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The Bradenton Police Department arrested a 7-Eleven store clerk for stabbing a man behind the store after an argument involving a spear and a pocketknife, the agency announced in a news release.
Police arrested 34-year-old Danny Waiters Wednesday morning for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon following a series of arguments at the convenience store in the 900 block of 14th St. W., Bradenton, which led to Waiters stabbing a man, according to the release.
Detectives say Waiters told them he stabbed the man, who is in his 60s and “frequently carries a spear,” after the man approached him behind the 7-Eleven and they argued. During Tuesday’s argument, police say the man displayed the spear but did not threaten Waiters with it.
At one point, the store manager told the man to leave the property, when Waiters intervened and began arguing with the man again, according to police.
When the man with the spear turned his back on employees, police say Waiters stabbed him once with a pocketknife.
Detectives said Waiters told them he believed the man was going to grab the spear.
The stabbing victim underwent surgery and is recovering, police say.
Waiters turned himself in to police Wednesday morning, according to the release.
During an April 29 Neighborhood Workshop, residents of surrounding communities emphasized their opposition to a proposal for a 100-home development in the easternmost portion of the county.
In fact, Sarasota attorney Charles D. Bailey III, of the Williams Parker firm, said that a number of the written comments he and the other project team members had received had “R-rated language or worse, which I’ve never experienced before.”
Bailey has been practicing land-use law for many years. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in September 1994.
Early on during the event, planner Kelley Klepper, a vice president of the Kimley-Horn consulting firm in Sarasota who also is on the project team, noted that a couple of the emails he had seen “are a little bit more of a personal nature. I don’t believe they’re appropriate, considering some of the tone. We will not allow personal attacks on the team of John Cannon Homes,” the developer of the proposed new community, Klepper added.
With Sarasota County Planner Keaton Osborn listening in on the Zoom session, Bailey said he hoped that he was not violating county policy by refraining from reading the profane comments, as more than a few, he indicated, included words that began with “s” and “f.” Nonetheless, he added, they would become part of the record turned over to the county with other materials, and the Zoom recording, of the workshop.
The workshop is a county requirement for any land-use proposal. It precedes the filing of a formal project application.
One of the workshop attendees, Jane Grandbouche, told Klepper and Bailey that she has lived in the nearby Old Miakka community for almost 40 years. “This [project] is unlike anything that has ever gone in our neighborhood. … It is almost unfathomable to me to actually look at this,” she stressed.
Among the other neighboring communities are Deer Hammock, Bern Creek, Oak Ford, Hampton Lakes and Shallow Run, as shown on a graphic presented to the workshop attendees.
Referring to the development site, Grandbouche emphasized, “It’s incredibly beautiful, native property.”
The new homes would displace more of the wildlife, she also pointed out, noting that East County residents already have seen that happening, given the development that has been taking place in that part of the county.
“I wonder why anybody would do this to this piece of property,” Grandbouche told Bailey and Klepper.
She further cited the anticipated increase in noise for the residents who long have lived in the area, and the prospect that insufficient steps will be taken to preserve the “dark skies” atmosphere that the residents appreciate.
At one point, in response to a question from resident Tom Matrullo, Klepper reported that the workshop had drawn 124 participants.
The project would be built on five parcels comprising approximately 511 acres south of Fruitville Road and south of Bel-Air Estates, according to the form that Klepper submitted to county staff to provide details about the workshop.
Two interior parcels, Klepper noted, will not be part of the community.
Almost immediately after Sarasota County Commission Chair Michael Moran closed the April 23 public hearing, Commissioner Mark Smith made a motion to deny an application to rezone nearly 15 acres located at an intersection near University Parkway, to permit the development of a 63-unit residential community.
With no second, that motion died.
It took close to 30 minutes before all of Smith’s colleagues finally agreed to support his second motion for denial.
The hearing and discussion altogether lasted slightly more than two hours.
Before the vote, Sarasota attorney William Merrill III of the Icard Merrill firm, who was an agent for the applicant, even stipulated that his client would reduce the number of single-family homes to 55 and increase the opacity of the planned vegetative buffers on the two bordering roads — Sacramento Street and Harold Avenue — to 60%, twice the county’s requirement of 30%. That would create what Merrill called a “solid wall of greenery” to maintain the “green feel that you have now.”
Merrill also reminded the commissioners that the project team’s earlier testimony noted that a wall or fence would be constructed behind those buffers, on the interior of the development.
However, the commissioners listened, as well, to County Attorney Joshua Moye, who reminded them that if the application failed to meet even one county criterion for approval, given the necessary findings of fact, “The board has to deny [the petition].”
The county staff report on the proposed development explained that the site is east of Honore Avenue and north of 47th Street. The maximum height of any dwelling unit would be 35 feet, the report continued.
Marty Black, the planner representing the applicant, also noted the residential density of developments in the surrounding area, along with maximum building heights in them. The latter range from 35 feet to 70 feet, he said.
Moreover, Black emphasized, “We are limiting ourselves … to no more than 63 dwelling units,” 15% less than the maximum allowed by the zoning the team was seeking.
The open space of the development would comprise 60% of the acreage, Black continued, which would be double the county requirement.
Chair Moran called for a 5-minute break at one point, after board members acknowledged the difficulty they were having making a decision.
Before putting forth his first motion, Smith pointed to concerns that the county’s own staff report on the proposal made clear about the soil on the site: 81% of that soil is designated as poorly drained, while the remaining 19% is designated as very poorly drained.
The water table, Smith continued, runs from 6 inches to “a foot and a half below the surface of the ground … from June to October.”
The very first speaker during the hearing — Russ Williamson, who lives on 47th Street, just south of the proposed project site — explained that, from 1983 until 2013, his property flooded only once. However, he pointed out, especially since the County Commission in 2016 approved the application for the second Sarasota Whole Foods store, in close proximity to his neighborhood, and a Wawa was built near the grocery, “It floods almost every single year.”
Region residents who have transportation thoughts and opinions are encouraged to give them through the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The MPO has launched the Invest Today, Transform Tomorrow initiative, it announced in a news release.
As a part of that initiative, it has the Phase 1 Visioning Survey, an online survey that is open through June 15.
“Our recent initiatives, shaped by community input, have driven investments towards enhancing safety and improving the travel experience for everyone — that’s our main priority,” Sarasota/Manatee MPO Executive Director David Hutchinson stated in the news release. “The 2050 LRTP is a regional commitment to meeting our community’s needs, promoting sustainable practices, and improving the daily lives of our residents.”
The MPO’s 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan is the three-phase project that is a “pivotal blueprint for shaping the infrastructure of our region,” the news release states.
The survey and Invest Today, Transform Tomorrow is a part of that.
“The plan, once complete, will clearly outline the key projects and investments needed to improve mobility, safety, and accessibility across various transport modes—including roads, public transit, and paths for pedestrians and cyclists,” it stated.
“Developed through broad community involvement and detailed expert analysis, the 2050 LRTP is designed to boost economic growth and enhance the quality of life by creating a sustainable and efficient transportation network that meets the needs of both counties.”
The LRTP is updated every five years, the news release stated. That is to reflect demographics, economics, and community needs, to remain relevant, it stated.
“The 2050 LRTP builds on the 2045 LRTP, which outlined nearly $2 billion worth of regional transportation projects with a focus on projects that encourage safety, reduce traffic congestion, and fix the most dangerous roads and intersections in the area,” it stated.
When you open the doors of Mean Deals Local Kitchen in the Bayshore Gardens neighborhood of Bradenton, you become a part of the family.
"I feel like you need to make a difference in whatever capacity you are able to," said Michele Angell, a co-owner of the restaurant.
For Angell and Dean Donnelly, co-owner and chef at the restaurant, a phone call last Thanksgiving for one to-go dinner order brought on a new idea.
"She said her husband passed away, and I reached out to her and said I’ll be happy to give you this turkey dinner to go. However, I have an idea," said Angell.
Angell’s step-father had just passed away.
She invited the woman to come have dinner at the restaurant with her mother, but what started as the one invite has grown into so much more.
They now have a "communal" table that is offered for those who don’t want to be alone during holidays.
"It’s nice, because I know a lot of them have exchanged phone numbers and become friends, so it’s nice to see that maybe they start off as people who don’t know each other and gradually that connection is formed," said Angell.
A Suncoast man used a recent scary experience to help others.
During Spring Training last year, as Ernie Withers stood on the field at Pirate City in Bradenton, he nearly died. He went into sudden cardiac arrest. Pirates staff performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator to resuscitate him. Now, Withers is doing what he can to save others’ lives.
He started a non-profit organization, the “Defibrillate Manatee Foundation,” which is dedicated to raising funds to donate AEDs to other non-profit organizations.
To donate to Defibrillate Manatee, visit the Manatee Community Foundation website at https://manateecf.org.
Withers also works for Life Guard Imaging in Tampa and the company will provide free heart scans. To schedule yours, call 941.809.4564
BISSELL Pet Foundation, a national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending pet homelessness, is prompting a national call for adoption once again this spring with its “Empty the Shelters” reduced-fee adoption event May 1 to 15. Manatee County Animal Welfare (MCAW) will participate, along with more than 410 shelters in 43 states. To help deserving shelter pets find loving homes, BISSELL Pet Foundation sponsors reduced adoption fees of $50 or less per cat or dog during each nationwide event.
From May 1 to 15 as part of "Empty the Shelters," MCAW will be offering $15 adoption fees for all pets. All adoptions include spay/neuter, microchip and rabies certificate (a value of over $300). Manatee County residents are required to license their new pet for an additional $20. The Palmetto Adoption Center is located at 305 25th Street West, and the Cat Town Adoption Center is located at 216 6th Avenue East (Bradenton). Bishop Animal Shelter, Manatee County's intake facility for stray pets with limited adoptable pets, is located at 5718 21st Avenue West in Bradenton.
In her first campaign finance filing since she announced her re-election bid last year, Sarasota County Tax Collector Barbara Ford-Coates, a Democrat, noted that she raised a total of $27,620 in the first quarter of this year, plus $1,032.19 in in-kind contributions.
Ford-Coates had spent only $323.79 through March, the document shows.
One of her opponents, Republican county Commissioner Michael Moran, added $11,575 to his tally in the first three months of this year, bringing his campaign total to $100,385. Moran had spent $15,484 through March, the report says. Moran is term-limited as a commissioner, having won his first term in November 2016.
The third candidate for Sarasota County tax collector, Republican Charles Bear, contributed $1,000 to his campaign in the first quarter. That was the only funding he reported for this year., bringing his total to $1,124.70. He had spent $704.99 through March: $500 to TC Delivers of Jacksonville for signature cards; and $204.99 to VistaPrint for business cards, his report notes.
Bear and Moran will square off in the Aug. 20 Republican Primary for tax collector.
Although Ford-Coates formally filed for re-election on Jan. 11, her campaign did not issue a press release about her candidacy until March 4.
As Publisher of The Bradenton Times, your local news source for critical information about our government, I need to share with you our concerns about our safety when it comes to publishing local news.
You would not expect that in the United States, a country with the bedrock principle of a free press, we would have to raise the red flag warning that we may be losing this important freedom. Each year, more laws target the press, claiming all sorts of insane reasons to reign in the media. This year, the state considered a proposal that would have made launching and winning defamation lawsuits in Florida easier.
Interestingly, although the legislation initially moved quickly through the legislative process, it stalled after facing immense blowback from influential conservative officials and news outlets. First Amendment and media advocates also accused it of infringing constitutional rights and chilling speech.
Our local concern is that our own Senator Jim Boyd voted in favor of CS/SB 1780, and we were lucky it died in the fiscal committee. Representative Will Robinson was also in favor of the house bill H.B. 757 which passed out of the Justice Committee he serves as Chairman, later dying on the floor.
There is only one reason to pass increased restrictions on the press, and it is not reckless reporting. Rather, it is the fact that the press is responsible for exposing the deeds of our elected officials, which they do not want published.
At The Bradenton Times, we have concerns for the safety of our reporters and employees. I personally have been the target of some of the county commissioners. So, on World Press Freedom Day, I ask you to recognize the need for a free press. Look past general accusations that the media is out to get your favorite politician. Also, challenge the facts the same way we do as a publication. Please let us know if you ever think our facts are inaccurate. We all try to do the best we can with the facts cited from sources and records, but if you have another version of the facts, by all means, let us know. If we are wrong, we will correct our facts and let our readers know about our correction.
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