Anna Maria Island Real Estate Sales Blog

Census data is in: the three cities on Anna Maria Island, including the City of Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach, are down in population from 2000 numbers.

The 2010 census is quite revealing of a trend started when real estate values were very high and going higher. Lots of locals sold out, pocketed big profits, and moved to the mainland.

Since real properties on the Island have now lost 40 to 50 percent of their value, people who want someday to be full-time (or at least snowbird) residents, are buying homes and condos for the future.

But they're not residents. They don't vote. And they're renting them out to tourists, who also love this island, to help pay for taxes, insurance and expenses until they come here for good.

Here's what Duane Marsteller of the Bradenton Herald says:

http://www.bradenton.com/2011/03/22/3051623/census-island-cities-losing-population.html