Anna Maria residents get results

Now that’s power of the people!

Within one month of learning that the Anna Maria Bridge was going to be shut down for 75 days during peak tourism season next year, the Florida Department of Transportation has recanted today.

Herald reporter Nick Azzara has been relentless in his coverage of the issue, with stories ranging from who would be most affected and what options should be considered, to how dangerous the bridge might be and what it really means to have PCBs in a bridge structure.

Nick sent an update for Bradenton.com within minutes of the announcement this morning that FDOT will close the bridge for 45 days in October and November 2008, instead of 75 days starting in April. Because the work needs to be done, this scenario won the most support from people who responded to FDOT’s survey.

We hope our coverage helped keep the pressure on government officials to pay attention. Hats off to residents and businesses for getting involved -– from the public forum last week where hundreds of you turned out, to Barry Gould’s web site that tracked all the stories and developments, and to all who took FDOT’s survey.

What a pleasant change of pace -– residents and businesses were actually heard by a government entity, and action was taken. We’ll continue to follow developments throughout the day, and give you a complete report in Wednesday’s Herald.

Joan