Retail entrepreneur, philanthropist, dies at 70

Agriculture and retail entrepreneur Bill Robinson took a break during cancer treatments in the summer 2018 to visit the West Coast Surf Shop. A 50-year-old Anna Maria institution, Robinson spent a lot of time there as a kid, working and hanging out. Store Owner Jim Brady and Robinson launched the region’s first surfing competition from the shop in the 1970s, among other highlights.

But this wasn’t only a nostalgia visit. An electrical fire had recently wrecked the store, and Robinson — bald from chemotherapy but not without his bright smile — was there for an auction and fundraiser to help Brady get back in business. Robinson bought an old wood board for $800 and chatted with friends. “He was such a good guy,” says Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore, who has known Robinson since back in the surf shop days. “He was so kind and always so professional. He got a lot done because he always treated everyone he met with such respect.”