the name of their favorite Anna Maria Island non-profit organizations. 

The Island Blood Drive raised $15,283 for the Anna Maria Island Rotary Club, $15,132 for Wildlife Inc. Rescue and Rehabilitation, $5,016 for the Anna Maria Island Community Center,$5,949 for the Anna Maria Island Privateers, and $5,516 for the West Manatee Fire Rescue Auxiliary. That’s a grand total of $46,896 raised in 2 days on Anna Maria Island, way to go everyone that participated, and a big thanks to the anonymous donor.

Angler's Lodge On Pine Avenue

The Angler’s Lodge in Anna Maria has been moved to The Historic Green Village on Pine Avenue. The Lodge was donated to the Anna Maria Preservation Trust, to ensure that it was protected, and would become part of the legacy of the City of Anna Maria.

The Angler’s Lodge was built by Mr. and Mrs. Wood in 1913. The Woods named their Anna Maria Island home ‘Thelma by the Sea’ after their daughter, a beautiful young model who was on the very first Anna Maria Island brochure.

The move started Monday morning May 23^rd 2011, and was a big deal.  Lizzie Vann Thrasher said moving the Angler’s Lodge to the village is a “major task, but we think it’s worth every effort to ensure that it remains part of Anna Maria’s future history.”

All the beaches on Anna Maria Island are public.  There are private entries and Public Beaches with lots of parking but, once you get to the sand and Gulf waters, the beaches are everyone’s to enjoy.  You can find a beach access point almost anywhere on the island.

There are three main Public Beaches on Anna Maria Island: Bay Front Park, Manatee Public Beach, and Coquina Beach.  We hear many questions regarding, which beach is the best to go to? All Beaches on the island are extremely similar.  All of our beaches have white sugar sand with some shells on the beach depending on the rise and fall of the tide.  The number of people on the beach can be dramatically different depending on where you are.  Anna Maria City beaches are the quietest followed by Holmes Beach then Bradenton Beach.  When comparing our beaches to most other Florida beaches we are VERY quiet.

The Anna Maria Island Community Center located at 407 Magnolia Avenue, Anna Maria, Florida, 34216 will be hosting a hurricane preparedness workshop June 1^st from 6:30pm – 8pm.  Every year in Florida, the last two weeks in May are dedicated to hurricane awareness education.  Hurricane season starts June 1st and rolls right on through November.  This does not mean that we will have a hurricane but it’s always good to be prepared. 

The workshop will talk about some basic hurricane information that we all should know like: important items to take during an evacuation, disaster supply kits, comfort items, and more. 

If there is a mandatory evacuation you will need to have a RE-ADMIISON TAG or you will not be allowed back on the Island to check your home after a storm has passed. If you like a RE-ADMIISON TAG, go to your City Hall they will issue you one and suggest leaving it in your glove box. (There is no expiration date)

Manatees are an endangered species, so please watch them from a distance.   If you see a manatee while walking along the beach or swimming on Anna Maria Island, don’t be alarmed, spring is the mating season for the gentle manatees. 

If you want to help, the best thing that you can do to help is keep your distance, allow the manatees plenty of room to do what they do naturally.  You don’t want to put the manatees or yourself at risk, so don’t touch, or push them.  Just step back and enjoy, if you have a camera or video camera start filming these beautiful creatures in the warm waters of Anna Maria Island.

For more information call Mote Marine at 941-388-4441 or visit them online at www.mote.org

I consider myself pretty in tune with web sites that provide more opportunities to save money and for about six

Groupon - Social Saving

months now I have not really paid attention to the hub-bub of new web sites that are hitting the scenes.  It is only recently that I began to review some of these web sites.  The hot craze right now seems to be sites that lean towards the social side of advertising.  That is they use Facebook and Twitter feeds so that you can involve your friends in the purchase of some great deals.  It is through your own work that provides the opportunity.  By involving consumers and facebook we are pooling buyers to buy in bulk although all the buyers do not know each other.  Seems like an interesting concept. 

Let me disclose I am new at all of this myself but thought it would be interesting to provide some options that I have found.  Some I have enlisted and frankly just weighing out the advantages versus my time and others I have not had a chance to try.  It seems as though the most popular bulk buy social program is Groupon.com.  The sign up process is fairly easy with all these, only takes one minute and the toughest part of the entire process is remembering your password the next time an

Living Social

 enticing deal comes your way to take advantage of it.  A similar website to Groupon is Living social however at least at the time of this post there are less deals on Living Social.

So what does this have to do with Anna Maria Island Real Estate….absolutely nothing.  However, as information gets out maybe even a few of our dining establishments will sign up and you can save money on your trip to paradise.  In addition, thought it was an interesting twist to social media.  Have fun with it and happy saving.

Goldstar.com – this site offers reduced event tickets like sports, concerts, theater, etc.

Zozi.com – this website offers deals for outdoor activities like bicycling, kayaking, etc

Zozi Saving

TripAlertz.com – website offers discounts on accommodations and vacation tour packages

Mamapedia.com – website specializes in family friendly saving deals

RetailMeNot.com – this website offers coupons.  This is more of a search for specific discounts in a city.

Bradenton Beach March 2011

 Northerners from all over the country flock to Anna Maria Island to find paradise, and escape the long harsh winter.  The rising number of trolley riders and the record number of northerners coming down to soak up the sun makes Anna Maria Island the place to be.

 The Anna Maria Island Trolley has seen almost 4,000 more trolley riders for the months of January and February 2011 compared to the same period in 2010. Investors on Anna Maria Island have been buying up property at low prices and remodeling beach houses and storefronts to fit today’s Anna Maria.

 As quoted in the Bradenton Herald by our very own Anna Maria Island Property Specialist  Larry Chatt., “We are benefiting from a vacation-rental  perfect storm, the whole nation is finding the value of renting homes and apartments with kitchens and more bedrooms, where they can cook meals and sleep more people at a lower cost than hotels. And Anna Maria just happens to have a lot.”

 Whether it’s for a short stay, or a lifetime, contact an Anna Maria Island property specialist today!

I get it all the time. What are some things to do off Anna Maria Island for a day trip or less. Of course going to the beach, activies on the beach come to mind very quickly but growing up in the North East I remember Spring brings festivals and lots of them. Unfortunately, I have not found one single source of information that displays all the great festivals that occur in the Florida Central – Soutwest areas. At the very least I can mention some that I have enjoyed as well as heard great things about. Here we go…

Early-Mid March
Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City
Like the title says, if you like strawberries – this is the festival to go to.
More than ten days, more strawberries than you can imagine and plenty of music.
Like strawberry shortcake? The festival is pretty busy and there is a charge for parking and to get into the festival.

Mid-Late March
Woodworking  Show, Florida State Fair, Tampa – Florida
I have not had a chance to make this show but once again, like the title says, if you are interested in woodworking probably a great show to make.  The show is hands on and lets you try all the lates products and there are plenty of tips.

Late March
Sun-n-fun fly-in and expo, Lakeland Florida
Plenty of airplanes, more than 4,000.  Airshows, airplanes and the blue angels!  A great weekend festival for airplane enthusiasts and just a short hour and a half drive to Lakeland which is just West of Orlando.  Make it a weekend trip and head over to Orlando which is right on the way.