Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

Sarasota officials likely to enforce plastic bag ban for yard waste

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sa...6067b566&ei=41

Sarasota city leaders will likely ban residents from using plastic bags for yard waste pick-up during Monday’s city commission meeting.

The city’s vendor said they will soon stop picking up yard waste in plastic bags, so the city is considering changing their ordinance to comply.

There are several alternative options to plastic bags. The city suggests using cans, paper bags, and boxes. Tree limbs and branches can be bundled or stacked.

Under the proposed ordinance, the bundles can’t exceed 48 inches in length and can’t weigh more than 50 pounds.

In April, city commissioners voted 4-to-1 in favor of the ordinance. If Monday’s meeting does away with plastic bags, and Sarasota neighbors choose to ignore the new rules, the city may not pick up violators’ yard trash, or they could be fined.

Monday’s City Commission meeting is at 9 a.m. at City Hall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=910LfBCBVNs

[wondermint2]

It's looking like we'll finally get some rain next week.

10 Weather: Tampa Bay area forecast | Monday, May 6, 2024


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs92MZnZ1F8

[wondermint2]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

A Take 5 oil change could be headed for Osprey. Why residents are so angry about it.

For full article:

https://www.newsbreak.com/osprey-fl/...angry-about-it

The Willowbend development is tucked in the section of Tamiami Trail where bigger commercial activity starts to taper off. The Osprey neighborhood is surrounded by smaller restaurants and shops, with a Walmart about a mile north and a strip of businesses with a Publix across the street.

The subdivision is mostly quiet, with nature in backyards and on doorsteps thanks to the adjacent Oscar Scherer State Park. Residents bought into the tranquility thinking it a reprieve from Sarasota County’s standard traffic and bustle — a best-of-both-worlds development close enough to commercial centers to access them but removed enough to escape them.

Nick Clark moved to the neighborhood when it was first built in 2004. For 20 years, he and his family have enjoyed the steady quiet.

“That’s why my wife picked that plot,” Clark said. “Every day you look out, there’s gators or bobcats.”

A new business just outside the neighborhood entrance, Clark and his neighbors worry, may change that.

A group of residents, organized as the Preserve Osprey advocacy group, is rallying against a potential Take 5 oil change headed for the corner of Tamiami Trail and Habitat Boulevard in Osprey. Cougar Investment Management LLC and 8Square LLC applied to build a 3,600-square-foot office building and a 1,430-square-foot service center on a 1.4-acre plot adjacent to the Willowbend neighborhood.

The developers will request a rezone of the parcel, which is located in the Blackburn Point Critical Area, from Commercial Shopping Center to Commercial General at the May 2 Sarasota County Planning Board meeting. The change will allow for a higher-intensity development than current zoning permits, which residents fear will take away key protective measures and open the door for continued commercial development down the line.

The application maintains that Take 5 will meet or advance county goals for commercial activity, traffic flow, safety and other critical areas. Cougar Investment Management and 8Square cited a 1992 rezone of the Blackburn Point Critical Area that primed the acreage for commercial as well as office and commercial general zonings for adjacent properties as evidence of compatibility.

“The Subject Property is located just off a major arterial roadway in an urbanized and commercially intensive area,” the Take 5 application material reads. “(It) is an ideal location for commercial redevelopment based on the surrounding land use pattern.”

The parcel lies just off Habitat Boulevard, a winding road that leads to the Willowbend entrance. Though the site plan maintains that the entrances won’t pose a safety issue and are in compliance with county traffic standards, opponents are concerned with the blind turn that Take 5’s access point on the road will create, fearing an uptick in traffic accidents from the impeded visibility.

The application’s nature survey also maintains that the development won’t adversely affect species like gopher tortoises, scrub-jays or sandhill cranes — all of are known to inhabit the surrounding area but, according to the report, were scare on the site or not spotted at all. Still, residents are concerned for what possible chemical runoff or other pollution from the development mean for nearby nature, especially the adjacent Oscar Scherer.

Residents pack chambers as proposed Take 5 oil change splits planning commission

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/re...on/ar-BB1lUdUp

Two and a half hours of tense debate left the Sarasota County Planning Commission split down the middle on the fate of a proposed Take 5 oil change — much to the relief of a packed commission chamber that literally applauded the decision.

The commission voted 3-3 on a proposal to rezone 1.4 acres at the corner of Tamiami Trail and Habitat Boulevard from commercial shopping center to commercial general, which would allow for the oil change. The tie, which fails the agenda item, came after lengthy discussion regarding the development’s potential traffic issues, environmental concerns and compatibility with surrounding residences and businesses.

The development has faced continual backlash from Preserve Osprey, a citizen advocacy group comprised of residents in the Willowbend subdivision and surrounding communities like Rivendell and Seaside Springs. Around 150 members of the group attended the meeting and voiced their opposition, often reacting audibly and causing planning commissioners to pause their discussion.

[wondermint2]

(Business Buzz) - ]The Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of South Florida has added North Port to its service area.

For the full 'Business Buzz' column:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/smal...er/ar-BB1lUgAf

As of May, every first Tuesday of the month, aspiring, emerging and established business owners in Sarasota County may meet face-to-face with their local Florida SBDC at USF consultant at North Port City Hall, 4970 City Hall Blvd.

Entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to consult at no cost with Scott Carpenter, who has more than three decades of experience as a business owner and marketing and public relations professional.

For more than 45 years, the Florida SBDC at USF has provided no-cost assistance to businesses in Sarasota County through consulting, training and market research.

To schedule an appointment with Carpenter, visit https://floridasbdc.org/request-for-consulting/.

The Florida SBDC, with over 40 offices statewide, is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Defense, state of Florida and other private and public partners.

[wondermint2]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

Better Call Behnken: How to apply for My Safe Florida Home program and avoid costly mistakes


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgMljZ_4X-A

Good news came this week for some Florida homeowners who need to get their houses ready for hurricane season.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Wednesday that allocates $200 million to the My Safe Florida Home program, which ran out of money last year and left many people in limbo and unable to move forward with improving their homes.

“The program is over subscribed,” Gov. DeSantis told reporters in Pinellas County. “There is a lot of demand.”

“There’s a lot of people on the waiting list,” he continued. “So this $200 million will go towards clearing the folks on the waiting list and any additional demand.”

Applicants can get a free home inspection to identify ways to improve their houses for hurricane season. Homeowners can then apply for a grant of up to $10,000 to upgrade windows, exterior doors and garage doors and strengthen roofs.

Since 2022, the state has conducted more than 104,000 home inspections and approved more than 38,000 grant applications, according to the Department of Financial Services, which administers the program.

Beginning July 1, the application portal will open and low-income seniors will get priority. Also getting priority are those who already applied for the program last year before it ran out of money, state officials said.

A spokesman with the CFO’s office said homeowners need to make sure they are following program guidelines or things can go terribly wrong.

Case in point, Marguerite Clark, who is from Pasco County, applied for the grant and said she mistakenly thought she was fully approved.

She hired a roofer, and after the roof was installed, she learned the program ran out of money and that applications, including hers, were put on hold. She was left on the hook for a more than $12,000 roof.

“I didn’t know that I was going to be responsible to pay that on my own,” she said.

Better Call Behnken took her story to the state’s Department of Financial Services and, after an inquiry, they were able to finalize her grant, and she says she just learned she’s getting $10,000 to help pay for her roof.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/be...6e8036c8&ei=21

My Safe Florida Home funded with $200 million. When you can apply for hurricane protection grants

For full article & video:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/safe-flor...%20or%20income

Who can apply for a My Safe Florida Home program grant?

Any homeowner who has received a wind mitigation inspection may apply for a matching grant if they:

Provide proof of homestead exemption

Provide proof the home is insured, to a maximum of $700,000 (not required for low-income homeowners)

Provide a building permit for the home issued before Jan. 1, 2008.

Allow the home to be reinspected after the work is completed

Low-income homeowners who meet these qualifications are not required to provide matching amounts to receive the grant.

When can I apply for My Safe Florida Home grants?

Applications will reopen July 1, according to MSFH, and will be accepted and prioritized as follows:

July 1-15: Homeowners who qualify as low-income and are 60 or older

July 16-30: Any homeowners who qualify as low-income

July 31-Aug. 14: Homeowners who qualify as moderate-income and are 60 or older

Aug. 15-30: Any homeowners who qualify as moderate-income

Aug. 31 and after: Any Florida homeowners of any age or income

What does Florida consider 'low income' and 'moderate income'?

“Low-income persons” means they live in a household earning 80% or less of the median income for households in the county.

“Moderate-income persons” means they live in a household earning 120% or less of the median income for households for the county.

You can see a chart of those percentages county by county here (PDF):

https://msflh.com/wp-content/uploads...f-4-1-2024.pdf

OVERVIEW OF MSFH PROGRAM


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0t37HPCf28

Video explains the steps involved with participating in the My Safe Florida Home Program.

For more info:

https://mysafeflhome.com/

[wondermint2]

Man shot pregnant woman after Palmetto car crash in road rage, Manatee deputies say

For full article:

https://news.yahoo.com/man-arrested-...145436406.html

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man after deputies say he shot a pregnant woman in a road rage incident in Palmetto on Sunday.

Vincent Steele, 50, of Riverview, has been charged with five counts of attempted murder after the sheriff’s office said he shot multiple rounds into a vehicle following an accident, striking a 36-year-old woman who is pregnant with twins.

Detectives said a pickup truck was traveling north on Business U.S. 41 North in Palmetto around 5:30 p.m. Sunday when Steele, driving a BMW, attempted to pass the truck in the merge lane.

Steele’s rear bumper made contact with the truck’s front bumper, causing Steele to lose control and spin off into the grassy shoulder in the 6900 block of U.S. 41, according to a news release.

Deputies said they learned through the investigation and statements from witnesses that someone in the truck got out to check on Steele after the accident, but Steele got out of his car, ran to the truck’s passenger door and fired seven rounds at the truck.

The gunshots struck a 36-year-old pregnant woman “multiple times” in the lower torso, according to the news release.

Neither of the unborn children were hit, according to detectives.

After realizing his fiancee was injured, the 57-year-old driver of the pick-up truck drove her to Manatee Memorial Hospital. She was later taken to Tampa General Hospital for surgery, where she and both of the babies are in stable condition, according to the news release.

[wondermint2]

Construction causing massive backups on Longboat Key

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/auto...bbb326c0&ei=23

Construction on Gulf of Mexico drive is causing significant backups as cars try to make it in to Longboat Key.

The construction, near the St. Regis resort, has reduced the traffic to one lane and caused backups of over an hour.

Residents tell ABC7 that they are concerned about construction being done during the busiest hours of the day.

[wondermint2]

These 17 Bradenton-area restaurants, food trucks earn near-perfect health inspections

For full article:

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/17-b...143000760.html

Looking for a place to eat around Bradenton?

Manatee County restaurants are routinely inspected by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for health and food safety issues and cleanliness.

Florida bases its inspection standards on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code, which contains many, many possible violations.

Passing inspection without flaw is no easy feat, so we like to let our readers know which restaurants did exceptionally well during recent inspections.

Here are the local businesses that earned perfect or near-perfect health inspections from Aprill 22 to May 3.

[wondermint2]

Sweet Deli Cafe restaurant brings paninis, breakfast and more to downtown Bradenton

For full article:

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/swee...095000540.html

Since buying the business last July, Kristen and James Balderrama have made Sweet Deli Cafe & Catering a hit with the downtown Bradenton breakfast and lunch crowd.

They did it through smartly updating the menu, having friends and neighbors taste-test their food offerings and through their knack for friendly hospitality.

Gone from the restaurant at 531 13th St. W., are the crepes and the crème brulée, while popular favorites like chocolate chip cookies, muffins and Danishes remain.

The deli still has its sweet side but the menu is decidedly more savory.

It has a focus on paninis (grilled sandwiches), specialty sandwiches (like the cranberry turkey sandwich or the bacon guacamole cheese melt), wraps, classic sandwiches (The Reuben, BLT, hot pastrami, chicken salad, egg salad and more), and flatbread pizza.

[wondermint2]

Who is king of the beach? This team of Gulf fisherman landed a near 50-pound kingfish

For full article & photo:

https://sports.yahoo.com/king-beach-...095000975.html

In what may be the largest fishing tournament along the Gulf of Mexico, only one fish was big enough to be crowned the king.

On Sat. April 27, 436 boats headed west, south, north and some to the east for the 31st Annual Spring King of the Beach. Bob Strawhecker and Team Wood Butcher decided to head northwest despite reports that their target wasn’t in the area.

“We ran just to the south of the northwest boundary,” said Strawhecker, who owns a cabinet business and HydraSport boat with triple Yamahas used by the team. “We had heard from people it was no good out there, but that’s how it can be. Sometimes fish are there one day and not the next.”