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THE FEAR OF GARDEN ELEMENTARY'S ROOM 138
FROM VENICE GONDOLIER
A Venice Gondolier investigation revealed staff and students at Garden Elementary in Venice suffered serious health issues linked to mold exposure, including toxic black mold found in Room 138. One teacher has developed an autoimmune disease, another one's childhood autoimmune disease has come back, and a third has developed an extreme allergy to mold that now requires weekly shots. That's not all — one teacher also was forced to take a leave of absence since April and another has quit due to her illnesses. One parent also unenrolled her child from Garden Elementary due to the situation. Complaints about these problems date back more than a decade, but sources say the district largely ignored them until just three months ago.
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DESANTIS SAYS DOGE WILL INVESTIGATE MANATEE COUNTY'S GOVERNMENT SPENDING
FROM BRADENTON HERALD
Manatee County will be the next subject of examinations and audits from Florida’s Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE), Gov. Ron DeSantis announced. The state’s DOGE, backed by state funds, investigates state and local spending with a task force that is granted access to spending records, data systems, physical premises and personnel. DeSantis announced the audit during a press conference at the Manatee Performing Arts Center in Bradenton Thursday afternoon. “We are here today to continue our record of fiscal responsibility,” DeSantis said.
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FLORIDA LEADS THE NATION IN HOME INSURANCE NON-RENEWAL RATES
FROM WUSF
An analysis shows non-renewals are initiated by the insurers, spiking 280% in five years from 2018 to 2023, the highest in the U.S. Most of these nonrenewals are being initiated not by the consumers, but by insurers trying to balance or reduce their risk exposure due to Florida's increasing and intensifying extreme weather events. These surging non-renewals are leaving homeowners scrambling to find coverage.
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MANATEE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO DECIDE FUTURE OF MIXON FRUIT FARMS PROPERTY
FROM EAST COUNTY OBSERVER
The future of Mixon Fruit Farms will be decided by Manatee County commissioners on July 29 when they vote to either purchase the property or pass. If commissioners pass, Janet Mixon said she and her husband Dean Mixon will have no choice but to sell to a developer. D.R. Horton is one of several developers that have made an offer on the property. Mixon said one plan proposes 150 townhomes on the site, which is the last resort as far as she’s concerned. The Mixons are willing to drop their asking price a couple million below the appraised value of about $15.75 million if the county is willing to purchase the property.
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PREHISTORIC FIND: UTILITIES CREW UNEARTHS GIANT GROUND SLOTH FOSSIL IN MANATEE COUNTY
FROM SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE
A Manatee County utilities crew was digging a trench recently when it unearthed something unexpected: a fossilized giant ground sloth claw that had been buried in more than 11,000 years ago. According to the county, the fossil dates back to a time when giant sloths were a part of a mass migration that took place after the ice age along a landmass that merged the North and South American continents around the Panama Canal. The Megatherium, or giant ground sloth, stood 15 feet tall and weighed more than three tons. They were the largest sloths to roam North America, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
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DISTRICT DIVISION: SARASOTA CO. SCHOOL BOARD OK'S CHANGE IN ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY AMID WARNINGS
FROM VENICE GONDOLIER
The Sarasota County School Board voted 3-2 on Tuesday to approve a revised harassment and discrimination policy removing specific mentions of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and other protected categories. The language was replaced with terms "any" and "all, which, according to district leaders, would only strengthen the policy. But parents, students and advocates warned the change was politically motivated and would only hurt students and staff. While the policy passed, a tense exchange between two board members widened the gap of division on the issue.
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NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR TEEN DRIVERS IN FLORIDA GO INTO EFFECT NEXT MONTH
FROM WUSF
The 2023 fatal crash rate for teens was nearly three times the rate for drivers over 20, according to federal statistics. A new state law (SB 994) aims to improve their safety. The legislation requires teens to get some additional training before getting a learner's permit. Starting next month, ages 14½ to 17 must complete a six-hour classroom-based driver's education course before hitting the roads. Previously, teens were required to complete the four-hour Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course.
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FPL WANTS TO BURY MORE POWER LINES IN SARASOTA
FROM WSLR
In a few older City of Sarasota neighborhoods, the utility pole has become a thing of the past. FPL has laid 10 miles of underground line, which reaches about 1,700 houses. Now, FPL wants to bury a line for an additional 929 Sarasota houses as part of the Storm Secure Underground Program. Sarasota is one of 15 storm secure projects throughout the state, which also includes tree management and an inspection of existing power lines. About 76% of Sarasota County residents lost power during Hurricane Milton. FPL spokesperson Kamrel Eppinger says FPL looks at outage data when selecting neighborhoods for the project.
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MYAKKA ANIMAL SANCTUARY LANDS IMPORTANT GRANT
FROM EAST COUNTY OBSERVER
Since Hurricane Ian destroyed much of the property's perimeter fencing in September of 2022, the Farmhouse Sanctuary and Nature Preserve has not been able to host tours of the compound, a great way of attracting donors and introducing the community to its mission. Then Hurricane Milton delivered another knockout blow to many of the Hurricane Ian repairs that had been accomplished. Fortunately for the nonprofit, the Bishop-Parker Foundation awarded a $50,000 grant to Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary (announced July 9) that will allow the sanctuary to rebuild all its perimeter fencing — except for the front of the compound which remains solid — as well as providing funds for other needed repairs that were caused by the hurricanes.
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BACK ON TRACK: SCIENTISTS RESTART WORK ON NEXT-GEN RAINFALL PROJECT TO DEFEND AGAINST WORSENING FLOODING
FROM FLORIDA TRIDENT
A suspended federal project that promised to be a game-changer in protecting the public from worsening flooding is back in business today, with a team of scientists hard at work to make up for lost time. NOAA Atlas-15 is a next-gen tool for understanding rainfall and flooding risks, now and in the future. Unlike preceding rainfall atlases, the new one will reflect how changes in the earth’s climate have wiped out old weather patterns, changing how communities experience extreme rainfall and making dangerous flooding more common. Kenneth Kunkel, lead scientist in building a major part of NOAA Atlas-15, said his team was officially notified Tuesday to restart its work, which was halted by a July 10 termination order from the NOAA-funded contractor RTI International, for which his team is a subcontractor.
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