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Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Patrol documented their first nest of the 2024 season on Sunday.
Sea turtle nesting season begins May 1, but it’s not unusual to see some early arrivals on Sarasota County beaches.
“Even though sea turtle nesting season isn’t officially supposed to start until May 1, we like to be prepared and patrol early to make sure we catch the first signs of nesting on our beaches,” Melissa Macksey, Senior Biologist and Conservation Manager of STCRP, said in a statement. “Our enthusiastic volunteers and interns make patrolling 35 miles of beaches possible. We could not do it without them. They are the reason we were able to catch this early nest.”
The Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program includes over 300 volunteers who monitor 35 miles of local beaches from April 15 to October 31. They mark the nests with tape and signs indicating that it’s a sea turtle nest, reminding beachgoers that it’s illegal to disturb it.
Mote’s first nest came from a loggerhead sea turtle, which are the most common sea turtles to nest along southwest Florida beaches, followed by endangered green sea turtles and the rare Kemp’s ridleys.
Anyone who spots a sick, injured or stranded sea turtle, dolphin, or whale in Sarasota or Manatee County is asked contact Mote Marine Laboratory’s Stranding Investigations Program at (888)-345-2335. Outside of Sarasota or Manatee counties, please call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at (888)-404-FWCC (3922).
This is a unique kind of hurricane forecast - unlike the majority that have come out thus far this season. The meterologist that does this forecast (Eric Burris) claims it was very accurate in 2023. But as the old stock market forecasting saying goes: "Past results do not guarantee future success". We'll see - but at any rate I found it interesting.
2024 hurricane season brings new risks: Long-range forecast reveals crucial 'hot spots' for Florida (Video)
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is right around the corner, which is why, for the last few months, WESH Meteorologist Eric Burris, with our NBC2 sister station in Orlando, has been working on his own hurricane seasonal forecast.
This isn't your standard "X" number of storms style forecast- this is looking at weather patterns to give you an idea of "hot spots" for the season, along with "hot dates" on the calendar, so you can have an idea what the season will look like.
Before we look ahead, let's look at how we did last year. In 2023, our forecast accurately predicted where every named storm went, and when they made landfall. Curious how it looked? Here is last year's hotspots with actual storm tracks:
So- how do we look this year?
2024 Hot Spots
What areas are at the greatest risk of seeing a landfalling tropical system in 2024? I have identified a couple of hot spots along the U.S. coast that have a higher than average chance of being directly impacted this hurricane season.
The main thing you should notice, is that THIS year Gulf coastlines are looking at above average threats- a big shift from the last few years. I also want to mention the pattern flows-
Clearly ALL pointing to the eastern Gulf coast. This is particularly concerning for us Floridians, as it tells me that not only are we under a higher threat for tropical impact, but perhaps the greatest threat I've forecast since beginning these long range outlooks years ago.
Now that we've outlined the overall pattern, let's start looking at things storm by storm. We can begin by looking at the part of the pattern most concerning to me- the South Florida part of the pattern.
I noted from this video that that the steering pattern for 2023 hurricanes was that they curved out into the open Atlantic (aka fish storms). However for 2024 the prediction for the steering pattern is that hurricanes will not curve out into the open Atlantic - but instead head towards the Caribbean.
Wearing two masks, gloves and a headlamp, Tony Miller ventured into the burned-out remains of his family’s home. The athletic director and assistant track coach at North Port High School wanted to retrieve several items locked in a safe.
When Miller emerged, he called his wife — “can you think of anything else that might be in there?” Only then did Alexis, one of the couple’s twin 17-year-old daughters, remind her dad of Snoopy.
Miller had forgotten all about Snoopy, a stuffed animal he had as a child before passing it on to Alexis. He just had to go back in and find Snoopy.
After about five minutes of looking, Miller found Snoopy buried beneath debris in Alexis’ closet. “I wasn’t going to leave until I found that thing,” he said.
Snoopy was saved.
Miller’s home could not be.
The February fire started around a gas grill Miller had used that evening to cook. The family was asleep when Leighann, Miller’s wife, was awoken by a loud noise. Their two dogs began barking, but looking out her bedroom window, she saw nothing. Five minutes later, another sound, this one the explosion of Miller’s propane tank, caused Leighann again to look out the window, this time, to the right side of the house.
Sheltair, a leading provider of aviation services and aviation real estate development, is expanding to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, building a $40 million private complex that is scheduled to begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Sheltair, a family-owned company based in Fort Lauderdale, is the nation’s largest privately owned aviation network, operating at 21 airports in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Colorado. Sheltair broke ground for its SRQ terminal and hangar complex on April 30.
“I can’t begin to express how excited we are to be in the Sarasota market,” said Lisa Holland, president and CEO of Sheltair. “We recognize the potential that it holds for us, and we look forward to working with the community to bring our 'Family First' mission to the area.”
Sheltair said the decision to expand to SRQ was driven by the airport’s robust business and general aviation flight activity and by the demand for based aircraft storage opportunities.
“We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Sheltair as the third fixed-base operator at SRQ,” said Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. “Situated on 24 acres within the new north quad airport development, this addition will provide another choice for the general aviation community and bring numerous job opportunities to the Sarasota-Bradenton area.”
The addition of Sheltair Sarasota marks the company’s 17th FBO location and 13th in Florida.
Sheltair’s development at SRQ will provide prime space for various aviation businesses and leisure travelers alike. A highlight of the development is a 10,705-square-foot terminal situated on 15 acres of apron space that will have a large airside canopy.
The FBO will include a lobby for passengers and pilots and an exclusive lounge area for private use. Further amenities include waiting areas, crew rest facilities, and conference rooms for businesses on the go. The terminal will also host local aeronautical businesses seeking high visibility at KSRQ with several large office options.
The Sheltair facility also will feature two commercial storage hangars that will accommodate all classes of aircraft – including those up to large cabin class – and additional business office needs. Hangar A will offer 29,655 square feet of hangar space with 5,940 square feet of offices. Hangar B will feature 16,875 square feet of hangar space and 3,465 square feet of offices.
Registration is open for the 2024 summer semester at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Ringling College that offers noncredit educational opportunities for adults to pursue new interests, expand intellectual horizons, and enrich their lives.
The semester, which runs May 13-July 2, features more than 40 single-session courses, tours, presentations, movies, and hands-on programs covering a variety of topics, including arts and entertainment, history, music appreciation, health, literature, philosophy, religion, and science.
Semester highlights include Opera Houses: Musical Landscapes of Power; What Wall Street Doesn’t Want You to Know; Why Are You Left-Handed or Right-Handed?; Creating the Florida Landscape You Love; The Early Days of Comic Books (1939-1948); and a tour of St. Petersburg’s Imagine Museum and Duncan McClellan Gallery.
Classes are offered at the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.
After years of work from local historians and city officials, the Newtown Historic District is officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The City of Sarasota was notified last month of the news.
The work toward the designation began in 2009. The Newtown Historic District is now the single largest historic district within Sarasota and the largest Black historic district in the state of Florida, based on the number of contributing resources.
The designation will provide protection for the area. While the building permit process for structural modifications in the historic district will not change, demolition applications now must be reviewed and approved by the Historic Preservation Board.
The Newtown Historic District includes 731 contributing resources, meaning the integrity, location and design have been retained for at least 50 years, including Galilee Cemetery, churches and other structures.
The district boundaries roughly are Myrtle Street to the north, 19th Street to the south, Seminole Gulf Railway tracks to the west and U.S. 301 to the east.
The City of Sarasota began pursuing the historic designation in April 2009 after Newtown community members expressed a strong interest in preserving the unique history of their prominently Black neighborhood. A strategic, multi-prong plan was set forth to document Newtown’s history in order to meet federal requirements to be placed in the National Register of Historic Places.
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (WWSB) - McKenzie Gorskey is an incredible teacher in the classroom, but where she really stands out is when she is getting her hands dirty at the barn. Growing up she wanted to be a teacher, but she also had a love for animals and plants. 5 years ago, her worlds collided when she became the agriculture teacher at Lakewood Ranch High School.
“We have a fully functioning culture program and animal science program. That means that we attend to animals and plants. We also teach,” says Gorskey.
This isn’t your average textbook classroom. Year round Mrs. Gorskey and her students take care of plants, chickens, dairy cattle, and beef cattle. Abigail York, a senior at the school says, “it brings new experiences with a lot of kids who don’t get to see this every day. Having an AG class is a new experience to things that they haven’t seen before.”
This experience isn’t just for a grade either. The students really are taking care of these animals. In the agriculture program the animals are raised and then shown at the Manatee County Fair where the proceeds will then go back to the school and the students.
MYAKKA CITY, Fla. (WWSB) - Dakin Dairy Farms has announced that it has new owners, but that the farm will stay in the Dakin family.
In 2023, former Florida Farm Bureau Farmer of the Year, Jerry Dakin announced that he wanted to sell the farm to the next generation of farmers. The farm had suffered serious damage during Hurricane Ian.
On Thursday, Daikin Farms announced the next generation comes from the Daikin family themselves. The new owners of Dakin Dairy Farms are Jason, Garrett, Grant, and Ethan Dakin, nephews of Jerry.
“I’m very excited to announce the good news about Dakin Dairy Farms. I am turning over management and full operations to the next generation of Dairymen. I am proud to say my four nephews will be the new owners and they plan to keep it a working dairy farm that will use new technologies to expand the product line and continue to serve our community in a bigger and better way. I’m not going anywhere but I’m happy to see the next generation of farmers dedicated to growing agriculture in our community, our state and our country. The Dakins see this as a win, win for the farm and the community,” said Jerry.
The Dakin Dairy Farm includes 3,100 head of dairy cattle with a Processing Plant comprising of 350 acres and is currently on the agricultural marketplace to be sold as a working dairy farm.
The Florida Department of Transportation has unveiled final details to replace the DeSoto Bridge across the Manatee River.
FDOT officials met with members of the community on Tuesday evening to present plans for the replacement of the aging 1.3-mile DeSoto Bridge, which was built in 1957. The department's preferred option features four 12-foot travel lanes with a concrete barrier separating northbound and southbound lanes. It also includes 10-foot inside shoulders and 12-foot outside shoulders to give vehicles space to pull over if necessary, and a 12-foot shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians.
The roadway north of the bridge would include two 12-foot travel lanes in each direction and a 12-foot shared-use path on both sides of the road. The southbound section includes a westbound turn lane, and the northbound section includes one eastbound and one westbound turn lane.
The existing four-lane bridge will remain in operation during the construction of the new bridge, which will be built immediately to the east of the current structure. Once the eastern half of the new bridge is completed, the existing bridge will be demolished to make space for the construction of the western half of the new bridge.
Traffic can cross the river by traveling on the first half of the new bridge during that time.
The final design of the project is estimated to cost $6.55 million, the right-of-way is estimated to cost $800,000. Construction costs are estimated at $140 million and expected to take place in 2027, with an additional $17.5 million estimated for construction, engineering and inspection.
The overall project is expected to cost $172.8 million.
Residents who would like to submit feedback to FDOT can email Project Manager Richard Combs at Richard.Combs@dot.state.fl.us, call 836-698-3770, or visit:
The idea doesn’t have everyone sold. Emmett Dykes has lived in Manatee County since before the original bridge was built.
“Yes, we do need a new bridge, but I think they need also to look at maybe putting something that is maybe six lanes. So, we can do a flyover on both ends and get our traffic moving through the county because it’s ridiculous around Manatee and 6th,” said Dykes.
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