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At approximately 7 p.m. on March 19, 2023, Bradenton Police officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 700 block of 17th St. Ct. E. and located the victim, Dwight Sutton Sr., 56, in front of a home.
Bradenton Police Detective Brian Sands and the Manatee County Homicide Task Force are asking anyone with information to come forward. You can remain anonymous.
The following rewards, totaling up to $8,000, are offered in this case:
- Up to $5,000 from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and Gold Star Club of Manatee County for information leading to an arrest in this case.
- Up to $3,000 for information leading to an arrest from Crime Stoppers of Manatee County, Inc.
To be eligible for the reward, tips must first be submitted to Crime Stoppers at manateecrimestoppers.com or 866-634-8477.
Lorraine Road residents concerned over $66M improvement project
Manatee County is investing $66 million into road improvements between 59th Avenue East and State Road 64 and will need to acquire property on each side of Lorraine Road.
Carolyn Gilbert, who is 45, was born and raised in Manatee County. She’s lived on 2 acres off Lorraine Road for 33 years.
When her parents decided to move from Samoset to the country in 1991, the then-12-year-old thought they were crazy. She said it turned out to be a huge blessing.
“Lorraine Road was agriculture the majority of my life and is now 100% residential,” Gilbert said. “Change can be a good thing, but we no longer live in the country.”
Gilbert said she and her neighbors aren’t looking forward to the road improvements that Manatee County has planned to accommodate the area’s growth.
The $66 million improvement project will widen the 2.83-mile segment of Lorraine Road between 59th Avenue East and State Road 64 from two lanes to four. The widening includes a raised median, sidewalks in each direction and 7-foot buffered bike lanes.
The county unveiled the plan at a public information meeting on Feb. 22 at the Florida Department of Transportation Manatee Operations Center on S.R. 64.
Ogden Clark, the strategic affairs manager for Manatee County’s Public Works department, said the county’s two main goals are to improve the flow of traffic and to make the road safer. Clark has received numerous complaints from residents that there is no lighting on Lorraine Road.
A traffic study showed that out of 49 reported crashes between 2016 and 2020 on that segment of the road, the one fatal crash (June 2018) involved a 34-year old male bicyclist who was riding at night.
The project will upgrade the lighting and drainage along the corridor, as well as widening the road, but Clark said some homeowners worry about losing their rural setting.
“What I can tell people is that when they’re buying homes, always look for that kind of information,” Clark said of the improvements. “It’s important to know about construction and infrastructure that’s either coming in or that needs to be repaired.”
It’s been a long, hard fight for Tallevast residents as they seek to put their community right after the 2000 discovery of an underground plume of contamination covering more than 200 acres.
Even though property owner Lockheed Martin discovered beryllium and other dangerous contaminants in the soil when it put the property up for sale, Tallevast residents weren’t informed until 2003.
The pollution was traced to a former Loral American Beryllium Company plant. Lockheed Martin assumed ownership of the property at 1600 Tallevast Road in 1996 and shut down the plant the same year.
In 2005, Lockheed Martin reported to Manatee County commissioners that it had determined the extent of the plume and that it proposed a remediation program to clean up the contaminated groundwater.
That did not sit well with the commissioners, who demanded that Lockheed relocate residents from the historic Black community. Many residents were still using groundwater for drinking, cooking and bathing.
“Lockheed Martin needs to step up to its corporate responsibility and move these people out of the community,” former Manatee County Commissioner Amy Stein said in 2005. “Anything short of that is totally irresponsible.”
Despite the commission’s insistence on the relocation of Tallevast residents, it did not happen.
Two vacation rental bills working their way through the Florida Legislature are not yet identical matching bills and time is running out for them to be made identical before the 60-day legislative session ends on Friday, March 8.
For legislation to become state law, the House and Senate must approve identical matching bills to send to the governor to sign into law, approve without signing or veto.
When presenting his bill to the Commerce Committee, State Rep. Philip Griffitts (R-Panama City Beach) mentioned three primary goals: “Standardize the licensing and registration of vacation rentals, make available the information and the tools necessary for effective and efficient enforce*ment for good neighbor codes and ensure the effective collection of taxes due on vacation rental transactions.”
The lengthy amendment he then introduced was adopted without additional discussion.
When discussing his bill in general, Griffitts said the proposed occupancy limits are based on the Florida Fire Prevention Code provision that would allow one occupant per every 150 square feet. The Senate bill proposes a two-plus-two occupancy limit that allows two guests per bedroom and two additional guests.
Speaking on behalf of the city of Jacksonville Beach, lobbyist Jack Cory said, “This bill would erode the property rights of over 5 million constituents who bought and want to live in a homesteaded residential property. They do not want to live next to mini-hotels. Gov. DeSantis probably said it best when he said for us to be micro-managing vacation rentals, I am not sure that is the thing to do.”
Lauderdale Isles Civic Improvement Association Vice President Geoff Rames said, “HB 1537 will destroy our neighbor*hoods. Vacation rentals will run rampant without the fear of consequences.”
State Rep. Dan Daley (D-Coral Springs) said, “We talk so much about property rights. How about my freedom to not live next to a party house?”
When expressing his tentative support, Rep. Patt Maney (R-Shalimar) said “It frankly is a little frustrating for local governments to beat us up over preemption when they don’t do their job and exercise their police powers to control noise, trash and garbage, traffic and parking. If they won’t do it, they shouldn’t complain when the state decides to get a 800- or 900-mile-long screw*driver to tighten the screws.”
Bradenton Beach businessman Jake Spooner is getting closer to revealing plans for the vacant Wells Fargo bank building, 5327 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.
The property, which operated as a bank from the 1960s — originally opened as Island Bank — and then as several national banking institutions until 2020.
Spooner, a former Bradenton Beach commissioner, purchased the 1.83-acre, two-lot commercial property that includes the bank building July 10, 2023, for $4,750,000.
The bank structure will remain but it’s possible the site won’t be used as a bank next time around.
Spooner told The islander Feb. 20 that he’s working to get his ducks in a row on the project and he’ll submit paperwork to the city before sharing plans for the space.
“The civil engineer is still tightening his end up and maybe within a couple of weeks we’ll be ready to submit to the city of Holmes Beach,” Spooner said.
Chad Minor, Holmes Beach director of development services, said Feb. 20 that a city demolition permit approved Jan. 19 is specific to the interior of the building.
“It’s not the intent of the demolition permit to remove the structure itself,” Minor said. “Our understanding is that they are going to keep the bones of the bank. There’ll be a new user in there, but the building is not going to be removed.”
Minor said as of Feb. 20 the city had not received plans from the owner on refurbishing or building out the space.
Spooner also is a partner with developer Shawn Kaleta on the planned Bridge Street Resort in Bradenton Beach.
The Longboat Key commission is navigating legal waters around Jewfish Key.
The Jewfish Key Preservation Collective, which acts as a homeowner’s association for property owners on the key, requested disengagement from the municipal boundaries of Longboat Key Dec. 19, 2023.
Manatee County Property Appraiser online records indicate Jewfish Key, a 38-acre island off the north end of Longboat Key, is home to 21 parcels owned by 11 entities. There are nine residences.
A Feb. 6 email from town manager Howard Tipton said the request for separation came after the JKPC ratified a resolution mandating the submission of the petition.
Correspondence to the town from Aaron Thomas, an attorney with the Najmy Thompson law firm of Bradenton, stated that more than 15% of eligible JKPC voters favored the petition.
Tipton wrote in an email about the town’s responsibilities: “From our perspective, their request triggers that a feasibility study be done and presented to the town commission before the end of June. It is rare that a request such as this is received by a municipality and staff is working to ensure that we are in compliance with the applicable statutes.”
Should the de-annexation request be approved, Jewfish Key would become part of unincorporated Manatee County and property owners would no longer be governed by the town’s regulations or pay taxes to the town.
Town planning, zoning and building director Allen Parsons, in a Feb. 14 interview with The Islander, said de-annexation has never been attempted in Longboat Key. As a result, the town is still gathering information for the feasibility study.
During the last week, Sarasota reported a total of 198 crime cases. The most prevalent type of crime was 'Suspicious Situation' with 115 reports, accounting for approximately 58% of all cases.
Other significant categories included 'Other' and 'Disturbance', each with 15 cases, 'Trespass' with 14 cases, and 'Assault' with 10 cases.
'Domestic Related' incidents and 'Theft' were also reported, with 8 and 7 cases respectively. There were also 6 instances each of 'Arrest' and 'Vandalism', while 'Burglary' was reported least frequently, with just 2 instances.
The high prevalence of 'Suspicious Situation' cases calls for heightened vigilance among residents and improved surveillance.
The data suggests a need for increased law enforcement efforts in combating trespassing and disturbances, which together made up nearly 15% of the total reported crimes. Additionally, the presence of assault and domestic related incidents, although lower in number, should not be overlooked due to their severe nature.
I would rather have the large number of 'suspicious situation' reports than a large amount of 'serious crimes'.
Serious crime drops in Sarasota, according to police report
There were no murders last year, and the Sarasota Police Department reports a 16.2% decline in the most serious crimes in 2023.
The last time Sarasota went a calendar year without a homicide, most city commissioners and staff present at the Feb. 19 meeting had not yet been born.
That was in 1967.
Fifty-six years later, Sarasota went all of 2023 without a homicide, according to a report presented to the City Commission by Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche and members of the SPD command staff.
Arrests were up and serious crime was down in Sarasota in 2023, all of which sends notice to city residents and outsiders alike that committing crimes here will meet a robust law enforcement response.
That was the message delivered by Troche and company as they presented the results of last year's law enforcement efforts. Successful crime-reducing operations, high visibility and building community relations were some of the reasons for the decline in serious crime, they told commissioners.
Chanie Bukiet with the Chabad of Bradenton & Lakewood Ranch said she has received dozens of calls from people in the community wondering where they can find kosher food options.
Bukiet’s answer always is: “The options are limited.”
Bukiet said the closest strictly kosher restaurant is in Sarasota. The closest kosher markets are in Wimauma, Sarasota or St. Petersburg.
So Chabad of Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch is hosting its first Kosher Food Festival March 3.
“This year, we wanted to bring events that have to do with mitzvahs, which are good deeds, things that we could connect to God,” Bukiet said. “With all the calls we’ve been getting, we had to do this. I know people are excited about it.”
The Kosher Food Festival will give people, whether they are Jewish or not, the opportunity to learn more about kosher foods, Bukiet said.
Bukiet said the menu will include corned beef or pastrami on rye, falafel, stuffed cabbage, potato knish, chicken matzah ball soup, sourdough challah and babka.
Bukiet said the menu was created with fan favorites in mind. She said the most popular food items at every Shabbat are sourdough challah and stuffed cabbage, so of course they’ll be on the festival's menu.
“More people are becoming aware of keeping kosher,” Bukiet said. “A lot of people are moving here, a lot of Jewish people who keep a kosher home.”
A speciality people can order will be the gourmet kosher popcorn from Popinsanity. Another item is the babka, which will be shipped from a bakery in New York.
Although the festival is focused on foods, there also will be arts and crafts, live music from the Klezmer Freylach Band and booths for people to make their own challah bread and hamantaschen pastries. There also will be inflatables for the kids.
With it being the Chabad of Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch’s first Kosher Food Festival, Bukiet recommends attendees early because the festival foods are available until supplies last.
She also recommends purchasing tickets in advance at ChabadOfBradenton.com/Kosher.
German immigrant Joerg Nietschmann's arrival to Sarasota posed more problems than paradise for the retired businessman.
With foreign computer equipment and an IP address hindering Nietschmann from even ordering an Uber, the new resident sought help from the one place that still felt like home — the public library.
Sarasota County Libraries offers the free digital literacy aid Tech Navigator — one of more than 3,000 in-person programs — for residents struggling in the always changing cyber world.
More than 500 sessions have taken place in just the last year, according to county officials.
After asking a staff member about the program's brochure at Selby Library, Nietschmann became one of the many local residents to be set up with a trained county volunteer.
Given 1-on-1 sessions for three months with step-by-step instructions filled with what felt like an "unlimited supply" of patience, Nietschmann was able to build a solid foundation of digital literacy skills while solving daily issues he had previously deemed impossible.
After months of successful tutelage, Nietschmann became a library volunteer and Tech Navigator advocate himself, asking other older residents to not be shameful or avoidant of technology.
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