Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

Some more details & photos:

‘We’re devastated’: Parrish residents plead for help as dust, dirt blanket their properties (Photo Gallery)

For full article & photos:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/we...edb45738&ei=48

Neighbors in a Parrish community are pleading for help, saying the view from their backyard looks like a sandstorm.

“Everything is just covered in dust and dirt and it just does not stop,” John Schultz explained. “You work your whole life to have a nice place and you come home and you go through radiation treatment for cancer and you’re stuck with trying to clean this crap up all the time and no one will help us.”

These photos were sent to 8 On Your Side showcasing just how bad the dust and dirt get.

The home construction company, Lennar, was not immediately available for comment.

One resident, however, showed us a letter the company sent him, saying they appreciate his concerns over the dust that “may have an effect on your home.”

The letter goes on to say the company will take what they call “necessary steps” moving forward, but will not comply with residents’ requests for compensation or maintenance on their homes.

You can read the letter in its entirety below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v9fNUUt9QQ

[wondermint2]

Mote Marine investigating mystery condition impacting endangered fish


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrgdLqmYs7Y

[wondermint2]

Marathon Man: Sarasota's Apollo Liro runs 6 marathons around the world to earn Six Star Medal

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/oth...al/ar-BB1lyqpI

At least for the time being, in his home, Apollo Liro is the mythological Apollo. His family thinks he’s really something special.

He’s in no hurry to see it change.

“I’m going to milk it,” the Sarasota dentist said, “for however long I can.”

The Milking Marathon?

Liro isn’t a hero at home simply because he ran six marathons over four years, an unlikely accomplishment given how sneaker hitting pavement never was on his athletic to-do list. He lettered in tennis in high school and in rowing at Georgetown University. But running? Liro left that to his wife, who’s competed in more than 30 half-marathons.

Over time, his dental practice, his role as Riverview High team dentist, and his side business making athletic mouthguards caused Liro, as he said, “to kind of fall off from sports.” Then, the pandemic forced him to fall off from work.

“They shut me down,” he said. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to work again. I was even having trouble sleeping.”

An ad he saw for the New York Marathon changed that, and changed Liro. The pandemic prevented the actual running of the race, so a virtual one was held instead. Competitors were allowed to map out a 26-mile, 385-yard course where they lived. Once they ran it, and it was verified, they were credited with having finished the New York Marathon, and their medal soon was in the mail.

“That got me energized,” Liro said. “That gave me something to focus on.”

[wondermint2]

Family of Holocaust survivor claims antisemitism, threatens lawsuit against Manatee County

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...5974b0a5&ei=37

Many possessions owned by Holocaust survivor Al Katz could soon be sold publicly following foreclosure on his former Bradenton condominium in late March.

Katz is the namesake of The Al Katz Center, a nonprofit based in Bradenton that offers Jewish and Holocaust education. He was born in Paderborn, Germany, in 1920 and survived internment in German concentration camps during World War II that claimed the lives of the rest of his family. Katz escaped in 1945, and made it to the safety provided by American troops. The next year he immigrated to the United States and became a citizen.

During his later years, Katz was placed into the care of the state's guardianship system. His daughter, Beverly Newman, says it was done against his will and without her knowledge, and brought back past traumas from the Holocaust. After his death, Newman launched the "Al Katz Campaign to save Our Holocaust Survivors from Institutionalization." On June 6, 2011, the city of Sarasota approved a resolution in Katz's honor to urge agencies and professionals to exercise due diligence to keep Holocaust survivors in the homes of willing family members.

Many of Katz's possessions remained in his former Bradenton condo past a Wednesday deadline given to his relatives for removal. The unit was foreclosed on, and sold to the Heritage Village West Condominiums on March 27.

Katz died in 2010 at the age of 90 while living at the condominium. Newman claims the later years of his life were marred by antisemitism and that her cries for help to authorities were ignored.

She told the Herald-Tribune that she has been barred from entering and removing Katz's belongings from the premises for years, and that when friends finally gained access on her behalf this week to help move them, "it was trashed."

She is now threatening to sue Manatee County for ignoring her reports over the circumstances that led to the situation, claiming antisemitism.

The condo association and it's attorney criticize Newman's litigiousness, and claim the foreclosure was justified despite Newman's assertions, records show.

[wondermint2]

‘You are not alone’: Demonstrators march in downtown Sarasota to call for ceasefire in Gaza

As the violence in the Middle East continues to escalate, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in downtown Sarasota for a demonstration demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnkN0senVIQ

In the heart of Sarasota, voices are rising together with those impacted by the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

[wondermint2]

Wow! I knew there were a lot of local hit & runs - but even I am surprised that there are already 421 hit & run accidents for 2024 in Sarasota County! IMO probably a lot of these people don't have insurance which is a big reason why car insurance rates are rising.

Sarasota deputies nab man in fatal pedestrian crash, second hit-and-run arrest in week

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...ek/ar-BB1lAB3v

A man was arrested April 9, suspected in a Jan. 16 Sarasota hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian. It marked the second arrest in a week for two separate fatal hit-and-runs.

The day of the crash at 6:52 p.m. Daniel Grosso, 37, was seen on a red-light camera weaving fast in between traffic while traveling north on State Road 45, passing University Parkway, according to a probable cause affidavit. Three witnesses saw the crash, and it was recorded on a dash camera from one of the witness’ car.

His 1993 white Mercury Grand Marquis was seen entering the left turn lane and going around cars in the front. He passed them using the turn lane before re-entering the inside lane once again, police said.

Officers responded to the crash and found the victim, Samuel Bryant, in the roadway of westbound Myrtle Street, just before Cocoanut Avenue. The involved car was not at the scene.

This is the second fatal hit-and-run arrest this week in Sarasota County. Sarasota Police arrested Michael Brandon Aabel, 29, of Sarasota on April 10 who was involved in a separate fatal bicyclist hit-and-run crash in January.

In 2024 alone, there have been 371 hit-and-run crashes in Manatee County with 97 total injuries and one death. In Sarasota County, there have been 421 hit-and-run crashes with 75 total injuries and three deaths, according to data from the Florida Crash Dashboard.

[wondermint2]

Area Voters Targeted by Political Consultant's 'Misleading' Mail Strategy

For full article:

https://thebradentontimes.com/storie...strategy,83359

As registered voters across Manatee County were checking their mailboxes in recent days, some found electioneering materials along with their usual postage. Though the letters and oversized postcards included a small-print disclaimer noting which candidate’s campaign paid for the mailing, more prominently visible language might have left some residents confused about the nature of the material.

[wondermint2]

St. Armands Circle Park closed through week of April 22nd

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2024/04/1...outputType=amp

St. Armands Circle Park is under park maintenance due to repairs to damaged sidewalks.

The park is currently closed through the week of April 22nd barring any weather-related delays.

The City of Sarasota apologizes for the inconvenience and looks forward to welcoming everyone to the newly refreshed park soon.

[wondermint2]

Sarasota student: Working hard to pursue her dream

For full article:

https://www.newsbreak.com/sarasota-f...rsue-her-dream

Growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, Isabella Ferelli learned how to adapt. When she was four, her parents divorced, and she lived with her mom, who moved frequently. Bella was always adjusting to new schools and new apartments. As she navigated this uncertainty, a dream formed, one that continues to guide her today.

“Since I was kid,” she said, “I wanted to come to America to study in college and have the high school experience.”

Four years ago, that dream materialized when she moved with her dad and his new family to Sarasota.

[wondermint2]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

Hmm I don't think I like this law. Police investigating police could cause bias.

DeSantis signs bill stripping local citizen oversight boards from investigating police (Video)

For video:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...c59270ad&ei=53

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill curtailing citizen oversight of police misconduct by requiring civilian oversight boards to be made up of members appointed by a sheriff or police chief.

The bill was signed at a news conference on Friday morning. DeSantis framed the bill as protecting law enforcement officers, but the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida has criticized the bill as a waste of tax dollars and said it undermines democracy.

HB 601 mandates that “Civilian Oversight Boards” must be made up of three to seven members who are all appointed by a sheriff or police chief. One of the members must be a retired law enforcement officer.

“HB 601 invalidates the work local communities have put into attempting to increase trust between residents and law enforcement,” NR Hines, policy strategist at ACLU of Florida, said in a statement in February after the bill passed a house committee. “Having a community that feels empowered to hold law enforcement in their area accountable is better for all Floridians.”

“[Civilian review boards] pose no threat to law-abiding officers and are designed to have a specific scope of work,” Hines continued.

A news release from the governor’s office said the purpose of the bill is to “prohibit localities from using political entities like Civilian Oversight Boards to drive an anti-police agenda.”

This is an opinion piece by Dennis "Mitch" Maley - an editor and columnist for The Bradenton Times and the host of their weekly podcast.

OPINION - DeSantis Signs Two Bills That Benefit Police at the Expense of Citizens

For full article:

https://thebradentontimes.com/storie...citizens,83329

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 184 and HB 601 into law on Friday. The latter prohibits civilian oversight boards (like the one established by the City of Bradenton) from investigating police misconduct. The former makes it a second-degree misdemeanor for a person to come within 25 feet of a first responder once said responder has issued a "warning."

Twenty-one Florida cities, including Tampa, Orlando, Bradenton, Miami, and Tallahassee, have formed civilian oversight boards. HB 601 does not abolish the boards, and DeSantis said at the signing ceremony that they could still meet to discuss law enforcement policies while alleging that the boards use law enforcement as "political piñatas" to "create false narratives" and "make it miserable to live or to work in uniform."

Rep. Wyman Duggan (R-Duval County), the bill's main sponsor, claimed that the law will simply prevent the boards from using such investigations as "a vehicle to persecute our law enforcement officers." However, such boards are not empowered to subpoena witnesses or documents and possess no actual disciplinary power. The law instead authorizes sheriffs or police chiefs to appoint oversight boards of three to seven members at their discretion.

Cities that have implemented such boards have done so in response to loud and, in most cases, very justified public outcries regarding the equal treatment of citizens under the law. Shifting from a citizen oversight system to one formed by law enforcement appointment will inherently benefit law enforcement at the expense of the citizens who empower them.

SB 184 is titled "Impeding, Threatening, or Harassing First Responders," which sounds reasonable enough. First responders, including law enforcement, can face additional challenges in exercising their duties if unruly bystanders are intent on interfering. However, police have local ordinances at their disposal that would cover most imaginable instances, as well as FL statute 843, which deals broadly with "obstructing justice."

The First Amendment Foundation has raised concerns that the bill's vague language could very easily be used by law enforcement to impede citizens' First Amendment right to observe or record video of police officers, particularly those who may be engaged in questionable conduct.

Together with the expanded use of police body cams, citizen cell phone video recordings have not only exposed abuses of power and helped hold those who commit them accountable for their actions but also helped to create an environment in which they are less likely to occur in the first place. It turns out that most people tend to execute much better behavior when there is an increased likelihood that their actions might later be seen by anyone who wants to watch. Any law that might reduce such citizen oversight is a dangerous step backward.