Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

Observer critic’s picks for Sarasota live theater in 2024

From gut-wrenching drama to reimaginings of Shakespeare, there's something for everybody on Sarasota stages in 2024.

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...-live-theater/

[wondermint2]

Sarasota/Manatee restaurant inspections for Dec. 31-Jan. 6

See which local restaurants failed (along with violations) - and which restaurants passed:

https://www.newsbreak.com/bradenton-...rea-restaurant

[wondermint2]

Mixon's Fruit Farm land nixed for county park purchase

https://www.snntv.com/story/50309452...-park-purchase

It looks like land at a Suncoast staple will not be turned in to a county park.

When Mixon Fruit Farms closed this past summer, the Mixons wanted the land to be used for a Manatee County park.

County voters passed the Conservation and Parks Projects Referendum, and commissioners have started putting it to use.

Despite the commission's summer interest in acquiring Mixon's 39 acres for environmental education, special events, bird watching, hiking, and even a golf driving range, according to The Observer, commissioners say the $15.8 million asking price was out of the county's price range.

Also, Commissioner Mike Rahn said the land didn’t meet the criteria of what’s considered “environmentally sensitive.”

[wondermint2]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

Contractor clear-cuts mangroves on Anna Maria

For full article:

https://www.islander.org/2023/12/con...uts-mangroves/

A Bradenton-based construction company allegedly clear-cut mangroves without a permit at an Anna Maria property.

Mason Martin LLC may face repercussions after removing mangroves without a permit at 111 Gull Drive.

A stop-work order posted at the site also was violated, according to Mayor Dan Murphy.

Mangroves provide environmental benefits, including offering a unique ecosystem for marine life, decreasing land erosion and improving nearshore water quality.

The property at 111 Gull Drive is owned by Massachusetts-based Sharp Development LLC, which purchased it last year for $1,890,000, where a home was demolished.

Murphy wrote in a Dec. 14 email to The Islander that the city received a residential complaint Dec. 4 about the “extensive removal and alteration of mangroves” at the property.

“As a result of this complaint, city staff visited the property and confirmed the mangroves had been removed and fill dirt had been added in its place,” he wrote. “This scope of work is proposed by building permit ACC22-000153 which has not been issued and thus, is not permitted to commence.”

The city posted a stop work order at the property Dec. 6 and emailed the notice to Sharp Development owner Jacqueline Sharp and also West Coast Marine Construction owner James Annis, the seawall contractor, according to Murphy.

Then the city received “several” complaints from residents Dec. 13 that work at the property had resumed.

Murphy wrote that city staff visited the property the same day and found workers “actively removing mangroves” and the city’s posted stop work order missing.

State law preempts the city from regulation of mangrove trimming, so the municipality reported the issue to the DEP and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Nevertheless, the city reposted the stop work order and can act on the violation of its original order.

“The actions of the contractor in ignoring the previously issued stop-work order constitute the willful violation of the building code, making the contractor subject to the jurisdiction of the city of Anna Maria’s Local Construction Regulation Board,” Murphy wrote.

State OKs controversial Anna Maria mangrove removal. But construction is still on hold

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/st...60810ec6&ei=36

An investigation by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection found that the controversial mangrove removal at a waterfront Anna Maria Island home is allowed under a state exemption.

An exemption to the state's mangrove protection rules was issued in 2022 for a seawall that is planned at 111 Gull Drive in Anna Maria, where a new home is under construction.

However, the state's report notes that the project still lacks authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which must give approval before construction can continue.

FDEP staff visited the site for an inspection on Dec. 22 after residents filed complaints about the mangrove removal.

"During the inspection, it was determined that mangrove alterations occurred on the property and it appeared to be within the footprint of the exempt activity," said the inspection report, which was made available over the weekend.

The report says that 116 feet of mangroves that stretched the length of the shoreline have been cut down to about 49 feet. The remaining mangroves may also be removed under the state's exemption.

Mangroves cut for waterway views

After a public outcry, property owners Jackie and Theo Sharp said they are still deciding if they will leave the rest of the mangroves intact.

[wondermint2]

Manatee encourages feedback on county issues with citizen survey

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...issues-survey/

Do you think Manatee County is an affordable place to live? Is it safe? Is the local government improving your quality of life?

It’s your turn to provide feedback. Manatee County is seeking input on its services in the form of an online citizen survey, which only took Commissioner Mike Rahn about three minutes to complete.

“It’s a pretty simple survey, but it gives us a pulse for where the citizens stand on certain issues,” Rahn said. “It gives us a good insight into what they’re thinking and where we need to keep focusing our efforts.”

The citizen survey is a new initiative for 2024 created by the county’s communications team.

This is your chance to weigh in on the issues and rate your county government’s job performance in five minutes or less. Visit MyMantee.org to take the survey. From the home page, it can be found under the "Board of County Commissioners" tab.

[wondermint2]

Originally Posted by wondermint2

PGT Innovations receives unsolicited bid that beats previous $3B offer

For full article:

https://www.businessobserverfl.com/n...revious-offer/

Miter Brands, a national window and door manufacturer that traces its history, in part, to post-World War II Florida, has made a third bid to acquire the largest publicly traded company in the Sarasota-Bradenton region, Venice-based PGT Innovations, which also has a national footprint in the window and door manufacturing sector.

The offer comes two weeks after PGT and Tampa manufacturer and distributor of interior and exterior doors Masonite agreed on a separate pending acquisition. In that deal, Masonite said it would pay $3 billion in a combination of cash and Masonite shares for PGT. That comes out to $41 a share, split $33.50 in cash and $7.50 of its common stock. The offer, at the time, represented a premium of 56.5% over PGT’s Oct. 9 closing price of $26.20. (PGT’s stock has since risen to $42 a share.)

The new Miter bid, which PGT disclosed Tuesday evening, is for $41.50 a share in cash.

Venice's PGT will entertain counter to $3 billion merger with Tampa-based Masonite

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/comp...ec8f1821&ei=28

PGT Innovations will entertain an unsolicited offer from a private Pennsylvania-headquartered company that could upset an acquisition deal from a Tampa firm valued at $3 billion announced last month.

A statement from PGT Innovations on Monday said the most recent offer was "not superior" to the deal struck last month, but it was good enough to keep talking with the new suitor.

Miter Brands, a company headquartered in Gratz, Pennsylvania, would purchase all of PGT Innovations (NYSE: PGTI) stock for $41.50 in an all cash deal, or 50 cents more per share than the $3 billion deal with Tampa-based Masonite International Corporation (NYSE: DOOR) announced in December.

The proposed transaction with Masonite would see PGT shareholders retain 16% of the combined company after closing, which PGT Innovations noted in a news release on Monday as potential upside to the deal with Masonite.

There would also be a $84 million penalty for breaking the agreement with Masonite.

Still, PGT Innovations will entertain Miter Brands offer, according to the company's news release.

“While the PGTI Board of Directors believes the transaction with Masonite remains the best option to maximize value for our stockholders, the improved consideration and near-term value certainty in a potential all-cash transaction with Miter is worth exploring if Miter is able to adequately resolve several issues with its proposal,” President and CEO Jeff Jackson said.

[wondermint2]

Diocese of Venice receives height exception for new Epiphany Cathedral bell towner

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/di...ec8f1821&ei=36

The Diocese of Venice received permission Tuesday for construction of a 75-foot-tall bell tower and 54-foot-tall barrel tile roof as part of a 7,970 square-foot addition to Epiphany Cathedral that would also include a new covered entrance on the east side.

The City Council approved the special exception to exceed a 35-foot height limit in Venice's downtown edge district by a 4-3 vote, with Vice Mayor Jim Boldt and council members Rick Howard and Ron Smith in dissent.

The roof for the 44-year-old cathedral is already 60 feet tall, while the existing cross rises 92 feet. The occupies a prominent spot in the heart of downtown Venice, one block off the main boulevard, West Venice Avenue, and within sight of Centennial Park.

[wondermint2]

This is an opinion piece from columnist Chris Anderson of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Opinion: RIP Pee-wee. Christian Ziegler has taken your place

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/op...ce/ar-AA1mIlhQ

Until now, there has never been an incident that has embarrassed Sarasota like the time a famous children's actor was arrested by undercover detectives pleasuring himself inside an adult motive theater.

Indeed, Christian Ziegler is the new Pee-wee Herman.

One night, back in 1991, a Herald-Tribune reporter was doing a routine cops check when she came across a name she recognized: Paul Reubens, aka Pee-wee Herman, the impish TV and movie character so originally wacky that even Disney on drugs could not have imagined him. Reubens was a graduate of Sarasota High, and we proudly embraced him as ours.

Until Aug. 26, 1991. That's when some undercover detectives from the Sarasota Sheriff's Office arrested a few gentlemen pleasuring themselves to pornographic movies inside the South Trail Cinema. Reubens was one of them.

[wondermint2]

Selby Botanical Gardens celebrates grand opening of phase one of Campus Master Plan (Video)

For full article & video:

https://www.mysuncoast.com/2024/01/0...s-master-plan/

A celebration was held on Tuesday for the newest renovations at Selby Botanical Gardens after phase one of its three-phase Master Plan for its Downtown Sarasota campus was completed. This includes the grand opening of the world’s first net positive energy botanical garden complex.

ABC7 got a special first look before it opens to the public on Thursday.

[wondermint2]

Beruff Requests SWFMWD Permit Modification for Aqua by the Bay

For full article:

https://thebradentontimes.com/storie...-the-bay,69778

Aqua by the Bay developer Carlos Beruff and an affiliated development entity, Cargor Partners, have submitted an application to the Southwest Florida Water Management District seeking a major modification to a previously issued permit for the large scale development site along Sarasota Bay and El Conquistador Parkway in Bradenton.

According to former county commissioner and TBT Publisher, Joe McClash, the documents submitted with the permit modification request contain details that add to the concerns of the former commissioner, who is currently challenging the county commission’s recent wetland protections text amendment in the state's administrative court.