Introducing familiar faces in Anna Maria mayoral race

By Ryan Paice

After a decade-long run as mayor of Anna Maria, voters should be well acquainted with Mayor Dan Murphy.

But what about his potential successors?

Mayoral candidates Brian Seymour and Mark Short spoke with The Islander the week of July 1 about themselves, their platforms and how they would approach some of the municipality’s most pressing matters if they won.

The two-person race for the mayoral post, which Murphy did not seek reelection for, will mark the city’s first election since 2017.

The municipality’s electorate will vote between the two candidates on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.

Brian Seymour

Seymour moved to Anna Maria in 2009 after working 20 years for Marriott Hotels & Resorts in the Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. area.

He was first elected to the city commission in 2016 and was named commission chair after he was reelected without opposition in 2018.

Seymour served in that role until he resigned due to personal reasons in August 2019.

He owns the Anna Maria General Store, 503 Pine Ave., Pine Avenue Bait and Tackle, 501 Pine Ave., as well as operates the City Pier Grill and Bait Shop on the city-owned Anna Maria City Pier.

Seymour told The Islander July 5 that his favorite pastime is playing golf and he is partial to seafood dishes, like Maryland blue crab and shrimp.

“Anything with Old Bay,” he said.

Seymour listed some ideas that he would like to explore if elected mayor, such as establishing a city manager to help administrate the municipality, opening the pier to the public on a 24/7 basis, hardening utilities and expanding the city’s assortment of community events to foster engagement.

He also supported Murphy’s calls to lower the city’s millage rate since lowering taxes may help boost and/or retain its residential population, as many people had been priced out due to taxes and rising insurance rates in recent years.

Seymour said that he would implement an open-door policy as mayor and hoped to hear from as many people as possible about their ideas for the city.

“I just want to help out the city and be involved again,” he added. “It’s the right time for me.”

Mark Short

Short is a retired accountant who worked for international accounting consultancy firm Ernst & Young in Michigan before he moved to Anna Maria in 2014.

He became a member of the Center of Anna Maria Island’s finance committee in 2018 and chaired the city’s 2019 Charter Review Committee.

Short was named to the municipality’s planning and zoning board, then was appointed to fill Seymour’s absence on the city commission in September 2019.

He has been reelected twice without opposition — in 2020 and 2022 — and has served as commission chair since 2022.

Short told The Islander July 4 that his favorite pastime is fishing, but he also enjoys walking the island streets and golf, despite being self-admittedly “lousy” at the game.

He said he has enjoyed his past five years of involvement in the city government and had established some connections with other island officials, including Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie and Holmes Beach Commission Chair Terry Schaefer.

Chappie, Schaefer and Short all serve as members of the Florida League of Cities.

Short said he was confident heading into election season.

“I am confident in my abilities and skills and my background that could really help the city going forward,” he said. “And we’ll see how the voters feel.”

Vacation rental preemptions

Both candidates told The Islander they were confident they could continue Murphy’s efforts to combat vacation rental preemptions and the loss of municipal home rule.

While Senate Bill 280, a vacation rental preemption bill, was recently vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, both Seymour and Short acknowledged such legislation would return soon enough.

Murphy has spearheaded efforts to oppose similar preemption bills over the past several years through lobbyists and by using the city’s website, homerulefl.com, to coordinate messaging campaigns to state officials.

“So far the fight seems to be working, and we just have to keep that fight going,” Seymour said. “The second we let our guard down is when they pass another bill.”

“By no means is this issue going away,” he added.

Short said the city could further combat such legislation by proactively communicating to state officials and the governor’s office that they should not preempt established vacation rental regulations.

“Don’t mess with what we’ve got,” he said.

Pine Avenue improvements

Neither candidate supports the removal of roadside parallel parking to add bicycle lanes along Pine Avenue as part of the city’s plans to “reimagine” the corridor.

“Parking is at a premium right now in the city of Anna Maria,” Short said. “To take away about 50 parking spots on Pine Avenue is not a good thing for anybody.”

The city’s plans to improve the roadway include the installation of pervious paver meandering sidewalks, as well as the enhancement of crosswalks and lighting on Pine.

While Short acknowledged there may be some frustrations with how long it has taken the city to move forward with the improvements, he hoped to begin work soon on piecemeal improvements.

In the meantime, Seymour stressed the need for lighting improvements along Pine Avenue since the roadway is inadequately lit and “unsafe” at night.

Island consolidation

As for the potential consolidation or dissolution of the three island governments, Seymour and Short said they were opposed to it but open to consolidation of some services to improve efficiency.

The Florida Office of Program Policy and Government Accountability has been working on a study into consolidating the island governments since last November at the behest of the Manatee County legislative delegation.

The study was expected to be completed this month, but its results will not be public record unless state legislators share it due to OPPAGA’s exemption from the state’s Government-in-the-Sunshine Law.

Seymour said the island cities should consider the consolidation of police and public works services.

He proposed consolidating island police services under the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, which currently polices Anna Maria, since it had more resources and equipment at its disposal than the Bradenton Beach or Holmes Beach police departments.

Short said he was open to evaluating consolidation of services but stressed that the city has been a good steward of taxpayer money.

“I think the city of Anna Maria has been extremely economical and efficient in managing and running things,” he said. “As mayor, I would plan to continue to follow that same path.”

Both candidates added that potential litigation to oppose consolidation would be considered if the state took action to consolidate/dissolve the island governments.

Source: The Islander