Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

Crowley Museum transports visitors back to 'pioneer days' with Myakka River Rendezvous (Video)

For full article & video:

https://www.fox13news.com/news/crowl...rendezvous.amp

Music filled the air as camp fires crackled and participants at Crowley Museum and Nature Center were transported back in time as far back as 1650 to the 1880s.

"There’s always something going on. Musicians, craftsman, you can learn everything. Chopping wood, starting a fire," said Josie Preston, a Dunnellon resident.

Preston has set up camp for the next week at the Myakka River Rendezvous. It's a meet-up where participants travel back to the pioneer days.

It’s being hosted by Crowley Museum and Nature Center in Old Miakka in Sarasota County.

"The Myakka River Rendezvous is an educational, hands-on and immersive experience in living history," said Dixie Resnick, the CEO of Crowley.

The rendezvous serves as a real life history lesson for not only those who participate, but for those who visit as well.

"This is something we teach year round, Florida’s natural and cultural history, so being able to host a rendezvous with so many people that are such a wealth of knowledge and have so many things they can share, it already adds to the wonderful experience that Crowley is," said Resnick.

From blacksmiths to butter making, tanning and even learning to throw knives and archery, it’s a step back in time.

"If you like living history and old-time stuff, this is the place to be because of the history," said John Affonso, a rendezvous participant.

History will be relived as those involved work to support the Crowley Museum and give a real life lesson.

"You forget your history, you are going to repeat it. Here we are actually living the time period," said Affonso.

The Myakka River Rendezvous is open to the public on Saturday, February 3, and Sunday, February 4, as well as February 10. It costs $10 for adults and $5 for children. Live music will be held from 12-2 p.m.

[wondermint2]

County Gives Beruff Private Street and Oversized ADU

For full article:

https://thebradentontimes.com/storie...ized-adu,73012

Public records are raising questions about whether the county is enforcing its own rules and whether the county’s Land Development Code is being applied equitably by Manatee County Government Officials. The recent approvals of a private street and a separate building permit for local developer Carlos Beruff’s residential property contained glaring conflicts with county requirements.

When most people think of Carlos Beruff and development, they most likely think of Medallion Home or the large-scale development along Bradenton’s El Conquistador Parkway known as Aqua by the Bay. But in recent months, Beruff’s private property received two development-related approvals from the Manatee County Government, one approval for the designation of a private street for his personal residential property and the other the issuance of a building permit to construct an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU).

The private street approval appears to have completely circumvented set procedures and requirements, while the building permit for the ADU was issued for the construction of a structure that will be more than 3x the permissible size, according to the county’s Land Development Code. Other code discrepancies were noted by TBT within both approvals.

[wondermint2]

Replacement of downtown Venice trees continues

https://www.newsbreak.com/venice-fl/...rees-continues

VENICE — The planting and replacement of trees in downtown Venice continues as part of the city's recovery efforts from Hurricane Ian.

There are two phases to the project: One is to replace street trees, and the other is to plant medians on West Venice Avenue.

Although it’s winter, that’s a good time locally to plant — especially when it’s a rainy one, said Jim Yelverton, the city of Venice's tree program administrator.

But that wasn’t the original plan.

“We tried our best to get this done in fall,” he said.

A shortage of interested contractors and a hike in the price of trees caused the delay.

Three of the 62 trees in place before the storm will be kept because they’re still in good shape and the rest will be replaced, though not necessarily with what was in the location before.

The city will be bringing in some slow-growing palms and some different canopy trees, Yelverton said.

[wondermint2]

Southeastern Guide Dogs set sail on Gulf Islands Ferry Service (Video)

For full article & video:

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2024/02/0...outputType=amp

Several canines from Southeastern Guide Dogs, along with their trainers got a chance to check out the newest way to sail the open waters in Manatee County Saturday. It was all part of the launch of a new partnership between the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and Southeastern Guide Dogs to help train the hounds as escorts for visually impaired persons utilizing the new service which launched last month.

The crew, along with dogs and trainers boarded one of two catamarans providing hourly service from Bradenton to Anna Maria Island each Friday through Sunday. “She’s been on our boat, but this is a new, bigger boat with new people,” said Vicky Cox who took part in the program along with, Sierra, her two-year-old lab mix guide dog. Organizers said the goal was to get the animals accustomed to sights and sounds, such as horns used on the watercraft, to prepare them for future voyages.

“Part of the mission of raising puppies to be working dogs is to get them used to watercraft, and that’s especially important here in Florida,” said Christie Bane with Southeastern Guide Dogs. Heavy fog made the maiden voyage for the dogs a bit shorter than planned, but helped the dogs learn valuable lessons to protect passengers they’ll be working with both on land, and water.

“We want to be as compatible with as many people as possible, and to get as many people as possible to and from the island, and safety is always our priority,” added Captain Nicholas Francis with Gulf Islands Ferry Service.

[wondermint2]

This is from today's "Letters to the Editor' column in the Sarasota Herald Tribune:

Opinion: Sarasota's dangerous drivers have made walking a health hazard

For the full column with more letters:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sa...rd/ar-BB1hKIB7

Development threatens safety of pedestrians

Two recent letters (“Idling at stoplights worsens pollution” and “Aim for fewer cars, more bicycles”) both highlight how Sarasota’s infrastructure is becoming overwhelmed by shortsighted overdevelopment.

Unsurprisingly, pedestrian safety is declining just as rapidly as traffic is increasing.

My partner and I are avid runners, but we can’t even run in our neighborhood, Arlington Park, without drivers rolling through or outright disregarding stop signs, speeding and even crashing into parked cars. (I saw the latter just a few weeks ago.)

Recently, a truck rolled through the intersection at Hyde Park Street and Shade Avenue − the driver was looking at his phone − and he accelerated at me as I was jogging across. Missed me by 5 feet, even as I yelled to get his attention.

Pedestrian crossings, even with flashing lights, are ignored. The only mitigation measures that seem to work are speed tables, which are in short supply.

Overdevelopment leads not just to congestion, but to a lack of community and connectivity. As in, people not looking out for each other.

No text or social media update is more important than driving safely. Show some empathy and keep your eyes on the road.

[wondermint2]

5-year-old hit and killed by car in Bradenton mobile home park

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/r...bile-home-park

A 5-year-old is now dead after a man with a suspended license hit her in the safety zone of a parking space.

According to Florida Highway Patrol, the 45-year-old Bradenton man driving the SUV, Adrian Castillo, turned into the little girl.

Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) said a Dodge Journey was traveling south on the Sunset Village Mobile Home Park parking lot, located at 3715 14th Street West.

The 5-year-old girl was playing in the same parking lot in an area of a parking space/white-painted safety zone with her siblings.

The driver of the Dodge, a 45-year-old Adrian Castillo from Bradenton, turned left into a parking space where the girl was playing, which was north of a laundromat.

The front of the Dodge then collided with the girl in the parking space.

She sustained critical injuries and later died after being transported to a local hospital by her mother, who was inside the laundromat at the time of the crash.

The driver was arrested for driving while license suspended involving death and transported to the Manatee County Jail.

The crash remains under investigation.

[wondermint2]

Over 500 people attend Sarasota County Fire Department’s 11th annual “Fire Fest” (Video)

For full article & video:

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2024/02/0...outputType=amp

The Sarasota County Fire Department and 20 Vendors took over the Carlton Reserve in Venice on Saturday for the 11th annual Fire Fest.

Crews set off controlled blazes to educate the community about prescribed burns and why they are important.

Visitors heard presentations about the benefits of fire to native habitats and wildlife.

They also enjoyed meals, s’mores, hayrides, face painting and more.

The Sarasota County sheriff’s office brought out their helicopter and explained how it helps fight fires along with their K-9 unit.

“We try to do them to enhance the habitat for the plants and animals, then we also do them to enhance the vegetation shape for wildfires so if we do get a wildfire, we can help contain it,” explained Jay Bailey, the Mitigation Officer for the Sarasota County Fire Department. “We do about 60 prescribed burns a year,” he added.

For more information about Sarasota County and their prescribed burns, click here:

https://www.scgov.net/a-z/search?q=p...urns&gsc.sort=

[wondermint2]

After a mini-stroke, Sarasota surgical tech started walking; now she runs marathons

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/oth...ns/ar-BB1hKbjT

Henrissa Summers woke up one morning in 2014 with both a sense of numbness and tingling in her left shoulder and arm.

At the time Summers worked as a surgical technologist at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Philadelphia.

Her physician confirmed those as symptoms of a mini-stroke. Summers, who has a history of anemia, took a stress test and 15 minutes later, “I’m hugging the treadmill, get me out of here – can't breathe,” recalled Summers, who now works at HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital.

[wondermint2]

This is near my neck of the woods. If the driver had to swerve to avoid slowing traffic in front her the cause was either one of three things: 1) she was not allowing enough space in front of her 2) she was going too fast 3) she was distracted (possibly by cell phone).

This kind of sh*t happens too often around here....

Passenger killed in Interstate 75 wreck

https://www.newsbreak.com/venice-fl/...state-75-wreck

NORTH VENICE — A North Port man was killed Saturday evening in a crash on southbound Interstate 75 near Laurel Road.

The man, identified as a 70-year-old, was a passenger in a sedan being driven southbound by a 72-year-old North Port woman, according to Florida Highway Patrol.

The driver had been in the left lane when the crash occurred.

"(The driver) swerved left to avoid slowing traffic," FHP stated in a news release. "(The vehicle) entered the median and collided with the tree line."

The driver suffered "serious injuries" and was transported to a hospital. The passenger was pronounced dead at the scene.

The southbound lanes of the interstate were closed for about an hour after the crash and then only one lane was reopened while emergency workers were at the scene.

"The crash remains under investigation," FHP stated.

[wondermint2]

Gun violence advocates react to recent deadly shootings (Video)

For full article & video:

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2024/02/0...outputType=amp

Crime scene tape was rolled out twice in just 32 hours for 2 separate fatal shootings.

A 23-year-old man killed at the Mel Mar Village Mobile Home Park in Bradenton on Thursday.

The next day, a 36-year-old woman fatally shot by Terrell Battie following an argument on Lockwood Meadows Blvd. in Sarasota.

Family members were seen in tears as they heard the life-altering news.

“Nobody ever gets over it. They never get over it. They may find a way to channel their efforts to remember the person and have a legacy for the person, and I am always in awe of those people,” says Carol Rescigno from the Brady Group that works to combat gun violence.

According to the latest data from the Gun Violence Archive, the cities of Sarasota and Bradenton have combined to see 22 people shot to death in 2022 compared to 17 in 2020.

“Mass shootings garner a lot of the attention, but the shootings like the ones that have happened locally happen every day,” says Ginger McCallum, who volunteers with the group “Moms Demand Action.”

She saw lawmakers need to take action to minimize these tragedies.

“That would include universal background checks, safe storage laws, which would require people to lock their firearms up safely and securely, both at home and in their cars,” she says.

But she does believe it can happen.

“Gun violence is preventable. The reason that I volunteer with Moms Demand is that I know that, and I know a lot of people who know that.”