Author: Porter

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Community Health

How to Age Well on Anna Maria Island

To some people, ageing well seems to mean withdrawing into a retirement community where there is almost no chance of being disturbed by laughing children or barking dogs. But for those who prefer to remain in contact with the entire demographic spectrum, Anna Maria Island offers the perfect place in which to retire without feeling shut off from the real world. Staying in touch with younger people who are active is certainly a good way to stay as young as possible, even as one ages.

Christmas Day picnic

The fact that there is an elementary school right on the island is a good sign. School children live in many of the neighborhoods of Anna Maria Island , and it’s always heartwarming to see them toting their packs as they go to and from school. Sure, traffic can sometimes back up around Anna Maria Island Elementary School, as students arrive and depart. But sitting for a few minutes or slowing down in the school zone can be seen as just one more reminder that island life is supposed to be relaxed. Every delay is just one more chance to smell the jasmine or watch the swaying palm fronds sparkle in the sunlight.

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Health

The Best Place To Recover From Surgery

Surgery recovery and rehab The tradition of sending flowers to people who are ill or injured probably is linked to some sense that flowers and greenery promote good spirits and therefore, recovery. If a few vases of flowers in a hospital room can enhance recovery, think what the lush tropical surroundings of Anna Maria Island can do for the patient fighting a disease or in rehab from injuries. There is no better place to feel healthy and become healthy than amidst the beautiful vegetation, stroked by the soft breeze, of Anna Maria Island.

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Lawyers and Attorneys Real Estate

How To Sue Your Neighbor!

It may sound surprising, but legal proceedings are not out of the question between neighbors on Anna Maria Island. Maybe it’s precisely because we expect life to be perfect and peaceful here that we become irritated when somebody intrudes on our own personal concept of what paradise is supposed to be. So we may be more likely to get on the phone and call a lawyer to help us defend our idealized vision of the good life. If we lived in a city, we might be more likely to tolerate nuisance, because it would be more expected. Our dream is not being ruined.

Spite FenceDisputes arise over many of the symbols of the good life. One neighbor might be annoyed with another for putting in a swimming pool, creating added noise and activity just feet away from what used to be a serenely quiet back yard. There may be a discussion but it’s not likely that a discussion will prevent somebody who wants to put in a pool from doing so. Anyway, it’s their right as long as they follow local ordinances. Angry exchanges across the fence may follow. And the neighbor dismayed by the changes in the neighbor’s yard might go so far as to call a lawyer to see if there is any legal recourse.

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Real Estate

FEMA Rules Change Anna Maria Island

Scraped lot On Anna Maria Island, when you see an empty lot with new construction about to begin, you know the new building will tower over the traditional Old Florida one-story homes in the neighborhood. Why? It’s the law, to some degree, at least. In 1975 FEMA made it mandatory that all new construction place the first living level at a certain specified number of feet above sea level, which means either having to raise the lot with a huge amount of fill, or building the living space on a second and, possibly, third floor. This coincided with the start of government involvement in flood insurance programs. When the government starts ‘taking care’ of you, it starts telling you how to do things.

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Community

Publix Serves Anna Maria Island

We moved to Anna Maria Island in 1999, soon after Publix opened a small grocery store on the island, just off of Manatee Avenue on East Bay Drive in Holmes Beach. In fact, as we arrived in town, after a three-day car trip to get here, we stopped at the island Publix to pick up a few essentials before walking into our new home and starting to unpack boxes. It was amazing that we ran into the only three people we already knew here, in the bakery section of the new store. It made us feel at home.Anna Maria Publix Supermarket

Since then, we have enjoyed having such a good market on the island. It is a lot smaller than the Publix, or Albertson’s, or Sweet Bay markets in Bradenton. But whoever does the buying and stocking of the Holmes Beach Publix does an amazing job. Rarely do we feel the need to go to a larger store to get something that’s not available in the island Publix. At the moment, the only such item I can think of is a particular boxed Chardonnay wine from Australia, which used to be carried on the island, but is no more.

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