June 2nd Oil Spill visitor and tourist update May 2010 Anna Maria

As most already know many failed attempts by BP continue to occur.  So oil continues to leak into the Gulf of Mexico.  We are all hopeful that the leak is stopped as quickly as possible. 

Deep Water Horizon June 2nd, 2010 Situation Report.

A concentration of tarballs has been confirmed approximately 9-10 miles from the Escambia County shoreline which is Pensicola, Florida.   The NOAA oil plume model shows that it is 325 miles from St. Petersburg, Florida.  The larges of the cities mentioned by the Situation report which is about 40 miles to the North of Anna Maria Island.    With tar balls found 10 miles off the coast of Florida NOAA still projects no large oil impacts to the state of Florida.  

For those concerned about how the oil spill may affect a potential hurricane the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has published a fact sheet titled “Hurricanes and the Oil Spill”

Anna Maria Island continues to see no impact from oil and as stated above the closest oil is still more than 375 miles away.  We continue to have gorgeous white, sandy beaches.  Recently we just went fishing and were more than 15 miles off the coast of Anna Maria Island.  No oil, no smell of oil and still great fishing.  We caught Grouper, a shark, Snapper and several other fish.  See the video below for proof that our gorgeous Anna Maria Shoreline has been unaffected by BP.

Gulf Coast Spill Visitor Update May 13th, 2010

Situation Room Report – May 13th, 2010 – Noon – Report #15

The 72-hour NOAA trajectory shows no oil landfall in the state of Florida.

 The NOAA oil trajectory model shows the spill, 81 miles southwest of Pensacola, 171 miles from Port St. Joe and 316 miles from St. Petersburg, Florida.   In the Gulf of Mexico there are moderate southeast winds of 12 knots and seas of 3-5 feet.  These conditions will continue to exist through today and tomorrow.  Gulf winds will lessen this weekend, but an overall pattern of easterly wind will continue Sunday and means the oil spill will be pushed to the west-northwest through the next 72 hours.

Click here for the NOAA 72 hour forecasted trajectory of the oil spill.

I found a fairly informative video of BP leadership. They discuss the plug technology as well as the smaller top hat. The video is almost an hour and if you want to skip to the technical explanation then move the cursor to the point where the bald individual is speaking with the large white model in front of him on the table. That is really the good stuff. BP technical video.

Below is a photo of our gorgeous Anna Maria Island Beach Sunset as late as April 29th.  As of May 13th and for at least the next 72 hours you can plan on our beaches remaining, white, soft and wonderful!

May 10th Gulf Coast Spill – Update for Florida

Situation Room Update May 10th – Noon – 2010

Florida beaches remain open and the 72-hour NOAA trajectory shows no oil landfall in Florida.

NOAA estimates the spill is 100 miles southwest of Pensacola, 179 miles from Port St. Joe, and 340 miles from Tampa.  The winds will be a moderate southeasterly wind path across the Gulf Coast for the next several days.  The wind flow is estimated to be 10-20 knots through Thursday. It is this  southeasterly flow that will create potential for new areas of landfall in Louisiana. Seas will generally run 2-4 feet today and rise to 3-5 feet Tuesday.  

There will be no controlled burns today.

News on potential new solutions to shut off the supply of oils remains minimal.  Officials continue to work on the containment dome as well as a plug like solution for oil spout.

May 9th Gulf Coast Visitor Spill update

Situation Room Report – May 9th – Noon

100% of all Florida beaches are open and the 72-hour NOAA trajectory projects no oil landfall in Florida.  According to NOAA, the oil spill is 120 miles from Pensacola, 170 miles from Port St. Joe, and 310 miles from Tampa.  Winds are forecast to have an eastward direction from Sunday through Monday.

Unfortunately the dome solution has not worked.  The containment dome has filled with ice crystals which is impeding the oil intervention.  BP continues to work on a solution to fix the ice crystals.  In addition there will be no controlled burns today.

Click here for a 72 hr projected path of the spill.

May 7th Gulf Coast Visitor update

There are no projected impacts to the state of Florida in the next 72 hours.

The Gulf loop current is far south of the oil spill and there is no imminent threat that the spill will be picked up by the loop current. 

May 7th, Situation Report #9
The oil containment chamber or dome, was lowered into the water on May 6th, 2010.  The chamber is expected to be operational on Sunday, May 9th, 2010 according to officials.  This is fantastic news as the leak needs to be stopped as soon as possible.  There are 8,497 people working on and offshore with an additional 2,500+ trained volunteers.  As of May 6th, approximately 1.89 million gallons of an oil-water mix has been recovered.  There are 256 vessels working to respond to the oil spill.  There has been 876,936 feet of boom barriers deployed with a total of 1,287,764 feet available.

For the most recent NOAA project spill map please click here.  Lets all cross our fingers that the containment unit which has never been tested at these depths is a huge success.  As always if you have any questions or comments feel free to call 877 778 6066 or visit Island Real Estate’s website.

May 6th 2010 Gulf Coast Visitor Update

So for the great news – NOAA forecasts no Florida landfall of oil in the next 72 hours. 

The below information comes from the Situation room on May 6th Noon EST.

Yesterday, controlled burns accounted for 1,000 gallons of oil burned.  Additional burns will be conducted throughout the day today.  There are 6,700 personnel working on and offshore, with an additional 2,500 trained volunteers and 270 vessels at work.   To date, an estimated 1.2 million barrels of an oil-water mix has been recovered.   Just a reminder that this is an oil-water mix.

Today Governor Christ sent a letter to President Obama requesting continued urgency and funds for the unprecedented disaster.  To read the letter click here.

NOAA has some great maps regarding the planned trajectory of the oil spill.  The map linked here shows the trajectory of the oil from May 2nd to May 5th as well as in yellow/orange the projected path as far out as May 7th.  Take a peak and of course you can see the spill remains just off the coast of Mississippi and Louisiana.

There is more mainstream information found on the news channels regarding stopping the oil spill with a large vessel.  This vessel is being dropped into place today and conservatively will be containing the leak as soon as Monday of next week. 

On Anna Maria Island, businesses remain cautiously optimistic and are anxious to see the leak stopped.  Our local newspapers are picking up several stories and we all remain optimistic our “peace” of paradise will not be impacted.  If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call.  That is what we are here for!

May 5th 2010 Gulf of Mexico Visitor update

Firstly, thank you for visiting Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island’s website.  We pride ourselves in providing open and honest information for our guests, owners and potential guests.  The Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has generated a great deal of questions. 

From the Situation Report #7 – Noon EST
“Unified” officials estimate the leak to be emitting 5000 gallons of oil per day

 into the Gulf of Mexico.   Governor Christ has issued a state of emergency for Manatee County which is the county where Anna Maria Island is located.  This is primarily done to ensure that if emergency resources are required that our county and Anna Maria Island will receive all the resources required.

Earlier in the week three leaks were found in the pipe which connected the oil rig on the surface.  Here is a video that explains the three leaks.  The great news is the response team has been able to shut off one of the three leaks.  This was the smaller of three leaks.  The first collection dome was deployed today however officials estimate it will take one week to have the dome fully deployed.

Most importantly, for a picture of the potential location of the oil spill as of May 5th please click here. 

Most importantly the 72 hour NOAA trajectory report shows NO landfall for the spill in the state of Florida. 

For the Visit Florida information page on the oil spill please visit their website.

Gulf Coast Oil Spill Update for Anna Maria Island

It is understandable that many have questions and certainly comments about the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  This page is an attempt for Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island to keep our community and guests aware of the latest updates from the Environmental Protection Agency as well as local resources with expertise on the conditions of wildlife and water currents.  Please click the link below which will open our updates regarding the spill.  If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email us or call us toll free at 877 778 6066.

Link to our daily Oil Spill Blog

Horse Feathers Grill & Lounge in Downtown Sarasota

Horse Feathers Bar and Grill is a great way to spend a night in downtown Sarasota. Horse Feathers Bar and Grill is about a 40 minute drive from Anna Maria Island. Located in the heart of downtown Sarasota, it is truly a hot spot for the younger spirited crowd. (Ages 21 and up, of course!) Bar Specials are available Monday-Friday 4-7pm, and Ladies night is Thursday nights.

Horse Feathers club has music Wednesday-Saturday consisting of Jazz and DJ’s. The interior has a very contemporary look with a large dance floor and bar. There is a dress code, no jeans are allowed and collared shirts are preferred. This is a very popular place to be over the weekend, so if you are not into fighting through crowds to get to the club dance floor, this may not be the place for you!

There is Valet Parking or self-parking.  Horse Feathers is across the street from other local bars allowing you to spend your evening exploring the Downtown Sarasota Nightlife.

Live Music & DJ’s Wednesday night through Saturday night. Thursday night is Ladies night. Sunday, Horse Feathers club is closed.  Please be sure to call or visit their website before making the drive from Anna Maria Island, Florida.

Please visit the Horse Feathers website for more information and a menu.
1923 Ringling Blvd
Sarasota,FL 34236
(941)955-9179

Rod and Reel pier in Anna Maria City is good eat’s

The Rod and Reel Pier is an institution in Anna Maria City.  Ask a local on Anna Maria Island where to eat and just about everyone has Rod & Reel Pier restaurant in their top three.  The Rod & Reel Restaurant is located in Anna Maria City and is the most Northern eatery on Anna Maria Island.  The restaurant sits out on the end of a pier in Anna Maria City so it makes for perfect scenery.  I have personally seen fish, dolphins and manatee off the pier while waiting to get into the restaurant.  The pier also doubles as a great fishing spot for visitors and locals alike.  Just about every hour the restaurant is open you will see folks fishing from the pier.

Rod and Reel serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Their breakfast is very good as well as their lunches and oh yah,

their dinners too!  Every meal at the Rod and Reel is great!  The restaurant has an old Florida diner charm.  It seats about 20 inside and seats about 15 outside.  The 20 seats inside are made up of tables for 4-5, tables for 2 and one table that can seat about 6-8.  There are about 4 tables that sit along the Bay so you can glance out at the water while you enjoy your clam strips, fish & chips, grouper Reuben sandwich or grouper any way you like it.  The 15 seats outside face towards the West so you can get an early glimpse of our Anna Maria Island Sunsets as well as the pier below.  There are a flight of steps up to the restaurant so if you have someone in your party that cannot do steps it is best to skip this restaurant.

One insider secret is the small bar under the restaurant.  It is back behind the stairs up to the restaurant and is considered on the ground level.  They will serve food at the bar although it can get tight on popular nights.  The seating is a tight 10-12 but the beer is cold and cheap.  Last time a “friend” had a beer there it was $3 for a draft.  (Yes, I am writing this in late 2009)  I recall the first time my “friend” got a beer down in the bar area.  The bar tender said “Three dollars please,”  My friend said “What?”  The bartender quickly said, “I know, I know, we just raised our draft beer prices from $2 but we had too.”  Of course we were surprised with how reasonably priced the draft beer was.  If you are looking for “insider” secrets then swing by the bar and pull up a seat.  There are plenty of locals that have a drink or two at the bar.

Now for the meals.  The lunch and dinner menu’s are one in the same.  The restaurant has plenty of sandwiches to choose from, grouper any way you like it, a Reuben grouper which is just like a Reuben but with Grouper as the meat and about four other choices of sandwiches.  My son loves the clam strips or the fish & chips.  If you are looking for a meal on the bigger side then the Mexican grouper is your ticket.  Of course they serve plenty of fish any way you like it.  The most recent night I visited they had several specials, Mahi Mahi, Sword Fish, and a few others.  They do serve bottled beer up in the restaurant as well as wine.  Their cole-slaw is great as well as their desserts.  If you still have room try their Key Lime Pie.  You won’t be sorry!

Another great feature of the Rod and Reel pier other than the awesome food?  If you get window seats you can take in the Tampa Bay, maybe see some dolphins and take in the gorgeous Sunshine

Sky way bridge.  You can fish off the Rod & Reel pier for a nominal fee.  Last I checked it was $2 for a day of fishing.  Check at the bar area for more information on fishing off the pier.

If you are looking for a Vacation Rental that is within a walk from the Rod and Reel pier then look no further, Island Real Estate can help you find your perfect rental.  Use the accurate on-line availability search or give the vacation specialists a call.  The office is open 7 days a week so you can get help all week long!  877 778 6066.   For more Anna Maria Island Information.

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