REDINGTON SHORES – There will be no election in Redington Shores this year.
Commissioners John Branch and Lee Holmes qualified to run for re-election and faced no opposition. So both will begin new terms in March.
Holmes has been a commissioner off and on since 1997. Branch was first elected in 2006 and has been returned without opposition ever since.
A redrawing of the town’s electoral district boundaries last year gave Branch and Holmes, along with the other commission members, a number of new constituents to serve. But the district shakeup will not change the commission makeup as neither faced opponents.
Holmes (District 4) lost the huge Redington Shores Towers condominium complex in the redistricting, but gained the residential neighborhood from 180th to 182nd Avenue. Branch’s District 2 now includes the Redington Shores Yacht and Tennis Club, a mixture of condos and single-family residences built on the former Parsley’s Mobile Home Park property.
Holmes said following the meeting that he is very pleased to have had the opportunity to meet many of the people in his new district and looks forward to serving them. The district has no serious problems, he said, but he does plan to work on some flooding issues that have occurred from time to time.
Holmes said he is “happy the people have enough confidence in me that I was elected unopposed.”
Branch was absent from the meeting, but spoke with the Beacon later about his reelection.
Branch said he feels he won reelection because “I make contact with people when they need help and see what I can do for them.”
“I may not be able to solve every problem myself, but I can contact people who can and I try to get everyone taken care of,” he said.
Branch said being a commissioner in Redington Shores, where there is no manager and commissioners divide the town’s workload, is a lot of work.
Park operating hours set
The commission passed on second and final reading an ordinance that limits the town park hours of operation from dawn to dusk. Included are Constitution and Spitzer Park.
Del Bello Park, which is located on Gulf Boulevard next to Seabreeze Restaurant, does not have a set closing time. Mostly fishermen, who often fish after dark, use that park.
Town TV channel to return
The town’s cable TV channel should be back on the air in time for the February Town Commission meeting, Commissioner Casey Wojcik said. The meeting also will be streamed live over the Internet, which is a new feature of the system.
Wojcik confirmed that the current broadcasting system had suffered “a hard failure,” which is the reason the TV channel has been unavailable for the past few months.
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