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Become an Energy Coach and champion energy equity in underserved communities. This four-day volunteer training program empowers you to make a lasting impact and it begins March 26!
A Bradenton animal rescue shelter assisted Florida deputies who rescued more than 200 dogs from a hoarding case.
Honor Animal Rescue in Bradenton took 50 of those dogs that needed medical help, as they began their search for foster homes for the animals.
“Our team immediately sprung into action, loading up our vans with supplies for them and empty crates to bring back animals,” the organization said.
On Wednesday, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office rescued 208 dogs, including pregnant and elusive outside dogs. 70 of those dogs were placed with rescues.
“There are so many unsung heroes who stepped up with supplies and assistance. Thank you!” the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone interested in taking in a dog to foster can complete a new foster home application, or simply donate at:
A purchasing agreement executed last fall between the Manatee County Government and a local payroll and PEO company has grown into a six-figure contract after just six months.
The county’s agreement with Secure HR was initially approved for a “not to exceed” amount of $18,750. The most recent amendment to that agreement was approved administratively and will provide Secure HR Pro $415,000 for 12 months of continuing HR consulting services—on top of the $37,500 already paid to the company for Phase 1 and 2.
Manatee County Commissioners approved the initial procurement agreement with Secure HR as a consent agenda item during an August 2023 BOCC meeting.
The language included in the agreement suggested that additional services and costs could be approved under the agreement in the future. However, according to the county’s procurement and standard manual, if the agreement’s total expenditures were below the $500,000 threshold, such amendments to the agreement could be approved administratively and avoid a public hearing or board approval.
As TBT reported last fall, multiple questions were raised by the agreement’s initial approval, including questions about the small payroll company’s qualifications and experience, the fact that the contract was awarded without a competitive bidding process, and that the company’s president, Dennis Cooley, appears to have political and personal relationships with some of the commissioners.
“I’m the person who has a backup plan for the backup plan,” said Anastasiia Lezhania.
Ahead of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, as she noticed people leaving her hometown of Kyiv, the 14-year-old collected passports and other papers that would help her family in case they needed to flee.
On the morning of February 24, 2022, the unthinkable happened: Russian missiles began to slam into Kyiv. After a missile hit the apartment building across the street, the family – with their dog, two cats, and what they could carry in bags and backpacks – left the city where Anastasiia had lived all her life.
“The noise of the rockets,” Anastasiia recalled, “was terrible.”
For two days, they stayed with friends in a village outside Kyiv before Anastasiia’s dad drove them to Lviv, near Poland. He dropped them near the border, but the family, with the pets, had to walk the last few kilometers, trudging through the bitter cold toward safety.
At a refugee camp in Poland, they were processed and then taken in by a Polish family Anastasiia had found on Facebook as they fled. Seeing the need to help, during the day Anastasiia would return to the refugee camp to help incoming Ukrainians. Every day, the facility became stretched as more tired and anxious families arrived.
“You don’t really think about how hard it is," she said. "You just go because you have to.”
While Anastasiia was helping fellow refugees, her mom, who got a lead from her own mom in Ukraine, reached out to a connection in Canada, who texted a pastor friend in North Port, Florida, who texted Anastasiia’s mom in Poland. The pastor offered to host the family, and a few days later they used the last of their money for plane tickets to Miami.
Anastasiia arrived in North Port the Friday before spring break, affording her a week to acclimate before beginning classes at North Port High School on her fifteenth birthday. She knew almost no English but excelled at math. To learn English, she watched YouTube videos and downloaded free trials of learning apps. It was hard, but Anastasiia persisted, passed her Florida Standards Assessment in English on the second attempt, and applied for the AICE program to take advanced coursework.
Of her early days starting over in America, Anastasiia said, “I did not fully understand where I was and what was happening. I just followed the road. I just knew that there were new tasks that needed to be done.”
Two years on, her resolve has not abated. In the apartment where her mom and brothers moved after they could afford a place of their own, she cooks for the family. Through her persistence, she got a job at Publix and walks 15 minutes to work in the bakery. She is looking for ways to help the family cover legal expenses for the immigration process.
Anastasiia has also found ways to connect to her home. In Kyiv, she loved to sing, dance, act, and play drums. When the band at her church in North Port needed a new drummer and learned that she played, they asked her to join. Playing drums again, Anastasiia said, “Helps me get back my past life.” With a smile, she added, “And I love to control the tempo.”
In February, Anastassia learned she was a 2024 recipient of a STRIVE Award, which recognizes high school juniors and seniors who have overcome challenges to succeed. For a young woman who knew almost no English two years ago, she is on track to earn her AICE diploma. While uncertain how she will pay for college, she has applied to many and already received acceptance letters. She plans to study film production at a four-year school but is developing backup plans.
*About the Education Foundation of Sarasota County & STRIVE Awards
For 35 years, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County (EdFoundationSRQ.org) has supported students and teachers because education transforms lives. As a champion for life readiness, the Education Foundation provides personalized, comprehensive resources and relationships so that students can find their purpose and progress intentionally through their K – 12 schooling. Its mission is to enhance the potential of students, promote excellence in teaching, and inspire innovation in education, guided by strategic philanthropy.
The STRIVE Awards were born out of H. Jack Hunkele’s vision to recognize students who have overcome tremendous challenges to succeed in life. Learn more about the STRIVE Awards and this year’s remarkable recipients at EdFoundationSRQ.org/STRIVE.
NORTH PORT – In a fight between developers and a homeowners group over a sky-high water supply contract, the developers want to kick the judge off the case in the long-running legal fight.
Two entities with an ownership claim to water rights under land owned by the West Villages Improvement District filed a motion Feb. 19 seeking to disqualify Circuit Court Judge Hunter W. Carroll from a lawsuit filed by the Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association challenging a 100-year irrigation contract signed before residents got control of the south Sarasota County subdivision. The motion questions whether Carroll can be impartial.
The property owners association successfully challenged the agreement – signed in 2018 – in part because the meeting of the West Villages Improvement District where it was approved was not properly advertised.
A legal notice of the public hearing was published in the Herald-Tribune on Sept. 8, 2018, but that was only five days before the hearing, instead of the legally required seven days.
In his ruling for the homeowners Feb. 9, 2023, Carroll called one aspect of the district's irrigation contract "obscene."
Since then any money homeowners paid for irrigation water exceeding $0.39 per 1,000 gallons per customer should have been going into an escrow account while a lawsuit over the dispute proceeds.
Attorneys for the West Villages development district appealed Carroll's ruling but last December, the 2nd District Court of Appeal affirmed his decision.
Last month The Ranch Land Operations LLLP and Thomas Ranch Intangibles, LLLP filed a motion to intervene in the case and counter-sued the property owner’s association.
Rick Severance, president of Mattamy Homes’ Wellen Park Division is the authorized representative of both entities.
Judge denies motion to remove him from North Port residents' irrigation contract case
Judge Hunter Carroll found the motion by The Ranch Land Operations LLLP and Thomas Ranch Intangibles, LLLP legally insufficient
A circuit judge denied as legally insufficient a motion asking him to remove himself from a case challenging a 100-year irrigation contract signed shortly before developers turned over control of the Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association to residents.
Lots of Midway games and decadent fair food. Sarasota. County Agricultural Fair continues through Sunday, March 24, 2024. Once again Belle City Amusements is back with it's spectacular rides and entertainment at the Sarasota Fairgrounds, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota; $10 advance, $12 day of adults, $5 advance, $6 day of ages 6-12, $6 seniors ages 55 and up/military, free ages 5 and under, with admission specials. Visit sarasotafair.com or call 941-365-0818 more details.
A 3-year-old Venice girl was taken off life support this week after the consequences from a drowning, according to an email from the YMCA that went to parents.
The girl was a Venice YMCA Early Learning Academy student, but officials noted the drowning did not happen at the YMCA.
“Over the weekend, one of our ELA students, Evaleen, drowned,” the email stated. “She was placed on life support, and the family made the difficult decision to donate her organs. They are in the process of saying goodbye to their child.”
It did not state the circumstances of the drowning.
The child will be remembered at 10 a.m. March 16 during an already planned “Safety Around Water” event at the Venice YMCA.
“She was a bright little girl, and she was loved by so many,” the email from the YMCA stated. “I always say we are a family here at the Y, and our staff are heartbroken.”
The usual sounds of splashing and children laughing at the Venice YMCA pool were replaced by a moment of silence Saturday morning as staff, families and friends paid their respects to victims of drowning.
Among those remembered during the YMCA's "Safety Around Water" event was Evaleen Wayne, a 3-year-old Venice girl who was taken off life support this week following a drowning at a home pool earlier this month.
In a statement on the family's GoFundMe for Evaleen's care, friends of the family said the girl's mother made the decision so "Evaleen can save other lives and leave a legacy" through organ donation.
During Saturday's remembrance event, Early Learning Academy staff encouraged donations to help the family while sharing their favorite memories of Evaleen and her "spitfire" attitude.
"She always was up for a challenge," ELA Director Angel Gastfield said. "And we just want to remember all that she was, so smart and she was so bright."
Southwest Florida YMCA Aquatics Lead Cassy Velared shared the importance of learning to swim for all ages, urging residents to sign their children up for lessons as early as 6 months old for YMCA's season-round swimming classes.
"Our world is over 70% water and kids are 100% curious," Velared said. "So, it's important for all of us as adults to be that guiding light when it comes to our youth about talking openly regarding the safety around water."
Adult supervision of a child in a body of water is a priority preventative measure, Velared said, especially if an adult is in the water and within arm's reach of the child.
"Getting them enrolled in a safety water program and in the water to be trained is even better," she said.
For those unable to afford swim lessons, Velared said, YMCA offers scholarships to ensure residents of all ages have the access to learn.
"We'll never turn a family away for swim lessons," Velared said. "It's not an option, it's necessary."
Nokomis residents Patty and Andy Borden, who were present for the Safety Around Water class with their two grandchildren, shared their experiences with raising kids around water.
"I would hope people will keep an eye on their kids, which is just about impossible sometimes," Andy Borden said.
Patty Borden shared that her children and grandchildren were put in swim lessons as soon as they were eligible to enroll. Unable to swim herself, she said she knew it was important for her kids to know how to swim when they moved to Florida.
"It can happen in the blink of an eye and anything can go wrong," she said.
It is common for kids to become overconfident very easily, she said, so parents should remain aware at all times to prevent another drowning.
Wow, U.S. Air Force Capt. Kenneth Ansbro’s recent mission is making a lot of people proud, beginning with parents Kenny and Diana.
When Sweden officially joined NATO on March 7, the 2015 Palmetto High grad and B-52 navigator was part of the bomber crew selected for a momentous joint flyover to honor the Nordic nation’s confirmation as NATO’s 32nd member.
Ansbro’s Stratofortress was escorted by a USAF B-1 bomber and several of Sweden’s Gripen fighter jets as the formation soared over Stockholm, Sweden’s historic capital.
Based at Minot AFB in North Dakota, Ansbro’s B-52 made an amazing 25-hour flight roundtrip (with mid-air refueling) before returning to the U.S. from its meaningful journey, landing at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas.
Dad is the retired Palmetto High athletic director and Mom is a Parrish Community High counselor.
On Feb. 27, the Manatee County Commission approved a $170,000 grant to buy four new bomb suits.
The department has four suits now that are nearing the end of their effective lives. Bomb suits need to be replaced every five to seven years. The material stretches over time from sweat and sun exposure, making the suits less effective.
Public Information Officer Randy Warren said it's important to have the right gear to train with and to be prepared if there's ever a major incident that requires multiple people to suit up at once.
Bomb squad suits are made of kevlar, the same material used in bulletproof vests. The suits are stiff from hard panels that protect the arms, legs and chest.
Tapping on the chest panel feels and sounds like knocking on a door, but the suits are flexible enough to allow law enforcement officers to move, such as diving to the ground, if necessary.
Each suit weighs about 80 pounds, and with the helmet and additional equipment, goes to 100 pounds. The helmet comes with a defogger, lights, a ventilation fan and amplifiers to increase the slightest ambient noise.
“If I hear something, clicking or ticking, it’s important to know,” Deputy Carlos Dasilva said. “I might need to get out of there.”
Have you ever wanted to know what the Sarasota County bomb squad does? Do you have any idea how much expertise goes into their work?
Watch this episode of 10-8 TV, and you can learn a lot! These guys are absolutely “the BOMB”!
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.
Sarasota County Solid Waste Franchise Collections Contract Update
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