Casa Delmar Resort

MANATEE COUNTY (Bay News 9) — A Manatee County man is planning on breaking his own record for the world’s tallest cotton plants. DM Williams planted the cotton on the Casa Del Mar Resort on Longboat Key to remind him of his Texas roots. He never thought they would set records. “Actually, it is kinda a novelty thing with us,” he said. ‘We never thought of setting a Guinness Book of World Records until the plant got to 20-feet tall and we submitted it to see if there is a record.” Not only was there no record for tallest cotton plant, there wasn’t even a category. Williams became the first winner in 2004 and broke his record again in 2006 with a 27-foot stalk. Since then, they’ve become the center of attention. “It has been a conversation piece with us,” he said. “We have had people from Iceland and even the prime minister pick cotton from our plants.” Williams will challenge the record again with a 30-footer. Friday, representatives will measure the stalk and the results will be in the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records. Williams invites anyone in the area to stop by Casa Del Mar and see the world’s largest cotton plant. The resort says they don’t use the cotton from the plants for anything. The resort is located at 4621 Gulf Of Mexico Drive.