Sarasota & Manatee Counties news thread

[wondermint2]

Faces of Black Heritage: A look at Black heritage with Sarasota leaders, trailblazers

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fa...f26bfad1&ei=30

In celebration of the nationally observed and recognized Black History Month, the Herald-Tribune is introducing the Faces of Black Heritage series, showcasing local Black leaders and changemakers who share their views on Black heritage and history.

Sarasota plays an integral part in the overall fabric of the country's Black history dating back to the early 1900s when the first settlers arrived here — among them was Sarasota's first Black pioneer, Leonard Reid. The historic Reid house, now home to Sarasota's first African-American cultural and history museum, is one of the many pieces of Black history that paved the way for today's residents.

Here's what culture, history, and heritage mean to these leaders and trailblazers.

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Boat captains react to miraculous rescue off Gulf Coast

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/bo...f26bfad1&ei=42

Following Friday’s rescue and subsequent search for the captain of a 28-foot boat, captains on the Suncoast are urging everyone to be cautious when out on the water.

“No matter how good the fishing is, it’s not worth your life,” said former captain Carl Ziegler.

The Coast Guard says the boat’s EPIRB was not used in the wreck.

Other captains say there is much more than can be done to prevent a tragedy.

“Checking ballast tanks, checking life preservers, making sure you have throwables, filing a float plan,” said Captain Andrew Fialkowski.

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Beware of calls about a windshield replacement ‘recall’ (Video)

For full article & Video:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/insu...f26bfad1&ei=49

Insurance insiders and auto glass companies are warning consumers to be leery of anyone claiming your replaced windshield is now under recall.

They are reacting to an ongoing Better Call Behnken investigation into questionable windshield replacement insurance claims.

Marvin Shebroe and Colleen Hernandez both said they filed a claim with Farmers Insurance for a cracked windshield.

Both say months later, their phones rang and they thought they were talking to the company who replaced their windshield. They say they were told there was a recall that could be fixed for free. Later, they discovered bills for thousands of dollars sent to their insurance company, contributing to skyrocketing premiums.

In both cases, the bills were generated by a Sarasota company, The Florida AutoGlass Guys, LLC. No one from the company will return calls from 8 On Your Side, and there’s no public record of the bills they’ve sent insurance companies.

Mark Friedlander, of the Insurance Information Institute, says any call about a recall for autoglass should sound alarm bells.

“We would rarely see a windshield replacement under a recall,” he said. “That is very rare.”

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Lights, Camera, Action: Suncoast Technical College students create new sitcom

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/othe...f26bfad1&ei=53

The Wonder Years. Abbott Elementary. The Connors.

These are all great shows you see here right on ABC. Now, some local students are training plus getting the opportunity to create the next big hit show right here on the Suncoast.

Students at Suncoast Technical College worked together to film a n ew show called “The Roommates.” The show is written by STC Student Director Felix Brady.

" The characters were inspired by people I knew I wrote it for people in the class who I made friends with and it was just fun to have it voted and cast it everyone,” Brady told ABC7.

Edward Fagan, the Suncoast Digital Video Technology Instructor, was excited to inspire the next generation of TV and Film Creators like Felix.

“We do everything in this class from music videos to short films to and when it comes to teaching kids in a tv studio situation doing a tv sitcom with a simulated live studio audience is probably one of the better ways to give them real life experience,” said Fagan.

The hands on training the students receive at Suncoast Technical College will pay off and hopefully launch these students into their dreams job.

To see some of the work the students do, click here:

https://www.youtube.com/@digitalvide...unc3904/videos

[wondermint2]

Tampa Bay among areas with highest debt-to-income ratio, research finds

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/real...f26bfad1&ei=66

The Tampa Bay area had the highest household debt-to-income ratio among 20 metro areas that were the subject of a workforce and affordability study conducted by the University of South Florida.

The study classifies Tampa Bay as Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

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Sarasota Co. hosts several open house meetings for new FEMA Flood Zone Maps (Video)

For video:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sa...f26bfad1&ei=75

Sarasota residents Gloria Brady and George Castell are just two of about 100 people came attended the first of four meetings about FEMA’s new flood zone maps. “There’s a lot of people, [they] said are going into a flood zone this year,” said Brady. She left the meeting relieved because. She’s not one of those people. At least not this year.

[wondermint2]

Precautionary boil water notice issued in Holmes Beach

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/pr...f26bfad1&ei=79

Manatee County Utilities Department will be issuing a Precautionary Boil Water Notice for customers at North Beach Village on Wednesday, Feb. 14 after the water has been restored.

A Water Main Tie-In will be scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 13. The water will be shut off from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Customers are advised that once service is restored, all water used for drinking or cooking should be boiled as a precaution. A rolling boil of one minute is sufficient. As an alternative, bottled water may be used.

This precautionary notice will remain in effect until a bacteriological survey has shown the water to be safe, normally 24 to 48 hours. A Recession Notice will be issued when lifted.

If residents have any questions, they may call 941-792-8811 ext. 5268 or 5216 between 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

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Here's what to know about a proposal to revitalize part of Casey Key Resorts

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/new...f26bfad1&ei=85

*Clarification: This neighborhood workshop was postponed because of a scheduling mishap. Once a new date is established it will be legally advertised again.

CASEY KEY – The owner of Casey Key Resorts is looking to replace a dilapidated six-unit portion of the hotel located on the bay side of the resort at 221 Casey Key Road with four hotel room suites.

Neighbors can weigh in at 6 p.m. Tuesday at a neighborhood workshop hosted by Vision Planning & Design.

Why is the workshop needed?

The existing hotel structure was built in 1949, when the surrounding zoning allowed for hotels. The current zoning is for residential single-family housing and the hotel is allowed as a non-conforming use. The owners are seeking a special exception to technically eliminate the non-conforming use classification and allow the owner – Bradenton-based Coconut Beach Resorts LLC – to replace the older units with new ones.

“Here’s an opportunity to replace six dilapidated structures with four new, modern structures that meet FEMA codes and are going to look nice,” said Brian Lichterman, owner of Vision Planning & Design.

[wondermint2]

'The city lost its biggest fan': Former Venice council member Bob Daniels dies at age 81

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/th...f26bfad1&ei=87

Bob Daniels, who served three consecutive terms on Venice City Council, starting when the city climbed out of the throes of the Great Recession, died Feb. 8 at age 81.

“He liked helping the average citizen,” his wife of 45 years, Nancy Daniels, said in a release provided by the city of Venice. “He absolutely loved being on Council. He was a strong leader, and his heart was in the community.”

Bob and Nancy moved to Venice from Columbus, Ohio, in 2006.

A retired educator, decided to run for public office in 2010, and – along with Mayor John Holic and Council Member Jeanette Gates – won his first race.

Daniels was unopposed on his next two campaigns for city council.

He launched a campaign for mayor in 2019 but lost in a three-way race by 85 votes. After taking some time off, he delved back into public service on the city’s environmental advisory board.

[wondermint2]

Documentary on Sarasota Olympic skateboarder debuts in private screening

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/oth...f26bfad1&ei=91

"Ino the Spotlight - The Jake Ilardi story" a documentary about the Osprey resident turned professional skateboarder who became a member of the first U.S. Olympic skateboarding team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics – is a passion project created by Jake’s twin brother Nate Ilardi and their longtime friend Liam Jordan.

Nate Ilardi served as cinematographer and an editor on the film, which was directed by Jordan, a Ringling College graduate.

Both men gave credit to Rick Ives, an Atlanta-based freelance editor who also works with Marvel Studios, for taking 90 hours of raw footage and producing a two-hour editor's cut.

“We’re too close to Jake to be able to cut a whole movie together,” Jordan said during a panel discussion moderated by Benny Ray of The Compound Boardshop.

The 93-minute film made its theatrical debut Feb. 4 in a private screening at CMX CineBistro Siesta Key. The trailer can be found on YouTube at https://bit.ly/3uvDd7B.