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Venice Police Department released video of the four missing boaters as they headed out into the Gulf of Mexico. The four men disappeared on Feb. 17 after the group left for a fishing trip that Saturday morning and did not return.
Investigators said 38-year-old Angel Hernandez Munoz, 54-year-old Ruben Mora Sr., 37-year-old Julio Cordero Briones and 35-year-old Vargas Parra were on the boat. The Coast Guard called off their search 48 hours after the men disappeared, but family and friends continue searching.
“We haven’t found a cooler, we haven’t found a bimony, we haven’t found their boat, we haven’t found them,” said Nicole Sheckler, a long-time friend of the family.
Sheckler spent the day on March 5 posting signs at boat ramps and parks encouraging people to be on the lookout for any signs of the men.
According to Sheckler, family and friends are paying out of their own pockets to exhaust any options they have. That includes helicopters, boats and divers.
Sarasota County trash customers will see major changes to garbage, recycling and yard waste collections next year — and they won’t be seeing big green-and-yellow Waste Management trucks.
They’ll include rate increases.
The Sarasota County Commissioners approved two seven-year franchise agreements Tuesday — neither one with Waste Management, which held the contract for nearly 30 years.
Two agreements were required because, for the first time, the county has been divided into a north and a south district for collection, Director of Solid Waste Brian Usher told the Commission.
Waste Pro of Florida Inc. got the north district franchise while FCC Environmental Services Florida LLC is the south district franchisee, serving the unincorporated areas of Englewood, South Venice and Nokomis, among others.
FCC was actually the top-ranked candidate in both districts, Usher said, but staff recommended Waste Pro for the north district because going with two vendors provides both competition and resiliency, he said.
Waste Management ranked third for the north district and second in the south.
The recommendations were the culmination of a four-year process that included community surveys. The principle focus was to get the best price for the county’s customers while maintaining the current level of service, Usher said.
Other jurisdictions were seeing rate increases ranging from 40% to 150%, he said, but Waste Pro and FCC agreed to a rate increase of 24% while keeping to a once-a-week collection schedule and bringing in automated garbage collection, which the county already has for recyclables.
While the frequency of collection is basically unchanged, routes are being redrawn and collection days may change, he said.
The other change in collection is a switch from unlimited bulk collections with garbage collection to four times a year, and on-call at an additional charge.
Four bulk pickups a year will meet the needs of 90% of the county’s customers, Usher said.
To get the north district franchise, Waste Pro agreed to reduce its overall rate by 17% and bring in more residential collection vehicles, he said.
FCC will have 18% more vehicles and eight local customer service representatives, compared to three for Waste Management.
Most of the vehicles will run on compressed natural gas or other state-approved alternative fuels, with some allowances for vehicles they’re not an option for, Usher said.
Both companies will have the technology to connect to the county’s 3-1-1 information system and to track collections in real time, he said. Waste Management is only able to say whether a truck has been on a street, not whether it collected anything, he said.
The automated collection vehicles also have cameras and can record what was put curbside for collection, he said.
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*‘GUT-WRENCHING’ DECISION
Waste Management’s contract was to expire Sept. 30, but was extended 180 days to provide more time for the expected transition.
The anticipated schedule calls for the companies to ask solid waste customers to pick the size of their automated pickup container in the last quarter of the year and distribute them in the first quarter of 2025, with service to begin March 31.
Waste Pro’s contract was approved 5-0 with little discussion.
Commissioner Neil Rainford made the motion, saying that Waste Pro has been a good provider in other communities.
But he went against staff’s recommendation for the south district, moving to award the franchise to Waste Management.
The company did a “tremendous” job over the last several years dealing with COVID and two hurricanes, he said, and has a base of operations in the county at 5221 State Road 776 in South Venice.
“They know what it takes to service this community,” he said.
He also noted that two county residents spoke in Waste Management’s favor during audience participation, while only an FCC representative supported its bid.
FCC Director of Municipal Sales Charles Merkley had told the Commission that FCC has a property “ready to go in Venice,” however.
Rainford’s motion failed for lack of a second.
Commissioner Ron Cutsinger then moved to approve the contract with FCC, though it was a “gut-wrenching” decision because the job Waste Management has done “is not lost on me,” he said.
He said he was placing his confidence in the county’s Solid Waste staff.
Recently, there was a racist social media post that targeted Sarasota City Commissioner Kyle Battie and others in our community. Given how this incident continues to be portrayed, I feel compelled to address the now-infamous image that was delivered anonymously to the Corona Cigar Bar in downtown Sarasota several weeks ago.
I know only what’s unfolded in public, and what is beyond dispute.
What is beyond dispute is that City Commissioner Battie, an African American elected official, was alerted by a local business owner, who also happens to be a person of color, that she had received an anonymous document at her business.
The document contained a racist Facebook post that depicted the business owner, Battie and others at an official ribbon-cutting event – and it included a caption that perpetuated an old racist trope regarding African Americans.
These facts are not reasonably in dispute. And that's why it remains disturbing that this incident continues to be wrongfully characterized as a "hoax." Such labeling undermines the gravity of the content of the post, and it ignores the harm it inflicted on those who were depicted.
Let’s be clear: A racist act against those depicted did happen in our city, and our local leaders are right to speak up when such incidents occur.
The authenticity of who appeared to author the post is not my focus, and I for one accept that it may or may not be by the person attributed. But that doesn’t make the contents of the racist social media post any less hurtful. We may never know who created this image, so for everyone’s sake let us set that aside and move on.
I’ve known Commissioner Battie, who has also served as our city's mayor, since our grade school days. There are two qualities I know for sure about Kyle Battie – or "Scotty," as he is known by in the neighborhood: He would never lie about something like this and he’s always going to stand up for his community.
We need leaders who are unafraid to speak out against the racist imagery that has been silently endured by so many minorities for far too long. Yes, it’s jarring. Yes, it’s unnerving. And, yes, it’s much more comfortable for everyone to dismiss incidents like these as “hoaxes” – and to act as though nothing racist really happened.
But dismissing it in that fashion only encourages more harmful discrimination to occur in our community, and it fails to address the underlying problem. While confronting such issues may be uncomfortable, it is necessary for growth and progress.
Tragically, incidents like this one also evoke memories of the painful history of harassment faced by minority business owners in communities like ours across this country – and particularly in the aftermath of desegregation.
Commissioner Battie has a challenging job, and I believe he has done well in representing the diverse neighborhoods of his district. But one of Commissioner Battie's most solemn responsibilities is to speak out on issues of race and incidents of discrimination that surface in our community. Indeed, that is a role that should be assumed by every leader in our community.
As Sarasota City Commissioner Debbie Trice poignantly stated during a recent public meeting, the whole focus of this racist act has been hijacked, and the backlash has been severe. And here is my concern: In the face of such backlash, will the victims of racist acts – and the elected leaders of our community – still have the courage to call out similar incidents in the future?
Florida’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants routinely inspects restaurants, food trucks and other food service establishments for public health and cleanliness issues.
The reports are public information.
During the most recent inspections in Manatee County, restaurants were cited for issues including no employee handwashing and chemicals stored near food.
In a move that will help Venice deal with derelict vessels, the Sarasota County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved Tuesday the creation of an anchoring limitation area in the Higel Basin of Roberts Bay.
The approval comes just under a year after the city had requested the creation of the anchoring limitation area to help in controlling the mooring of vessels in the basin.
Venice Mayor Nick Pachota‘s March 21, 2023, letter to then-Commission Chair Ron Cutsinger pointed out that five abandoned vessels in the area broke loose in Hurricane Ian and sank, posing navigational and environmental hazards.
A state law adopted in 2021 allows for the creation of such anchoring limitation areas by county ordinance.
The new ordinance adds a definition of anchoring limitation area to the county code and provides that it applies within incorporated parts of the county if there’s an interlocal agreement with the municipality.
As set forth in state law, it generally precludes mooring a boat in the anchoring limitation area for more than 45 consecutive days in a six-month period. A vessel would have to be “absent from the site or location” for at least 24 hours to start a new 45-day anchoring period, it says.
The county ordinance takes effect on receipt by the Secretary of State‘s office. However, implementation will require several steps by the city under an interlocal agreement with the county that was also approved Tuesday.
It obligates Venice to apply and pay for the necessary permits, or to reimburse the county if it has to be the applicant, and provide and pay for creating, installing, maintaining and repairing all necessary signs and buoys.
Under the agreement, the city will have primary enforcement responsibility, with the county having concurrent jurisdiction.
The new anchoring limitation area will give the city a long-desired tool to deal with derelict vessels.
A federal judge in Maryland has found Patrick Britton-Harr in contempt of court and given him until April 30 to deposit $575,000 with the court.
The contempt finding stems from a case where Britton-Harr, the founder of the troubled Sarasota air service company AeroVanti, and several health care companies he operates, were accused of committing Medicare fraud and are facing a $30 million default judgement.
The judge’s order, issued Monday, cancels a contempt hearing scheduled for March 8.
Step into an awe-inspiring outdoor gallery this weekend, where artistic visions come to life in a multitude of mediums at the Lakewood Ranch Festival of the Arts. Discover the diverse art forms represented, including stunning paintings, exquisite sculptures, captivating jewelry, mesmerizing photography, elegant glasswork, intricate ceramics, intricate fiber and wearable art, captivating mixed-media creations, masterful woodworking, and much more. Delve into the passion and craftsmanship that goes into each piece as you meet the artisans behind the artwork.
At the Lakewood Ranch Festival of the Arts, you’ll have the opportunity to find that perfect piece for your home or office. However, if you’re seeking something truly unique, consider commissioning a personalized work of art from one of the talented artists. They will bring your artistic vision to reality, creating a masterpiece tailored specifically to your tastes.
Lakewood Ranch Festival of the Arts Event Details
Dates:
Saturday, March 9, 2024 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday, March 10, 2024 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location
8100 Lakewood Main St, Bradenton, FL 34202
A change in state law brought a 2021 Sarasota County lawsuit against the South Venice Beach Endowment Trust to an end Tuesday.
The County Commission voted unanimously to approve a settlement that calls for the Trust to pay the county $60,000 to resolve the matter.
The suit arose out of a $185,250 grant of West Coast Inland Navigation District funds to dredge in the area served by the South Venice Beach ferry.
The grant agreement requires that the Trust comply with federal, state and local laws, including Florida administrative rules that funds from the grant program be “for the use and benefit of the general public … on a nonexclusive basis without regard to race, religion, age, sex or the political jurisdiction in which the user may reside,” the county's lawsuit states.
Because the Trust charged different amounts for ferry passes depending on whether the purchaser lives in South Venice, the county was concerned that the state code was being violated.
It filed suit in November 2021, alleging that the Trust had failed to allow the inspection, auditing and copying of all records related to the grant.
While the Trust did submit documentation of costs for reimbursement, the county said, it refused access to other records.
The suit sought a judgment ordering the Trust to comply with its obligation to provide access to documents related to the dredging.
If that requirement couldn’t be enforced, the county wanted the court to find the Trust in breach of the agreement and order a refund of the grant, plus interest.
The Trust argued the county was prohibited from questioning the differing fee structure because it was in place when the grant agreement was entered into, which the county denied.
However, while the suit was pending, state law was changed to remove the prohibition on tiered rates, County Attorney Joshua Moye told the County Commission, prompting settlement negotiations.
The Library Foundation for Sarasota County raised a record-setting $414,000 at its 12th annual "Love Our Libraries" author luncheon last month.
The proceeds will go to support summer reading programs at all 10 Sarasota County libraries, increase advocacy efforts and send free books to Sarasota County’s youngest residents through the Library Foundation’s partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
A total of 600 guests and 45 community partners attended the fundraiser, with two-time Pulitzer Prize winning best-selling author Colson Whitehead as guest speaker.
“We’re incredibly grateful for our community partners and donors whose generous support helps the foundation to strengthen Sarasota’s public libraries,” Library Foundation Executive Director Alisa Mitchell said.
Since its founding in 2011, the nonprofit has raised more than $8 million in private funds for Sarasota County public libraries, according to a news release.
For more information about the Library Foundation for Sarasota County and its mission, visit SarasotaLibraryFoundation.org.
A lawsuit has been filed following an alligator attack that killed an 80-year-old woman in Englewood, near her Boca Royale home.
While Rose Wiegand was pulling weeds near a seawall in July of 2022, a pair of alligators attacked, dragging her into the water and killing her.
“Several years ago, we had alligators that we saw that used to come up on the bay,” said Helga Jehle, a neighbor in the Boca Royale community.
It wasn’t until September that permits from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were put up to remove the reptiles from the area.
“I can say I’ve had an alligator right at my front door. I’ve had an alligator right in my backyard,” said Catherine Anderson, another neighbor in the Boca Royale community.
In late February, the victim’s daughter, Kristin Domain, filed a lawsuit suing the home owners association for negligence in controlling the animals.
WINK News spoke with Ryan Fogg, the family’s lawyer, who explained that because of that negligence, it was only a matter of time.
“We have meeting minutes from the board and there was discussion about putting up warning signs and those were shot down by the community by the association,” said Fogg.
The signs in the community, which the family believes would have prevented the tragedy, are long overdue.
Boca Royale Golf Property Owners Association, Neal Communities and several related entities have been named as defendants in the lawsuit filed by Domain.
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