Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

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Memorial Day warning: How to know if your chartered boat is illegal


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYXG8P234c0

With Memorial Day weekend quickly approaching, the United States Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg has a message for those who plan to be out on the water.

The Coast Guard said some of the boats advertised on social media fail to meet federal regulations. Officials warn that searching for a deal to get on a boat may lead to a dangerous situation, one that could even be illegal.

Knapp said the Coast Guard recognizes two different classifications of passenger vessels. One is an uninspected passenger vessel that may carry no more than six paying passengers that’s called a six pack.

“If you’re getting on a smaller class boat like a pontoon boat and they’re carrying more than six, you probably are getting on a boat that they’re not qualified to operate,” he said.

The Coast Guard said it has seen some of those illegal charters in Tampa Bay posing as sunset boats, dolphin encounters and tiki boats.

The other is an inspected passenger vessel, such as the Bay Rocket or Yacht StarShip. These boats are heavily regulated by the Coast Guard and have a certificate of inspection.

For full article:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/memorial-...214511659.html

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"Its personal": Englewood Fire Chief advocates for mental health services

For video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMo57NSZGlU

“Between 2017 and 2022, 247 Florida first responders took their own lives, and that's a phone call I never want to get,” said EFD Chief Kevin Easton.

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Sarasota developer is using tiny homes to address the housing crisis, but not here

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/real...fe3ba012&ei=18

Amid large but slow-moving plans for affordable housing, one developer’s idea is to go small and fast.

For several years, Sarasota businessman Dan Dobrowolski has been creating lush neighborhoods of RV “tiny homes.” Not here, though.

After frustrating attempts to get them approved in Sarasota County, Dobrowolski and his company Escape Tampa Bay established a growing community of 33 tiny homes east of Tampa.

Located just off US 301, the stylish one- and two-story tiny homes hold many of the appliances and touches of a single-family house – at a fraction of the size and cost.

And they filled up fast, with both renters and buyers. Residents include retirees and small business owners; a nurse, a mechanic, a graduate student, and a Sarasota restaurant manager.

Given the concept’s broad appeal and the worsening crisis in housing affordability, Dobrowolski believes these communities could thrive in Sarasota, too. And unlike other initiatives involving big buildings and years of planning, his eco-friendly approach is ready right now.

“It is quick, cheap, efficient, green,” he said. “I could literally have units there tomorrow.”

Zoning issues stop small tiny house communities in Sarasota County

The barrier is zoning.

The tiny homes built by Dobrowolski are defined by federal codes and standards as RVs, due to size and plumbing, heating and electrical systems.

In Sarasota County, new RV parks must be at least 40 acres, said Donna Thompson, county Planning and Development Services Zoning Administrator.

To Dobrowolski, such regulations make affordable housing projects like his prohibitively expensive. And he refuses to develop an RV park with units stacked like “loaves of bread.”

Instead, Escape Tampa Bay’s villages sit on a little less than four acres. Eighty percent of the community is green space. That includes a one-acre park in the center with a walking path, oak canopies and palm and olive trees that his company planted.

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(Vin's People) - Meals On Wheels Plus of Manatee honors exceptional volunteer efforts

For the full 'Vin's People' column:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/me...fe3ba012&ei=29

A bow to the good folks who received Meals On Wheels Plus of Manatee’s 2024 Volunteer Awards.

Champion’s Circle Volunteers (300-plus hours) are Liz Kappel, Cheri Lindgren, Daniel McNeil, Karen McNeil, Craig Taylor, Marjorie Taylor and Dennis Walsh.

Then there are Nancy Wright, Best Daybreak Adult Day Center Volunteer; Marilyn Evans, Friendship Dining Center Volunteer of the Year; Debra Hennessy, Food Bank Volunteer of the Year; Mike Gerbasio and Cindy Hopkins, Dynamic Duo; Jon Wengel, Telephone Reassurance Volunteer of the Year; Russell Wright, Exceptional Car Loader; and Linda Stella, Outstanding Administrative Volunteer of the Year.

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Many attended the Venice Brew Fest Saturday (Video)

For video:

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2024/05/1...est-kicks-off/

Thousands of people were partying along the Suncoast for the Venice Brew Fest.

This inaugural celebration aims to put a spotlight on local brewers. The event took place at Centennial Park on Venice Avenue. It featured over twenty breweries and three local bands and a number of food trucks.

Organizers are hoping this becomes an annual tradition to highlight the talent of local brewers.

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New College of Florida graduation: Boos for Joe Ricketts, cheers for student president (Photo Gallery)

For full article & photos:

New College of Florida graduated its senior class Friday at a ceremony with scattered boos and jeers directed at the evening’s commencement speaker: conservative billionaire Joe Ricketts.

In a technical difficulty-filled speech cut off early by New College President Richard Corcoran, Ricketts talked about how he earned his wealth and warned the graduates about the challenges of artificial intelligence. As the billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade spoke, the student section would erupt in boos, chant “free Palestine” and expletives. Students also wore stoles bearing the flag of Palestine, following a national trend of higher education protests against the war in Gaza.

“They don’t care,” Ricketts said to Corcoran on stage after stopping his speech. “I hate it, but they really don’t care what I have to say.”

Ricketts previously launched an online degree program at New College in January, and emails from Ricketts containing racist and Islamophobic sentiments leaked in 2019, which drew criticism and backlash.

[wondermint2]

Graduation Photos: Suncoast Polytechnical High School 2024

For full article & photos:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gr...fe3ba012&ei=42

Suncoast Polytechnical High School graduated its senior class during a ceremony at the Sarasota Opera House on Friday evening.

A technology magnet school with more than 580 students, according to an estimate from U.S. News and World Report, Suncoast Polytech ranks as the second-best high school in Sarasota County.

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(Around & About) - Conservationist and philanthropist Elizabeth Moore receives honorary degree in Rhode Island

For full 'Around & About' column from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/co...fe3ba012&ei=45

Elizabeth Moore, a Sarasota conservationist and philanthropist whose contributions have advanced environmental efforts and science education in the Gulf Coast, was honored by Roger Williams University during commencement exercises on May 17 in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Moore, a founding member of the Sarasota-based Climate Adaptation Center, received an honorary degree to recognize her work uniting science, the arts, and entrepreneurship. Moore serves on the boards of Mote Marine Aquarium, Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, Gulf Shellfish Institute, Florida Wildlife Corridor, New College Foundation, and Lemur Conservation Foundation.

Moore, from Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., helped Mote open the Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration in the Florida Keys in 2017. She also was instrumental in establishing the Marine Science Center at St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Bradenton and creating an 1,100-acre conservation easement, Triangle Ranch, near Myakka River State Park.

[wondermint2]

Graduation Photos: North Port High School 2024

For full article & photos:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/gr...fe3ba012&ei=58

Sarasota's North Port High School held commencement exercises on May 16, 2024, in front of over 5,000 guests who came to support 650 graduates.

North Port High School graduated its senior class during a ceremony at the school's football field on Thursday evening.

With more than 2,500 students, according to an estimate from U.S. News and World Report, the school ranks as the seventh-best high school in Sarasota County.

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Impro Theatre headlines the 14th annual Sarasota Improv Festival

The festival takes place July 12-13 at Florida Studio Theatre's downtown campus.

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...-place-holder/

So you thought "Hamilton" was the hottest ticket in town? Think again.

It's hard to quantify buzz, but the 14th annual Sarasota Improv Festival ranks as one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. Last year's festival, which returned after a three-year hiatus, sold out almost immediately.

This year's Sarasota Improv Festival is scheduled for Friday, July 12, through Saturday, July 13, at Florida Studio Theatre's downtown campus. Festival passes are $75 for two days, $59 for Saturday and $49 for Friday.

Individual tickets cost $10 each.

Headlining this year's festival is Impro Theatre, a Los Angeles-based group that creates full-length plays inspired by the world's greatest playwrights, but on the fly. This will be Impro Theatre's second time at the Sarasota Improv Festival.

Also returning to the festival are fan favorites Available Cupholders (Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles), Big Bang Improv (Boston, Sarasota and New York City), Dad's Garage (Atlanta), Parallelogramophonograph (Austin), North Coast (New York City) and FST's own resident troupe, FST Improv.

Founded by FST Managing Director Rebecca Hopkins in 2009, the Sarasota Improv Festival will feature 16 improv troupes from across the country and as far as Chile, where Lospleimovil hails from. The improv group is making its festival debut this year.

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*For more info:

https://www.floridastudiotheatre.org/