Guests of Dans Florida Condos (www.dansfloridacondos.com), on Anna Maria Island can leave the pots and pans at home while vacationing.  Not only do our units include a full kitchen will everything you need to make a scrambled egg to Thanksgiving dinner, the more adventurous traveler can now take cooking classes while visiting Anna Maria Island!

Cooking Classes are back at the Studio at Gulf and Pine! Learn new recipes and culinary techniques from the Master Chefs of the Sandbar, Beach House and Mar Vista Restaurants.

These hands on cooking lessons will feature a variety of locally sourced ingredients showcasing fresh, summer flavors and sustainable menu items. In the relaxed and beautiful setting of the Studio art gallery you will enjoy learning how to make dishes that will be sure to impress your guests at your next dinner party or special occasion. Join Sandbar Executive Chef Rich Demarse, Beach House Executive Chef Will Manson, Mar Vista Executive Chef Erik Walker and Sous Chef Toffer Jacobs for fun, interactive, chef-led cooking classes on a variety of topics – each class features a unique culinary theme.

Classes will be held Thursdays, June 7th – August 2nd, 11:00am -2:00ish. Class fee is $99 per person per class (includes tax and gratuity, an apron, recipes, cooking lesson, lunch, plus a few surprises). Sign up for all nine and only pay for 8. Class size is limited to 16 so hurry to reserve your spot today. To make your purchase and reserve your seat at the table or for more information contact Caryn Hodge at 941-713-3105 or chodge@chilesgroup.com or book directly at www.studioatgulfandpine.com/culinaryart. Seating is limited and the classes fill up quickly so book your spot today. The Studio at Gulf and Pine is located at 10101 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria, FL. Free parking.

Series Schedule

• June 7 – Stocks and Sauces with Chef Rich Demarse. Chef Rich will teach you the basics and some tricks of the trade of making a stock along with some delicious, versatile sauces.
• June 14 – Sushi! It’s all about the roll! Chef Rich Demarse will show you some innovative ways to make this ancient style of cuisine.
• June 21 – Eggs, Eggs, Eggs! with Chef Erik Walker will surprise you with all the ways you can use eggs in delicious ways you can create one of a kind dishes using farm fresh eggs.
• June 28 – The Summer Grill with Chef Erik Walker. Re-discover a summer pastime, grilling! We will discuss grilling techniques for different proteins, which charcoals use, as well as gas vs. charcoal grilling.
• July 5 – Fish and Poultry with Chef Erik Walker. Learn everything you need to know about fileting and deboning fish and poultry, while discovering new and exciting ways to incorporate these proteins into your recipe repertoire.
• July 12 – Comfort Food Favorites with Chef Will Manson. There’s no place like home! Chef Will shows you how to put some new twists on some old classics.
• July 19 – Ala Minute with Sous Chef Toffer Jacob. Discover French style cooking using local ingredients from the farm to the sea.
• July 26 – Let’s Party! with Chef Will Manson. Learn how to be the hostess with the mostest. Give a dinner party and actually be able to enjoy it with your guests. Our friendly mixologist will be mixing fun cocktails too!
• Aug 2 – Vegan Dinner with Chef Rich Demarse. More veggies please! Discover new ways to make farm fresh vegetables interesting and delicious.

To read more articles highlighting Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach, FL and Dans Florida Condos please visit the “Our Blog” section of our booking-free website: http://www.dansfloridacondos.com/blog/

– Content courtesy June News for the Sandbar,
Beach House & Mar Vista Restaurants 6/1/2018

*Please note – Dans Florida Condos posts blogs of local
establishments and events periodically, for the intended benefit
of our guests and visitors of Anna Maria Island. We do not
receive advertisement commissions or other compensation from
these posts. These recommendations are either experienced
firsthand by us, or via reputable friends and partners on the
Island. This ensures we are informing our guests of the “best of
the best” that the Anna Maria Island and the surrounding areas
have to offer.

*The content of this blog is not to be copied, adapted or shared
without the written consent of Dans Florida Condos.

Travel Tip created by Dans Florida Condos in association with Vacation Soup

Visitors of Dans Florida Condos (www.dansfloridacondos.com), on Anna Maria Island are excited for Turtle Nesting Season.  Just steps from the condos, turtles come to the beaches of Anna Maria Island to drop off their eggs, which both island residents and guests make sure to take good care of them during their stay.

Like a well-trained regiment, the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring team is ready for May-October sea turtle nesting season. And, so are area residents and visitors. They’re looking forward signs of nesting. Island beaches are a hot spot for female sea turtles — mostly loggerheads — to lay their nests. “I think people that choose Anna Maria Island as a home or a vacation spot are wildlife lovers and seekers,” AMITW executive director Suzi Fox said.

As of May 13, only one nest has been laid and it is at Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach. It was spotted by AMITW volunteers Elsa Rohow and Tammy Rosenfeld. Fox said some female loggerheads are “checking out the beach,” but the sand may still feel cool.  Also as of May 13, eight false crawls were spotted on island beaches.

A false crawl occurs when a female turtle leaves the water to nest, but returns to the Gulf without laying her eggs. False crawls do not always occur because the sea turtle was distracted or scared away. The number of false crawls usually is about the same as the number of nests by the end of nesting season, according to Fox.

Each of the nearly 100 turtle watch volunteers is assigned a turn walking a 1-mile stretch of beach just after sunrise, looking for the telltale tracks indicating newly laid sea turtle nests or hatched nests. Once spotted, nests are marked with tape and stakes and observed for data and protection.

Bradenton resident Catherine Lafuente, who previously lived beachfront on Longboat Key, said she enjoyed seeing the volunteers on their daily walks on Longboat and now appreciates seeing the nesting activity on Anna Maria Island. “When we lived on Longboat, we saw what the volunteers were doing and appreciated it,” Lafuente said. “We don’t live on the island, but it’s just a short trek to experience something so special.”

This year, there are 24 new walkers, the most Fox said she’s trained in one season. Kathy Doddridge, AMITW volunteer coordinator for the beach section between 26th Street North and Cortez Road in Bradenton Beach, said new volunteers Dixie Lampers and Carl Jelovich spotted the first false crawl in that section. “They are new walkers so imagine their excitement when they saw the tracks in the sand!” Doddridge said. “Last year, our first false crawl in this section was May 12 so the girls are right on time. It is great to start another turtle season!”

Anne Camp, AMITW volunteer coordinator for the section of beach from the Manatee Public Beach to 26th Street in Holmes Beach, says she’s thrilled to see most of her 2017 volunteers walking this season, and to guide the new ones. “We learn in our training what to look for and what nests look like, but the excitement when one sees their first nest is indescribable,” Camp said.

New volunteer walker Barbara Riskay said she’s anxious to spot her first nest. “I’ve been studying lots of pictures, but it’s not like the real thing,” Riskay said. “I can’t wait.”

For more information on nesting season, contact Fox at suzifox@gmail.com or 941-778-5638. Visit myfwc.com/seaturtle and click on “Sea Turtles and Lights” or “Wildlife Friendly Lighting” for more information on keeping beaches safe for sea turtles.

To report sick, injured, entangled or dead sea turtles or shorebirds contact the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.

To read more articles highlighting Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach, FL and Dans Florida Condos please visit the “Our Blog” section of our booking-free website: http://www.dansfloridacondos.com/blog/

– Content courtesy of the Islander

*Please note – Dans Florida Condos posts blogs of local
establishments and events periodically, for the intended benefit
of our guests and visitors of Anna Maria Island. We do not
receive advertisement commissions or other compensation from
these posts. These recommendations are either experienced
firsthand by us, or via reputable friends and partners on the
Island. This ensures we are informing our guests of the “best of
the best” that the Anna Maria Island and the surrounding areas
have to offer.

*The content of this blog is not to be copied, adapted or shared
without the written consent of Dans Florida Condos.

Moms deserve to be pampered. Guests that are staying at Dans Florida Condos (www.dansfloridacondos.com), have a variety of dinning options while on the island.  For a special treat this year, we recommend one of our flagship resturants!  Spend lunch or dinner with the Sand Bar or Beach House and she will be sitting with her toes in the sand, listening to the sounds of the waves gently lapping the shore, enjoying the view of pristine gulf waters while she dines on delicious seafood and farm to fork produce paired with her favorite wine or tropical drink! That is the way to make mom happy….Treat her to Mother’s Day on Anna Maria Island!

The Sandbar will serve their Brunch menu from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm with the live jazz music provided by the Al Hixon Jazz Band.

The Beach House will be serving chef inspired dishes from the dinner menu starting at 11:30 am both inside and outside on the newly renovated waterfront deck. Mom will love chilling out in our new sunken lounge area or at our outside bar with her favorite cocktail. Don’t forget to ask for the amazing Beach House Bloody Mary – it is a meal in itself!

Mar Vista will be offering lunch and dinner menus at regular times with fresh from the farm produce and gulf to table seafood expertly prepared by Chef Erik.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, moms-to-be and grandmothers too.

To read more articles highlighting Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach, FL and Dans Florida Condos please visit the “Our Blog” section of our booking-free website: http://www.dansfloridacondos.com/blog/

– Content courtesy of the Beach House & Mar Vista Restaurants News

*Please note – Dans Florida Condos posts blogs of local
establishments and events periodically, for the intended benefit
of our guests and visitors of Anna Maria Island. We do not
receive advertisement commissions or other compensation from
these posts. These recommendations are either experienced
firsthand by us, or via reputable friends and partners on the
Island. This ensures we are informing our guests of the “best of
the best” that the Anna Maria Island and the surrounding areas
have to offer.

*The content of this blog is not to be copied, adapted or shared
without the written consent of Dans Florida Condos.

Guests of Dans Florida Condos (www.dansfloridacondos.com) and Anna Maria Island are urged to educate themselves on many of the rules and regulations that protect the many Sea Turtles that share the island with them.  This years “Turtle Watch” has come a few weeks early, due to warmer than normal climate and water currents in the Gulf of Mexico.

The first loggerhead nest of the 2018 sea turtle nesting season in Florida was spotted April 9 in Palm Beach County. According to Suzi Fox, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring executive director, this is early even for the east coast, which sees earlier nesters due to the warm Gulfstream.

“This is very, very early and I’m a bit nervous,” Fox wrote in an April 9 email to AMITW volunteers. “We should be prepared to conduct survey walks early.”

Sea turtle nesting season officially begins May 1, a date that signals mature females soon will make their way to island beaches to deposit their eggs. A record-breaking number of nests — 488 — were counted on Anna Maria Island in 2017. During nesting season, which runs through Oct. 31, AMITW volunteers are assigned a designated 1-mile stretch of beach to walk once a week, just after sunrise, looking for signs of nesting activity the night before and, later in the season, for hatchlings to emerge.

When nests are discovered, they are staked for protection and monitored for data, which goes to Manatee County and the state to track population and behavior trends. The data also is required for beach renourishment research. During nesting season, turtle watch relies on code enforcement in Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach to keep the beaches safe for sea turtles and people.

Holmes Beach code enforcement officer JT Thomas said he works hand-in-hand with the public to educate people about turtle-friendly practices. He said he invites people to join him at the end of his workday as he patrols the beach checking for code compliance.

Sea turtles — mostly loggerheads on the island — use their instincts to follow the natural light from the reflection of the moon and stars on the surface of the water back to the Gulf of Mexico after nesting.

The hatchlings follow the same instincts when they emerge from the clutch to the sandy surface — they head to the sparkle of light on the water.

Bright lights close to the shoreline can distract sea turtles away from the water, increasing the likelihood of death by predation or exhaustion, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The island municipalities have ordinances to deal with sea turtle lighting violations. Additionally, loggerheads are protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Florida Marine Turtle Protection Act. Recently, Thomas has had a team of four citizen volunteers who each ride with him one night a week, checking streetlights and beachfront lights to determine which ones might be problematic for sea turtles. Florida Power and Light is using the information to tag streetlights it plans to turn off or shield for nesting season.

Thomas said he plans to tighten communication with FPL this nesting season to address lighting concerns. Following Hurricane Irma in September 2017, many beachfront property owners pruned trees and bushes that blocked light from the beach.

“Its important people realize they may have cleared landscaping that used to block light to the beach,” Thomas said. “They may need to switch out a bulb or change a fixture to be turtle-friendly.”

Thomas said while he and his crew are checking lights, they stop to chat with people on the beach who are curious about sea turtles.

“It’s all about us working together as a team with turtle watch and keeping the flow of information going to the public,” Thomas said. “Turtle watch shares the knowledge that helps us keep the beaches safe for turtles and people.”

Anna Maria code enforcement manager Dave Greenbaum said he also has a team of staff and volunteers checking for lighting compliance. He said the city ensures lighting visible from the beach is compliant before issuing a certificate of occupancy.

“Everything is pretty much squared away and ready to go for turtle season,” Greenbaum said.

Bradenton Beach code enforcement officer Gail Garneau is emailing property owners, management companies and other businesses, reminding them to turn off or shield lights visible from the beach from sunset to sunrise. Notices also include a reminder that beach furniture and related beach items must be pulled landward, behind the dune line.  Beach furniture left on the beach after sunset may be confiscated and retrieval of such items includes a fee.

Last year, Bradenton Beach enacted a fee schedule that includes fines for property left overnight on the beach, and lighting violations. Holmes Beach also recently included sea turtle ordinance violations on its notice of violation form and includes a compliance check as part of the city’s new vacation rental inspections.

The first week in May, Garneau will perform lighting inspections with Fox to ensure there are no compliance issues with new development. Additionally, Garneau, Greenbaum and Thomas attended an FWC lighting workshop in Bellair Beach in March.

AMITW and the island municipalities also are distributing cards that contain a filter that when held up to a light source can help determine if a light is sea turtle-friendly. Fox and AMITW volunteers will be distributing the “turtle eye” cards, along with other informational materials, to island businesses, owners and residents the first week in May.

“We are working with code 100 percent in all three cities,” Fox said. “We are ready to hit the ground running when the turtle girls arrive.”

Do’s and don’ts for sea turtle nesting season
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recommends people follow these guidelines for sea turtle safety May 1-Oct.31.

• DO turn off or adjust lighting along the beachfront to prevent nesting sea turtles from becoming disoriented and moving toward the glow of light on land, instead of natural light reflecting on the surface of the water. Indoor lights should be turned off, with curtains closed after dark, and outdoor lighting should be turtle-friendly bulbs. Use fixtures low to the ground and shielded from view at the shoreline.

• DON’T use flashlights or camera flashes on the beach at night. They can distract nesting sea turtles and cause them to return to the water.

• DO clear the way at the end of the day. Nesting female sea turtles can become trapped, confused or impeded by gear left on the beach at night. Remove items such as boats, tents, rafts and beach furniture and fill in holes or level sand castles before dusk. Holes trap turtles and can injure people.

Call code enforcement to report unattended property or large holes on the beach.
City of Anna Maria code enforcement — 941-708-6130, ext. 139 or ext. 129.
City of Bradenton Beach code enforcement — 941-778-1005, ext. 280.
City of Holmes Beach code enforcement — 941-708-5800, ext. 247.

Report sick, injured, entangled or dead sea turtles to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline, at 1-888-404-3922, #FWC or *FWC on a cellphone or text Tip@MyFWC.com.
For more information on nesting season, contact Fox at suzifox@gmail.com or 941-778-5638.

To read more articles highlighting Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach, FL and Dans Florida Condos please visit the “Our Blog” section of our booking-free website: http://www.dansfloridacondos.com/blog/

– Content courtesy of the Islander

*Please note – Dans Florida Condos posts blogs of local
establishments and events periodically, for the intended benefit
of our guests and visitors of Anna Maria Island. We do not
receive advertisement commissions or other compensation from
these posts. These recommendations are either experienced
firsthand by us, or via reputable friends and partners on the
Island. This ensures we are informing our guests of the “best of
the best” that the Anna Maria Island and the surrounding areas
have to offer.

*The content of this blog is not to be copied, adapted or shared
without the written consent of Dans Florida Condos.

Guests who enjoy Dan’s Florida Condos, which is located on Anna Maria Island, FL will be very happy to hear the progress on the repairs in place for the historic Anna Maria Island City Pier!  Work on the Anna Maria City Pier should begin in May.

In a commission meeting April 3, Jay Saxena, vice president of Ayres Associates, the engineering firm in charge of rebuilding the pier, delivered details of a timeline for the project.The planks should be removed on or about May 15.  The timeline anticipates demolition to begin in early May and to be complete by early September.

Ayres received its demolition permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers March 7 and expects to receive a construction permit by July 31. Work on the platform is expected to begin in late August and work on the restaurant is set to begin in April 2019.

A seagrass study requested by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is set to start at the beginning of May, and is required before construction. Saxena said NOAA is working with Ayres to move the date to May 11 instead of June, when it would normally be scheduled, to coincide with the season for seagrasses to be most fully in bloom.

Ayres has scheduled when it will issue requests for proposals for crews to perform the work. A demolition RFP will be issued April 20. A platform construction RFP will go out June 1 and a restaurant construction RFP is scheduled for Aug. 1.

The firm has yet to set dates for when it will order and receive materials for construction.  All work should be completed by December 2019, according to Ayres.

Commissioner Brian Seymour asked Saxena April 3 how sure he was the pier could go back up if they tore it down.

“There’s no reason they wouldn’t let us do it,” Saxena said, pointing out the existing pier poses a public safety hazard.

Saxena said the Army Corps is thankful that the city is going through the permitting process to repair the pier, noting that the pier had previously been constructed and repaired without permits or studies.

“We would really have to do some toe dancing with the Army Corps to be able to keep it,” Mayor Dan Murphy said.

Commission chooses pier siding

It’s Kebony, again.

In a split vote, Anna Maria commissioners decided April 3 to proceed with Kebony for the future siding on the buildings at the T-end of the city pier. Kebony is created with pine and modified to perform like mahogany or teak, tropical hardwoods that last longer.

Commissioners Brian Seymour and Doug Copeland voted against Kebony.

Commissioners Carol Carter, Amy Tripp and Dale Woodland voted in favor.

The commission voted in March to use Kebony for the pier’s decking as well. The material comes with a 30-year warranty.

For side paneling, Kebony runs $8.50 a square foot. Material costs for 5,000 square feet are $42,500.

Jay Saxena of Ayres Associates, the engineering firm contracted to design and build the pier, and Barron Schimberg of the architectural firm, Schimberg Group, presented Kebony and other options April 3 in a meeting to finish selections for the building.

Other options cost less than Kebony.

HardiePlank, at $1.25 per square foot, was the least expensive option. Schimberg said the material should be painted unless ordered in a preferred color, but it is durable. Beveled cedar costs $2.50 a square foot and cypress select runs $6.30 per square foot. Schimberg said cedar and cypress do not come with warranties, but they are durable materials that weather well.

However, Commissioner Doug Copeland said he did not think cypress or cedar would be as durable as HardiePlank. He said he built window shutters for his home 20 years ago with cypress select and HardiePlank.

“The (HardiePlank) board looks like the day I put it up,” Copeland said.

He also brought a sample of decayed cypress from his shutters. Most of the cypress he used is still in good shape, he said, but some is rotting.

He advocated for the use of HardiePlank, pointing out it is cheaper than Kebony and still provides durability.

Schimberg said the aesthetics of HardiePlank will be “flatter” and resemble concrete.

Selecting siding for the restaurant and bait buildings was the final decision for the city commission to make on construction materials, Saxena said. Mayor Dan Murphy asked commissioners if they wanted to add railings to the design. “People seem to be divided on it,” he said.

Sissy Quinn, a resident of Anna Maria and head of a preservation group, said she preferred no railing, adding most people would feel it would less resemble the old pier. Commissioners voted 5-0 against railing, but asked Murphy to look into raising the curb — toe boards on the edge of the walkway and T-end.

Input provided by pier tenant

Some changes were made to the floor plan to accommodate requests by pier tenant Mario Schoenfelder, Schimberg said.

In a March meeting, Schimberg proposed opening up the restaurant by installing sliding-glass doors and windows along the back wall, so the restaurant could be opened for a breeze.

However, Schimberg said Schoenfelder retained only a sliding-glass door on the inside wall, for servers to go in and out.

He also requested clear plastic curtains along the edge of the roofing that could be dropped during inclement weather so customers could remain seated outside.

The bait shop would be redesigned to include sliding-glass windows, as well as boundaries redrawn to provide more storage space.

The kitchen also would be expanded for more prep space.

Schimberg said he was meeting with Schoenfelder April 9 to go over more design options, including altering the ceiling to improve acoustics.

To read more articles highlighting Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach, FL and Dans Florida Condos please visit the “Our Blog” section of our booking-free website: http://www.dansfloridacondos.com/blog/

– Content courtesy of the Islander

Travel Tip created by Dans Florida Condos in association with Vacation Soup

*Please note – Dans Florida Condos posts blogs of local
establishments and events periodically, for the intended benefit
of our guests and visitors of Anna Maria Island. We do not
receive advertisement commissions or other compensation from
these posts. These recommendations are either experienced
firsthand by us, or via reputable friends and partners on the
Island. This ensures we are informing our guests of the “best of
the best” that the Anna Maria Island and the surrounding areas
have to offer.

*The content of this blog is not to be copied, adapted or shared
without the written consent of Dans Florida Condos.