Monday, May 14, 2012
Planning session geared to solve traffic concerns, special County Commission meeting and more going on this week.
1. The public is invited to attend and offers suggestions for the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization's US 41/301 Corridor - New Bridge Planning Charrette, today from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Manatee Convention Center. The goal of the intensive planning session is to discuss ways to relieve traffic congestion, accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists and determine if a new bridge is needed. 2. The Nuisance Abatement Board will also meet today from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Commission Chambers; and the School Board meets today as well at 5:45 p.m. Manatee County School Board Building. The Bradenton City Council will also hold a workshop on Wednesday at 8:30 at City Hall. 3. The Manatee County Commission will hold a special…
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Dozens charged with social welfare fraud and other narcotics-related charges.
Warrants for the arrests of more than 50 people were issued and the massive criminal round up began at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning. Fifty three people were charged with a total of 78 charges, including social welfare fraud, a 3rd degree felony, and a number of other charges related to narcotics. In January 2012, undercover officers approached their administration regarding the large numbers of Electonic Balance Transfer (EBT) cards they were finding at various residences during drug busts. Officers stated that between three and four to as many as 10 to 15 EBT cards were found at homes that did not belong to those residing in the homes. An investigation uncovered that drug dealers were purchasing the EBT cards from whom they had been issued, for…
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Anti-tethering rule passes, but health certificate requirement to sell a pet is tabled for a future meeting.
The Manatee County Commission voted unanimously today to pass changes to the county's current animal ordinance, with one portion of the changes to be removed, revised and discussed at a later date. The ordinance changes including three major revisions: Commissioner At Large Joe McClash expressed concern that including the requirement for a health certificate would be a hardship for people who are not breeders, due to the additional expense of seeing a vet, and that they may inadvertently break the law. "I'm tired of laws that force people to become in violation of a law that a lot of them won't even know about," he said. "Just because the state has the law, doesn't mean it's the right law." Kristopher J. Weiskopf, Animal Services chief, …
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Gov. Rick Scott signs a bill into law that is aimed to lower insurance rates in Florida to avoid high claims of Personal Injury Protection.
Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation Friday to reform auto accident fraud in Florida, this year’s number one consumer protection issue. But consumer groups say it could have been better. The Governor's Office says this is meaningful legislation that will lower the cost of auto insurance premiums for Florida drivers by limiting fraud in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. Accident fraud would have cost average Floridians over $1 billion this year if PIP reform was not passed. The changes will go into law in July and consumers should start seeing changes after Jan. 1, 2013. “Growing up in a family without a lot of money, I truly understand the value of the hard-earned dollar for Florida families,” Scott said in a statement. “By helping…
Friday, May 4, 2012
Chris Peterman of Bradenton ifiled and appeal to the Provost as set out in the handbook but has not heard back from the school.
In his four years at Bob Jones University Christopher Peterman of Bradenton learned a lot. But not all of the political science major's lessons were sanctioned by the college and for that, it seems, he will not graduate. Peterman has appealed his expulsion over racking up demerits for doing things like organizing a protest on campus, posting song lyrics by Contemporary Christian bands on his facebook page, watching the television show Glee and reaching out to outside authorities for help in being able to take his finals and graduate on Saturday. The college senior had interned with Congressman Vern Buchanan for a semester and asked him about his options as his demerits were piling up. He also reached out to Sen. Marco Rubio and the …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Manatee and Sarasota administrators will explore partnerships in emergency radio communications, public transportation and criminal justice issues.
After a string of presentations on Manatee and Sarasota counties' most successful collaborations — tourism, sports marketing and the airport — Commissioners from both counties on Tuesday agreed to have their administrators explore the possibility of even more partnerships. In a joint county meeting commissioners from both counties agreed that the county administrators should explore options for more consolidated services between Manatee and Sarasota counties. At the top of the list is a regional radio system for emergency communications. Both counties are at the point of replacing their aging systems. Currently, Sarasota and Manatee counties have two different types of radio systems, which largely prevent them from communicating with one …
Friday, April 27, 2012
The City Councilwoman will resign her council seat to take on Mayor Wayne Poston.
Bradenton City Councilwoman Marianne Barnebey will give up her City Council seat to enter the mayor’s race for this November’s election. Barnebey, who has served on the City Council since 1998, said she wants to work to help the community prosper and to improve the quality of life in Bradenton. “After receiving encouragement from many citizens and business owners in our community, I have decided to run for mayor," she said Wednesday. "We have serious issues we must face to maintain and improve our quality of life for all. I will remain committed to the citizens as we continue to move forward together and look forward to hearing from all the citizens of Bradenton.” She plans to do that through continuing the city's redevelopment efforts …
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Public officials are looking at ways to consolidate government and some solutions might involve sharing operations between Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Could you imagine Sarasota and Bradenton as a unified Super City in each county? With presentations and reports outlined on both sides of University Parkway in the coming weeks, it seems that ideas for consolidating government will come within and beyond county boundaries in various forms. Officials are beyond the point of simple piggyback contracts for services and purchasing equipment. It's coming to the point of sharing departments and public safety. This week, Sarasota County Commissioners' counterparts in Manatee County floated a few ideas to save money, The Bradenton Herald reported. Those ideas focus on public safety and tranist, the paper reported: "Those services include traffic management; emergency medical services; 911 …
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The U.S. Postal Service has suspended extended hours for late tax filers today in its Suncoast region, which includes Manatee and Sarasota County, a spokeswoman confirmed.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Drop off canned goods at food collection boxes with these neighborhood merchants, and help Florida Patch collect a ton of food for needy families in our region.
The Bradenton Patch has partnered with some local organizations for the Give-A-Ton Food Drive. Our goal is to collect a ton of food for the nonprofit, Feeding America Tampa Bay, and help nourish local children and their families this summer, when school is out and free and reduced lunch programs are not available. The Bradenton Patch, along with 18 other Patch Florida sites, is working to collect nonperishable food items. Feeding America Tampa Bay will distribute the food through its partner agencies. We've made it easy for you help. Just drop off your canned food items at these local independent shops. If you're a student or faculty member, you can bring your canned goods to Manatee High School, where the Key Club is helping out with the …
Sophia Ryan
1:13 pm on Thursday, May 10, 2012
always wondered why 'that' BP station was ALWAYS busy! knew something was going on...yeah! add them to the list! more ›