After a man drowned off a popular Anna Maria Island beach over the Labor Day weekend, city officials are speeding up plans to ban swimming in the area.
The death of 20-year-old Abhigyan Patel is the latest of several drownings or near-drownings that have occurred off Bean Point, the beach at the northern tip of Anna Maria Island, where Tampa Bay meets the Gulf. The area is known by locals for its powerful waves and rip currents that can overwhelm even capable swimmers.
Bean Point’s unusual position at the meeting place of two large water bodies, as well as its proximity to a deep shipping channel several miles offshore, are both thought to contribute to dangerous currents in the area…