I was so honored to be featured in the August 19, 2026 edition of the Anna Maria Island Sun for something especially close to my heart—helping beautify the beaches of Anna Maria Island while creating a lasting tribute to my parents.
As someone who was born and raised on Anna Maria Island, this community is much more than the place where I sell real estate. It’s home. The beaches, neighborhoods, local businesses and people who make up our Island community have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Giving back to the place that has given my family and me so many wonderful memories is incredibly meaningful.
Beautifying the 66th Street Beach Access
I was proud to sponsor the improvements to the 66th Street beach access in Holmes Beach as part of the ongoing Holmes Beach Access Point Beautification Project, an initiative led by the Anna Maria Island Garden Club in partnership with the City of Holmes Beach Public Works Department and community sponsors.
But for me, this particular beach access has a much deeper and more personal meaning.
In 1980, my parents, Paul and Janice Hunsader, began purchasing real estate in this area, including properties at Playa Encantada, Resort 66 and Gulf Place Condominiums. Our family created a lifetime of memories here, and those years helped shape my own lifelong connection to Anna Maria Island.
When I had the opportunity to sponsor the 66th Street beach access, I knew immediately that I wanted to dedicate it to my parents, Paul and Janice Hunsader.
It was a way for me to honor them, our family's history on the Island and all of the memories we shared here. I love knowing that their names and our family's connection to Anna Maria Island are now part of a beautiful place that others will enjoy for years to come.
A Community Effort to Beautify Our Beaches
The project is improving beach access points throughout Holmes Beach with native landscaping, attractive cedar trash receptacle enclosures and personalized dedication signs recognizing the local sponsors who helped make the improvements possible.
The first three completed beach access projects were sponsored by me at 66th Street, Barbara Sato of Sato Real Estate at 77th Street, and Darcie Duncan of Duncan Real Estate at 52nd Street.
The Anna Maria Island Garden Club hopes to complete a total of 17 beach access enhancements, creating beautiful and welcoming entrances to our beaches while incorporating native plants that contribute to a healthy, beautiful and resilient coastal environment.
More Than Real Estate—It’s My Community
After 28 years in real estate, I have had the privilege of helping countless people buy and sell homes throughout Anna Maria Island and the surrounding area. But being a local Realtor has always meant much more to me than real estate transactions.
It’s about being invested in the community.
I believe those of us who live and work here have a responsibility to help preserve what makes Anna Maria Island so special. Our beaches are one of our greatest treasures, and projects like this help maintain their natural beauty while creating welcoming spaces for residents and visitors alike.
Seeing the ribbon cut at the 66th Street beach access was especially emotional for me. What began as a community beautification project became something much more personal—a permanent tribute to my parents and the memories our family created on this Island.
Proud to Call Anna Maria Island Home
I am incredibly grateful to the Anna Maria Island Garden Club, the City of Holmes Beach Public Works Department, and all of the volunteers, sponsors and community members who contributed their time and resources to bring this project to life.
And a special thank you to the Anna Maria Island Sun and reporter Joe Hendricks for highlighting this wonderful community effort.
Anna Maria Island has changed tremendously over the years, but the sense of community and the desire to protect and beautify our Island remain strong.
For me, the 66th Street beach access will always be more than a pathway to the Gulf. It is a tribute to my parents, Paul and Janice Hunsader, to our family's history here, and to an Island that has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I’m proud to have grown up here, proud to have built my real estate career here, and especially proud to continue giving back to the community I will always call home.
