News and Events on Florida Gulf Sun Coast
One of the very best features of Anna Maria Island is how often you get to see the water. This may sound like an obvious part of being in an island paradise. However, many beach communities that promote themselves as paradise offer far less than Anna Maria Island does, when it comes to water [...]
Here’s how to use your binoculars to take excellent distant photos without an expensive camera and telephoto lens.
I have an aging Canon PowerShot Digital ELPH camera which takes great pictures but has only a 2X optical zoom and 6X digital zoom. Sometimes I just can’t zoom in close enough to get a good shot.
But [...]
Anna Maria Island beaches felt the effects of Hurricane Ike this week with several days of high surf and high water.
Every day this past week brought a good swell and copious waves as Ike passed 300 miles away to the south west of Anna Maria Island.
The storm emerged off the coast of Cuba into the [...]
All eyes were on the tropics this week as a tropical depression in the Atlantic became a storm named Fay, when wind speeds hit 39 mph.
As Fay crossed the Dominican Republic and Haiti, forecasters correctly predicted a turn to the NW and over Cuba. With no sign of weakening over land, Fay headed toward [...]
The Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage, F.I.S.H., will hold the first ever “Mullet Invitational Fishing Contest” in Cortez, Florida.
The event will be held Friday and Saturday September 5-6, 2008. The contest will be a tribute to Ben Gullett of “Gullett’s Smoked Mullet” fame and proceeds will be to the benefit of F.I.S.H.
Tags: Boating, Community, Contest, [...]
Low speed vehicles, golf carts or golf cars, are becoming more appealing these days for the short errands and neighborhood trips we often do, going to the beach, the golf course, the school bus stop, and the local stores.
Holmes Beach has allowed limited on road use of LSV and golf carts for the last year [...]
Holmes Beach tried to enforce the ban on fireworks for this holiday weekend. Well not all, just illegal fireworks. So what is the difference?
Florida State law allows only hand-held and ground-based sparkler fireworks. It is illegal to set off fireworks that explode or are propelled into the air.
Many fireworks are brought in illicitly from neighboring [...]
Even with recent thunderstorms and measurable rainfall, watering restrictions have been extended for the 16 counties monitored by Southwest Florida Water Management District (Swiftmud).
Swiftmud said that the area received 5 inches average of rain in June, which is about two thirds normal. The current rainfall deficit is 17.2″ over the last two years of [...]
Holmes Beach will get some canals and channels deepened in the next round of budgeted dredging projects.
The Holmes Beach City Commissioners approved funding $270,000 in their last meeting for about a dozen locations to be dredged, under a multi-year State permit.
The project is set to begin at the end of the month. the contractor [...]
The summer heat has begun and with it comes the occasional afternoon thunderstorm.
A grateful rain shower is dear and sometimes a downdraft of cooling air.
Whatever the day brings, the evening sunset is ever new with colors of a magnificent hue.
The alley ways reveal a wonderful reprise no matter what the forecast decrees.
Tags: Environment, Sunsets
The official start to the Atlantic Hurricane Season is June 1st. Now is a good time to make preparations for an emergency evacuation and formulate your disaster plan.
The Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project has published its forecast for the Atlantic basin hurricane activity, based on 58 years of past data and predictive statistical analysis. [...]
The 3 Great Blue Heron chicks that we referred to in the story Great Blue Heron Rookery have now fledged and left the nest.
In the past week, first one, then two, and finally the third have taken short departures from the top of the Australian Pine that has been their home for the last 2 [...]
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch holds its 2008 nesting season training for volunteers on April 15th.
Anyone who would like to walk the beach and report turtle tracks and nest activity are invited to volunteer and go through the training session, which will be held at the Holmes Beach City Hall.
Beach walkers will learn how to [...]
