Cortez Village Historical Society

July 28

Seafood safe despite oil spill
http://www.amisun.com/feature.htm BY CINDY LANE | SUN STAFF WRITER That grouper sandwich being offered at restaurants in Florida, including those on Anna Maria Island, is safe to eat, oil spill or not, thanks to a team effort by fishermen, processors, inspectors and regulators, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began more than three months ago, federal fisheries regulators have tracked the oil’s path, closing and reopening portions of the Gulf of Mexico to fishing depending on where currents and winds take the oil, according to NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, which is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other federal and state agencies to monitor seafood safety. “No single agency could adequately ensure the safety of seafood coming from the Gulf following this tragedy, but in working together, we can be sure that tainted waters are closed as appropriate, contaminated seafood is not allowed to make it to market and that closed waters can be reopened to fishing as soon as it is safe,” said Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator at NOAA’s Fisheries Service. While fish could swim from a contaminated zone into a clean zone where fishing is allowed, it’s unlikely, according to NOAA, because the closed areas have built-in buffer zones to account for fish movement. During the three months since the oil spill, about a third of the Gulf has been closed, all in federal waters. The closed areas are patrolled both on the water and by vessel monitoring systems required on commercial fishing boats. “If they approach zones that are contaminated, sensors notify regulators to call them back,” said Karen Bell of A.P. Bell Fish Co. in Cortez. At the docks, the catch is inspected by both fish houses and government inspectors, she said. “We’ve put added inspections into place, with some aquaculture inspectors going through sensor testing,” said Terence McElroy of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing. A new training class for inspectors is fine tuning their skills, especially the sense of smell, which is very sensitive to hydrocarbons, said John Stevely, the University of Florida’s Sea Grant extension agent in Palmetto. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, are the most common carcinogenic components of crude oil. “The nose knows,” Stevely said. “To run analyticals on hydrocarbons takes time and costs money, but providing this training to inspectors is a practical way to beef up screening procedures.” Impact on sales Commercial seafood buyers in non-Gulf areas have purchased seafood elsewhere, incorrectly assuming the entire Gulf is affected by the oil spill, McElroy said. He added that the state agriculture department is working with Florida Publix stores and other retailers elsewhere to overcome the misperceptions and promote seafood sales. A.P. Bell Fish Co. had to freeze 25,000 pounds of grouper after news of the oil spill hit. The company’s wholesale customers know that Cortez seafood is safe, but some purchased less because their retail customers were misinformed, Bell said. She said sales dropped off for a while, but are recovering, with Star Fish Co. sales up in June. Seafood sales at Cortez Bait and Seafood in Cortez have not been affected by the spill, Kim McVey said. Restaurants, including the Gulf Drive Café in Bradenton Beach, the Waterfront in Anna Maria and Rotten Ralph’s, with eateries in both cities, also say they have not seen a drop in sales due to the oil spill. “It hasn’t affected us at all,” said Greg Grosser, manager of the Waterfront, who has been able to buy oysters from the east coast since his usual supply of Texas oysters dried up after the oil spill. At Rotten Ralph’s, “We haven’t seen any difference,” kitchen manager Lynn Lamar said, although she had to raise the price on shrimp due to the spill. “I buy Gulf shrimp from Louisiana,” she said. “It got harder to get, then the price jumped up,” nearly double. But customers still order shrimp, she said, perhaps because of a note on the menu that states: “We will support our shrimpers until there is no more shrimp available.” It’s too early to tell whether a temporary cap that sealed the well earlier this month is having an effect on sales, according to Stevely, but seafood lovers should be reassured that it’s safe, he said. To report any concerns about seafood safety, call 1-888-INFO-FDA. For updated information about the status of Florida’s open and closed fishing harvest areas and the availability of seafood varieties, call 1-800-357-4273.

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June 29

Oral History Project
Thanks to the collaborative project involving New College of Florida and Sarasota County we have new Oral History interviews of Thomas "Blue" Fulford and Karen Bell on the CVHS web page. Look for the links on the Video - Historical Videos page.

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June 26

Oil Spill's Impact on One of Our Last Working Fish Houses
www.saveur.com/article/Travels/Food-in-the-News-Impact-of-Oil-Spill-on-One-o f-Floridas-Last-Working-Fish-Houses By Lael Hazan Source: Saveur Photo: Chad Spencer Cortez Fishing Village, a quaint and colorful throwback to simpler times, lies just off the main artery of the boom-and-bust strip mall experience of southwest Florida in Bradenton. Nestled at its tip is the A. P. Bell Fish House, one of the last working fish house on the state's west coast. The community's fleet comprises a hundred boats, and its economy rests on the sea. Eighty-six-year-old Walter Thomas Bell, son of the fish house's founder, still goes in every day to see that things run smoothly. His daughter, petite and soft-spoken Karen Bell, the day-to-day manager of the entire business, which also includes a fish market and a restaurant, is uncharacteristically concerned. The Bells have seen a lot. Sunken boats from an unnamed hurricane still riddle the harbor, creating nesting areas for local fish. The net ban and various moratoriums forced many of the fishermen into new lines of business or changes of methodology. But nothing has been as unsettling as the BP oil spill. Karen Bell is also angry, and not only with those who mismanaged the oil rig; she is angry with the media. Florida's commercial fishing boats do not fish in any waters affected by the spill, and the state's Department of Agriculture spot-checks the fish for pollutants-as of yet, nothing has been found-and updates its reports daily at www.fl-seafood.com/hotline.htm. Certainly, no one wants anyone to eat anything toxic. But Karen has seen a precipitous drop-off in clientele. Restaurants have been opting not to order local fish, solely out of fear. Much of A. P. Bell's catch is shipped to other states and countries; how anxiety over the spill will affect those markets is still unknown. What Bell does know is that, for now, her fish are safe. She hopes that everyone will help support the local economies that haven't yet been hit by the devastation. She knows it's coming, and she and the rest of Cortez are trying to figure out how to prepare for it. But they are fishermen at heart, with great perseverance and equally great hope for the future.

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June 21

Wetland Riders
WETLAND RIDERS is an uncompromising book that exposes the origin and early successes of a movement that threatens America’s seafood industry. Originally written as an educational tool to help get the Louisiana red drum back into markets and restaurants, the book gained national attention during the mid-1990s as recreational fishing interests in nearly a dozen states campaigned to grab millions of pounds of publicly owned seafood species from the public.

 
Of obvious interest to commercial fishermen, WETLAND RIDERS is also a unique resource for readers with an interest in the culture, environment and economy of our coasts, the seafood industry, consumer advocacy, political and environmental journalism, and rural conservation.


http://www.newmoonpress.com/wetland_riders.htm

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June 13

Memorial service scheduled for missing Bradenton boater

By BETH BURGER bburger@bradenton.com LONGBOAT KEY -

Family members are planning services for a 20-year-old Bradenton man who went over the bow of a fishing boat late last week 10 miles off Longboat Key. The search for Michael Taylor was suspended Friday night by the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The Coast Guard began searching for Taylor after he fell off of a 43-foot commercial stone crab boat belonging to a friend, the Cindy Lee, just before 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Susan Taylor, who raised Taylor, said his brother, 21-year-old Anthony, had just taken the wheel as Michael went overboard. According to Coast Guard reports, Taylor never resurfaced. A memorial service for Taylor has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Longboat Pass on the bay side, she said. The family is requesting people who attend wear board shorts and flip flops in his honor. The incident remains under investigation.

Read more: http://www.bradenton.com/2010/06/13/v-print/2357148/memorial-service-schedul ed-for.html#ixzz0qjMIUZpq

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June 17

Sea of sorrow: Family, friends say goodbye to man lost at sea

Family and friends say goodbye to Bradenton man lost at sea

By BETH BURGER bburger@bradenton.com LONGBOAT KEY -

Friends and family members shared memories, tears and hugs Wednesday night as about 250 people gathered to say goodbye to a 20-year-old man lost at sea last week. Michael Taylor, of Bradenton, slipped from the bow of a 43-foot commercial stone crab boat - the Cindy Lee - belonging to a friend just before 7:30 p.m. June 10 about 10 miles west of Longboat Key. Coast Guard officers and other agencies scoured the area for more than a day before calling off the search. Taylor was never recovered.

"He was just a one-of-a-kind kid," said Anthony Taylor, 21, who was with his brother on the boat. "He always had a smile on his face." Christian Chamberlain, 19, Taylor's cousin who was also with him that day, said, "Michael will be missed by everyone. He'll always be with us. When he saw someone, he could always cheer them up with a smile. He was a great person, always." Taylor, his brothers and other family members have a long-standing fishing tradition. Friends said Taylor was always on the water and some dubbed him a son of Cortez, the small commercial fishing village near the island. Many of Taylor's friends wore T-shirts with his name printed on them, as well as board shorts and flip flops in his honor.

About a dozen friends and family members took turns standing on top of a picnic table beneath a shaded pavilion on the bay side of Longboat Key recalling memories of Taylor. Rena Hunkeler, of Bradenton, who knew Taylor for 12 years, wiped back tears as she waited for the service to begin. "He made the most of his life. He was just a free spirit," she said, noting most people were still in shock about Taylor's accident. She said she was one of several people who initially took their boat out to sea when Taylor never resurfaced. "We were out until 1 a.m. that night," she said.

"He'll be missed." Steven Orlando, who owns the Cindy Lee, choked back tears as he read a poem and then recalled memories of Taylor. "I just want everyone to think about the good times with him," he said. The service ended with friends and family members casting out flowers into the bay. Both Orlando and Anthony Taylor were listed as operators on the boat, said Gary Morse, spokesman for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is conducting the investigation into the incident. "There's a lot of confusion when these incidents happen. Often we have to sort out who was operating the vessel," Morse said. A blood draw was taken on the operator. It's unclear if alcohol was a factor in the incident.

The investigation is expected to take an estimated six to eight weeks.

Read more: http://www.bradenton.com/2010/06/17/v-print/2368473/sea-of-sorrow.html#ixzz0 r6xMVUYH

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June 12

Search stopped for local man lost at sea

By BETH BURGER

bburger@bradenton.com

LONGBOAT KEY — Search efforts for a 20-year-old Bradenton man who went over the bow of a fishing boat were suspended Friday night by the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The search for Michael Taylor began after he fell off the back of a 43-foot commercial stone crab boat belonging to a friend, the Cindy Lee, just before 7:30 p.m. Thursday, about 10 miles west of Longboat Key.

The commercial boat was being used for recreational purposes at the time, according to investigators.

Another person on board reported the incident shortly afterward and a Coast Guard search ensued that ceased at 9:45 p.m. Friday.

“There was never a single pause or break in the search,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Rob Simpson. “After exhausting and searching over this area and after a reasonable amount of time had passed, we believe we would have found him.”

Susan Taylor, who raised Taylor, said his brother, 21-year-old Anthony, had just taken the wheel minutes before Michael went overboard.

“Michael was grabbing a rope when he slipped,” she said, noting he had an injured arm. “He’s extremely clumsy and always has been. He went under the boat. They saw blood and knew he hit the boat.”

According to Coast Guard reports, Taylor never resurfaced.

Susan Taylor said she received a phone call from the boat shortly after the incident. Members on board contacted the Coast Guard within minutes,

Some family members jumped in the water after Anthony turned the wheel and dropped the anchor, she said.

Susan Taylor said both boys enjoyed fishing and grew up on the water.

Michael Taylor, who comes from a fishing family, had Cortez fishermen cruising the waterways searching for his body Friday afternoon, she said.

“They will bring Michael home,” she said after learning the search would be discontinued Friday.

A memorial service for Michael Taylor has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at Longboat Pass on the bay side, she said.

“He was the best kid,” she said. “He had the biggest heart.”

She is requesting people who attend where board shorts and flip flops in his honor.

“That’s all Michael,” she said smiling.

 Gary Morse, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said it will take approximately six to eight weeks to investigate the incident.

 A blood draw was taken on the driver of the boat, he said. It’s unclear if alcohol was a factor, he said.

Read more: http://www.bradenton.com/2010/06/12/v-print/2356058/search-stopped-for-local-man-lost.html#ixzz0qdscZSgN

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May 29

July Fourth at Cortez


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May 24

FISH absentee ballots questioned

http://www.islander.org/2010-05-26/cortez-absentee-ballots-05-26.php

By Nick Walter Islander Reporter

Backlash spilling from more than 100 absentee ballots at the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage's annual meeting led to a meeting scheduled for place May 24, after The Islander press deadline, to discuss the election.

At the May 4 annual meeting, Kim McVey, who works at Cortez Bait & Seafood and was a FISH board member, was slated to be the new president. She received 98 votes to incumbent Richard Culbreath's 65. Holmes Beach Commissioner David Zaccagnino was unopposed for the vice president seat and received 143 votes. Sheila Mora (131 votes) retained her secretarial position. Joe Kane (66) filled another secretarial position.

Jane von Hahmann (109) replaced Karen Bell (58) as treasurer. Bell, Culbreath, Kane and Richard Estabrook retained board seats. But Bell said she heard someone went to Cortez Kitchen and signed up dozens of new FISH members, who then voted for von Hahmann. "I think it's sleazy," Bell said. Bell said last week she hoped the absentee ballots would not count because of the sudden memberships. She said those absentee ballots were the reason she lost the office of treasurer.

Indeed, there was controversy at the May 4 meeting regarding an influx of absentee ballots, but, in the end, the absentee ballots were counted. In the FISH bylaws approved by membership at a 2005 annual meeting, absentee ballots are addressed.

The bylaws state, "Signed and dated absentee ballots will be accepted for any issue at any meeting of the membership or board of directors." Another section states, "All absentee ballots must be presented to the president prior to the relevant meeting being called to order." McVey, meanwhile, is disappointed in the controversy. "I think it's a sad thing going on," McVey said. "I don't think there was anything done wrong. I think this is shedding a bad light on FISH." Barring changes, McVey will take over as president June 1.

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May 18

Hard Times Beset Mullet Fishermen Along Suncoast
Hard Times Beset Mullet Fishermen Along Suncoast

From the St. Pete Times - October 2, 1955

Click on the link:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3hMOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dHoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3578%2C374654

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May 09

Fear Spreads in the Manatee County Fishing Industry


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May 04

Snooks Adams was ‘finest kind’
http://www.islander.org/2010-05-05/snooks-obit.php
 
By Nick Walter
Islander Reporter

W.H. “Snooks” Adams

He was unforgettable.
 
Whether W.H. “Snooks” Adams was unveiling his unique sense of humor in one of his lengthy, intriguing yarns or sharing his boundless knowledge of Anna Maria Island history, he had a knack of striking someone with something unforgettable.
Adams’ died April 27 at the age of 92. He was born April 24, 1917, in Cortez, a lifelong resident of Manatee County, and longtime resident of Holmes Beach. Adams served Holmes Beach as police chief from 1962-78.
 
More than 100 people showed up May 1 to CrossPointe Fellowship for Adams memorial service.
 
Mr. Adams survivors include wife Elizabeth of Holmes Beach; brothers Cleveland and wife Terry of Gardena, Calif., Clayton and wife Polly of Bradenton, C.D. (Jeannie) of Sebastian; sister Mable Hipp (Kenneth) of Sarasota; daughter Georgia Lee Jones and 10 grandchildren.
 
Adams got his nickname from his Aunt Gracie when he was 2 years old. Fanny Bryce was at the height of her comedic career and she did a routine with a character she named Baby Snooks. She did both voices. The voice of Baby Snooks was loud and so was the voice of Baby Snooks Adams. When Adams was a boy, he and his brother would visit their Aunt Sally and her husband Jack Moore.
 
Adams was a friend to Island children, originating a day in 1954 at the end of the school year just for kids, and continuing that tradition with the Anna Maria Island Privateers with Snooks Adams Kids Day. He recalled there were only 10 or 12 boys, two cases of Cokes and a couple pounds of hot dogs at the first Kid’s Day in Bradenton Beach.
 
Adams moved to Bradenton Beach in 1947 and later bought a home in Holmes Beach, where he retired from the Holmes Beach Police Department.
 
Adams and Leon Stafford started the first fire department in Bradenton Beach with Stafford as chief and Adams as assistant chief. Adams helped build the Bradenton Beach firehouse that is a volunteer-supported center today.
 
He worked for the Island Erosion Board and helped build the groins along the Gulf side of the Island.
 
In 1952, Bradenton Beach incorporated and Mayor Jack Jones appointed Stafford its first police chief and Adams as assistant chief.
 
In 1954, Adams joined the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and was the first — and only for a long time — patrol deputy dedicated to the Island.
 
“That guy was a pioneer,” said former Manatee County Sheriff Charlie Wells. “A one-man show, and a guy I really respected.”
 
Adams is credited with helping set up the first Veterans of Foreign Wars post in the county, just after World War II, and he was naval commander three times during the 1950s.
 
As a Cortez fisherman, Snooks figured his knowledge of the sea would help him in the Navy. “We all wanted to do our part,” said Snooks. “I wanted to get in and do what I could. I wasn’t looking to be a hero, but all my brothers and my friends were joining up.”
 
In 1956, Adams went to work for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. “My job was to take care of the Island,” Adams told The Islander in 1999, when the new HBPD facility opened and was named in his honor.
 
From 1962-78, Adams was the Holmes Beach police chief. “I arrested people according to the way they acted or what they had done,” Adams said. “I always believed that when you did more harm than good by an arrest, you made a bad arrest. I still believe that.”
 
However, there were the times that required toughness. He was involved in three shootouts and was shot in one of them.
 
“He had a big influence on me,” Holmes Beach Police Chief Jay Romine said. “Even though he came from an extremely different era, from a different time in policing, his way with people was timeless.”
 
“He leaves a void in my life that will not be replaced,” said Gene Schaefer, who with his wife Dee is the concessionaire at the Manatee and Coquina beaches and longtime friends of Adams. “He is a very, very, very important memory and an individual for whom I had great respect and whose company I enjoyed. There aren’t that many to go around. He was one of those living people who are forever there.”
 
Schaefer said Adams was simply unforgettable.
“One thing he said to me that I’ve never forgotten, and has certainly come to pass, he said at least 25 years ago,” Schaefer said. “And this was during a conversation with some people who were complaining about some changes being proposed, and he said, ‘The Island is going to change whether we like it or not. And it’s not going to change the way we think it’s going to change. But if we don’t go along with the changes, we’re going to get left behind.’”
 
Many who knew Adams said he told it like it was.
Indeed, in a column printed in The Islander, Adams began, “I’m a little confused. Have been since voters decided commercial fishermen had to give up what their daddies and granddaddies taught ‘em, laying their nets and pulling in mullet to put groceries on the table. And now our Florida Supreme Court has decided the net ban amendment passed in 1994 is going to save Florida fisheries and make our waters well again. I say bull ----.”
 
Lake LaVista in Anna Maria didn’t open into Tampa Bay in the 1920s and was a brackish body of water filled with alligators and small tarpon, Snooks recalled.
“We’d swim with the alligators. They had plenty of food and wouldn’t bother us. There were little tarpon you could catch.”
 
Snooks was one of six brothers who served in the U.S. armed forces in World War II, four in the U.S. Navy and two in the Army. Snooks joined the Navy immediately after Pearl Harbor. His brother Cleveland was already in the Navy and was stationed at Pearl on Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked.
 
Brothers Leon and William later joined the Navy, while Henry went into the Army. Brother Clyde joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and was shot down over Germany, eventually becoming a prisoner of war.
 
In 1985 at the behest of then-Sen. Lawton Chiles, Congress recognized the Adams family of Cortez for its service during WWII with an official entry into the congressional record.
After the war, Adams returned to his roots in the family’s fishing business and got married.
 
In 1996, Adams was the 1996 Islander of the Year.
Former Holmes Beach mayor, now County Commissioner Carol Whitmore recalled Adams.
“He belonged to a club of older gentlemen on the Island and they’d all go to local establishments everyday at 5 p.m. until they couldn’t drive anymore,” Whitmore said. “They’d go to the Sandbar, they’d go to Rotten Ralph’s, and Snooks used to buy beers for a dollar or 50 cents. The price of beer used to be real low, but when the prices went up, they kept the same low prices for Snooks all those years.”
 
Following his retirement, Snooks still liked to drive around town “on patrol” just to say “hi” to old friends.
 
Luckily, one of his daily visits was to The Islander for a long while, and he took a liking to Mister Wizard, the cairn terrier who kept office hours.
 
They like to give compliments in Cortez by saying it’s the “finest kind,” and that surely describes Snooks Adams.
He will surely be missed.

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May 02

TARPON JUMPS INTO BOAT AT BRADENTON


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May 01

Heart of Cortez Beats Inside No Nonsense Native
Heart of Cortez Beats Inside No Nonsense Native

From the

Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive - Feb 21, 1987

Click on the link:

       
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZTcfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3moEAAAAIBAJ&dq=fulford&pg=2877%2C6274

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April 28

Island Community mourns H.W. "Snooks" Adams
http://www.bradenton.com/2010/04/28/2240344/bhw-snooks-adams-1918-2010b-holm es.html Island Community mourns H.W. "Snooks" Adams By CARL MARIO NUDI cnudi@bradenton.com HOLMES BEACH - Long-time Anna Maria Island resident and Holmes Beach's first police chief H.W. "Snooks" Adams died Monday at the age of 92. Mr. Adams, born in Cortez on April 24, 1918, spent most of his life in Cortez and on the island except when he served in the Navy during World War II in the Pacific Theater. Married to Elizabeth for more that 40 years, the couple was known and well liked across the island. "He was a charming soul that would make you laugh," said Elizabeth, known to her friends as Liz. "You never knew what he was going to say." Mr. Adams will be remembered for his work with children and keeping them out of trouble. In 1954, he took about a dozen boys to the beach for a day of food, fun and games, which became an annual event known as "Snooks" Adams Day, with hundreds of children enjoying food and activities. "He just loved kids," said Elizabeth Adams. County Commissioner Carol Whitmore, who grew up in Holmes Beach and served as commissioner and mayor of the city, said children felt safe with Mr. Adams as police chief. "When we were kids and you had a problem, you could go to the police department," Whitmore said. John Rudacille, who has been a neighbor of the Adamses for 40 years, said Mr. Adams was his best friend. "He would do anything for you," Rudacille said, "but he loved to play jokes on you. He was a character." Rudacille said he remembers asking Mr. Adams if he felt very important when then Gov. Lawton Chiles named him Florida citizen of the year on his 80th birthday. "He said, 'No, but the governor did,'" Rudacille said. When Mr. Adams returned home after the war, he started a business installing seawalls. In 1953, he began working for the Bradenton Beach Police Department as an auxiliary officer, then in 1955 he signed up with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office and was responsible for patrolling the island. The City of Holmes Beach decided to start its own police department in 1963 and hired Mr. Adams as chief. Known as a plain-talker, Mr. Adams would use the trait in his police work. "He was from a different time and era of policing," said Holmes Beach Police Chief Jay Romine, "but his values and people skills never went away." Romine said he met Mr. Adams after his retirement in 1978, but that the former police chief still had an influence on how the current chief runs the department. "I would continue to ask him for advice," Romine said. "But if you didn't want an honest answer, don't ask him a question. Snooks just never sugar-coated anything." Mr. Adams is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; a daughter, Georgia Lee Jones, of Bradenton; a son, Randy, of Tallahassee; one sister, Mabel Dawn Hipp, of Sarasota; three brothers, C.D., of Sebastian, Cleveland "Kewpie" of California, and Clayton "Jap" of Bradenton; five grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Crosspointe Fellowship, 8605 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Anna Maria Privateers' Snooks Adams Kids Day, Crosspointe Fellowship or any charity of your choice.

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April 27

Howard "Snooks" Adams
Cortez native and longtime Holmes Beach Police Chief Howard "Snooks" Adams passed away today after a long illness.
 
Funeral services will be Saturday May 1, 2010 at 9:30 am, at the Anna Maria Island Baptist Church.

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April 13

Cortez boat festival this weekend
http://www.amisun.com/headlines.htm#six The Fifth Annual Great Florida Gulf Coast Small Craft Festival will be held April 16, 17 and 18 in Cortez. Activities will include sailing, paddling, racing and "messing about" in traditional types of small sailboats, rowboats, canoes and kayaks. Boatbuilding exhibits, children's activities, a nautical flea market, sea shanty singing, food and an awards presentation also are on the schedule. The Florida Maritime Museum will be open for tours and offer maritime books and small craft magazines for sale. The featured speaker is Peter Vermilya, former small craft specialist/watercraft curator at Mystic Seaport Maritime Museum, who will discuss the evolution of traditional small craft with particular emphasis on the catboat and the sharpie. A post-festival gunk hole camping trip around Tampa Bay also is scheduled. The festival is hosted by the Florida Gulf Coast Traditional Small Craft Association, the Bayside Banquet Hall, the N. E. Taylor Boatworks and the Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez. For more information, visit www.tsca.net/FGCTSCA.

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April 09

Top US fisheries cop replaced after paper shred
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gytxGr72nTWGbTgqEvaaKepgsU CAD9EV58TG1 BOSTON - The nation's top fisheries cop was replaced Thursday after a federal review detailed mismanagement at his agency and found that he ordered dozens of files destroyed during the investigation. Dale Jones was removed as director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's law enforcement office and was replaced on an interim basis by Alan Risenhoover, head of NOAA's Sustainable Fisheries Office. In announcing the changes, NOAA Fisheries head Eric Schwabb said in an e-mail to employees, "Ensuring a fair and effective enforcement program is our focus moving forward." It was unclear whether Jones was fired, put on leave or subjected to some other administrative action. An NOAA spokesman, citing privacy laws, said he could not comment on specific personnel moves. U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said the decision was "painful at NOAA, but it had to happen." "Replacing this official was an important step to clear the air and turn the page," Kerry said. Gloucester fisherman Richard Burgess, who has fought $85,000 in fines, said Jones' removal was a first step but the problems go beyond Jones in a corrupt agency that has persecuted fishermen. "It's a chip off the iceberg, but the iceberg is full of very bad people," he said. "Dale Jones is certainly a start, but they can't stop now." NOAA's law enforcement office is charged with enforcing the nation's complicated fishing regulations, which include rules about where fishermen can fish, how much they can catch and the gear they can use. Violators are subject to major penalties, which range from $5,000 to $80,000 for a first offense. Northeast fisherman have complained for years of excessive fines, uneven enforcement and retaliation by fisheries officers. Last year, NOAA chief Jane Lubchenco requested a review of the office by the U.S. Department of Commerce's inspector general, Todd Zinser. His January report found that Northeast fishermen were given double the fines of other regions and that the process for penalizing violators appeared arbitrary and unfair, but it didn't uncover widespread abuse. The report questioned why an agency that deals mainly with civil fines was dominated by criminal investigators. Fishermen said that showed the agency viewed them as criminals. Zinser also ordered a forensic audit of how fines collected from fishermen were spent when NOAA couldn't determine how the money was used. Fishermen compared the fines to a bounty, but Jones has said all the money was spent according to NOAA rules. Last month, Zinser testified before a congressional committee that Jones had ordered up to 140 files destroyed after IG staffers met with him to explain the scope of their review. Zinser said that Jones told him the shredding was unrelated to the review and had been planned long before he learned about it. The revelation prompted numerous calls for Jones to be fired or to step down. U.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass., said Thursday that he would request that the IG publicly release its report after it finishes its ongoing investigation of the shredding. "This is imperative and only fair to those in the fishing community who have been unjustly targeted for so long," he said. Since the January report, Lubchenco has announced some reforms on the way fishermen are policed, including requiring her agency to better justify its penalties against them. An attempt to contact Jones through a phone message at the law enforcement office wasn't immediately successful Thursday.

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April 08

Cortez Natives Picnic has been cancelled
The annual Cortez Natives Picnic, which was scheduled for April 24th has been cancelled. Several who were organizing it have been sick and getting fresh mullet for the fish fry has been a problem this year.

10:52 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

March 05

Cortez Fire Volunteers Schedule Mortgage Burning Ceremony Monday
Cortez Fire Volunteers Schedule Mortgage Burning Ceremony Monday

Click on the link:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wFgmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_nwDAAAAIBAJ&dq=cortez&pg=5235%2C138916

From the St. Petersburg Times - Jan 1, 1965

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