Top Manatee County News In 2021: Abortion Ban, Piney Point, Elite Vax Clinic Probe

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — As residents await the arrival of a new year, here are some of the Bradenton area’s top headlines from 2021.

Manatee County Attempted to Establish an Abortion Ban

Commissioner James Satcher, a conservative minister, initially brought his pro-life initiatives inspired by Texas' so-called "Heartbeat Bill" before the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners in June.

He was working with Mark Lee Dickson, a director with Right to Life of East Texas and founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn, in moving an abortion ban forward in Manatee. Dickson helped 39 cities across the U.S. pass ordinances outlawing abortions and drafted an ordinance for Satcher.

In a 4-3 vote at its Sept. 14 meeting, commissioners narrowly approved seeking legal advice from Attorney General Ashley Moody on establishing local abortion restrictions in the county.

Legal experts in her office told the board that Manatee isn’t allowed to move forward an ordinance banning abortions and abortion clinics within county limits.

Protesters frequented commission meetings over the summer and in the fall to speak out against a potential abortion ban in the county.

One pro-choice protester was arrested and charged after asking a deputy his name and badge number when he trespassed another protester. Those charges were eventually dropped.

Baugh May Have Misused Power with Vaccination Clinic, Florida Ethics Commission Says

In early December, the Florida Commission on Ethics found "probable cause" to move forward an ongoing, months-long ethics investigation into an elite COVID-19 vaccination clinic Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh hosted in Lakewood Ranch earlier in the year moves forward and whether she violated the state constitution and misused her position.

The February pop-up event at Premier Sports Campus targeted those living in two of Manatee County's wealthiest ZIP codes at a time when it was difficult for many Floridians to find and receive the coronavirus vaccine.

The event offered the vaccine only to those living in the 34211 and 34202 ZIP codes, which fall within District 5.

Handpicking these ZIP codes bypassed Manatee County's vaccine lottery system that was in place at the time. Baugh also created a VIP list for the clinic, which included her name, though she ultimately didn't receive the vaccine at that event.

A criminal complaint was filed against Baugh with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, though an investigation concluded that she didn’t commit a crime, and at least 18 ethics complaints were filed against her at the state level.

Contaminated Wastewater Breach at Piney Point Threatened Area

A breach in the reservoir of a former phosphate fertilizer processing plant in Palmetto threatened to flood the area with wastewater in the spring.

During this breach, the radioactive gypstack at the site nearly collapsed, prompting officials to order an emergency evacuation in the area. More than 200 million gallons of untreated wastewater was discharged directly into Tampa Bay to prevent a wall of contaminated water from flooding homes and businesses in the area.

Local environmental groups have expressed concerns about the water’s release. Suncoast Waterkeeper and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper said the wastewater contains excess nitrogen – about 10 times the nitrogen of raw sewage.

A coalition of conservation groups filed lawsuits against Manatee County, Gov. Ron DeSantis, the acting secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Manatee County Port Authority and the property's owner, HRK Holdings, LLC for releasing “hazardous pollutants” into the water.

Work continues at the site to remove the remaining wastewater. The state approved a deep-well injection at Piney Point, which injected Piney Point’s process water about 3,000 feet underground to remove the remainder of the water. Drilling began just before Christmas.

Commissioners Force Out Manatee County Administrator

In February, Cheri Coryea, Manatee County administrator, stepped down from the role, which she held since 2019, after pressure from the Manatee County Commission.

The new slate of commissioners came in with a mission of replacing Coryea. First-time commissioners James Satcher, Kevin Van Ostenbridge and George Kruse, joined by Vanessa Baugh, who was sworn in for her third term, led the charge to fire Coryea at the Nov. 19, 2020 commission meeting and voted in favor of her dismissal.

Van Ostenbridge proposed her termination, and he, along with Satcher and Kruse, had only been in office for 50 hours at the time. Commissioners Reggie Bellamy, Misty Servia and Carol Whitmore voted against letting Coryea go.

Ultimately, though, the commission decided Coryea should retain her position at its Jan. 6 meeting. At the commission's Jan. 26 meeting, Kruse motioned to revisit Coryea's termination, which the commission supported in a 4 to 3 vote.

At that same meeting, Kruse admitted to an extramarital affair and accused Whitmore of using that information to blackmail him. Whitmore denied the accusation.

Commissioners were scheduled to discuss Coryea's future with the county at a special meeting Feb. 17, but that was canceled to allow her and her attorney time to negotiate a separation agreement with the county.

The county hired Dr. Scott Hopes as an acting county administrator April 1 and offered the job to him permanently in May.

'American Idol' Finalist Syesha Mercado Reunited with Newborn

After having her newborn daughter, Ast, taken from her by child welfare officials in August, "American Idol" finalist Syesha Mercado was reunited with her baby after nearly two weeks.

Her partner, Tyron Deener, shared a video about the reunion to Mercado's Instagram account.

"Ast is home," he said in an emotional video recorded from the back of a car as they drove home from their regaining custody of their daughter. "Ast is home. We have Ast with us."

The infant was taken from her parents Aug. 11 by Manatee County sheriff's deputies who stopped them while driving for a welfare check. They insisted on taking the baby to a hospital for a checkup.

The couple's 18-month-old son, Amen'Ra, was previously taken into custody by the Florida Department of Children and Families and put into foster care in March amid allegations that he was malnourished.

Lightning Coach Brings Stanley Cup to Anna Maria Island Bars

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper surprised patrons at Anna Maria Island dive bars and restaurants when he stopped by for a celebratory drink with the Stanley Cup in July.

The Lightning won its second consecutive Stanley Cup trophy by defeating the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 at the Amelie Arena.

After that big win, Cooper, who has a home on Anna Maria Island (AMI), was ready for a drink and stopped by several bars and restaurants with the trophy in tow, including the Drift Inn at 120 Bridge Street and the Beach Bistro at 6600 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach.

First Watch Restaurant Group Went Public

First Watch Restaurant Group, based in Bradenton, raised about $195.8 million during its initial public stock offering in early October. The chain, which trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Mark under the symbol FWRG, said it sold 10,877,850 shares of its common stock during this time.

The company also opened its new corporate headquarters in the University Town Center area in July.

After Nearly Closing, Cortez Post Office Saved

Once poised to close, the historic Cortez Post Office at 12112 44th Ave. W. was saved in December.

Its lease has been extended another five years, according to a statement from the United States Postal Service. The new lease runs until July 31, 2026.

An eviction noticed was filed against the Cortez Post Office earlier this year after its previous lease expired, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan said in a news release.

He wrote to the USPS to share his concerns about the Cortez Post Office's closure and the strain it would place on residents.

The new lease was secured after the USPS agreed to include the landlord, John Banyas, in its insurance plan for the property.

Ringling Bros. Circus Returning in 2023 Without Animals

Feld Entertainment, based in Ellenton, is reviving its Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus in 2023.

"In 2023 we will be relaunching Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus," Juliette Feld Grossman, chief operating officer, said during the October VenuesNow Conference in Seattle. "You can see it's emotional and exciting for us as a family. We really feel that Ringling Bros. has incredible relevance to today's audience."

There will be one major difference when the Greatest Show on Earth returns: It will be animal-free.

Drowning Manatee Rescued, Red Tide Toxin May Have Caused Illness

A drowning manatee was rescued from the Manatee River near the Business U.S. 41 bridge in October thanks to the efforts of two Freedom Boat Club employees.

Wildlife experts said the manatee most likely ate some toxic seagrass with neurotoxins in it from red tide, which can impair the marine mammal and lead to drowning.

Don Swartz, an employee at the boat club's Bradenton location, said it's not unusual for them to receive calls from members who are out boating or workers on nearby docks if there are any issues with wildlife in the area.

Bradenton Golfer Nelly Korda Brings Home Olympic Gold

Bradenton golfer Nelly Korda took home the gold medal for Team USA in the women's golf competition at the Tokyo Summer Olympics Saturday.

She finished the final round 17-under-par, overcoming an early double bogey to win the gold.

"Olympian and a gold medalist," she posted on Instagram. Wow, what an honor to wear red, white and blue on the podium."

Driver Shortage Forces Bradenton to Change Solid Waste Collection

The city of Bradenton reorganized its solid waste collection schedule due to a CDL driver shortage, an issue plaguing the solid waste industry in many places across the country, in July.

Garbage collection, the city's primary priority, continued on its normal schedule, but the shortage of drivers made it difficult to consistently cover both yard waste and recycle collections every week, the city said.

As a temporary solution, the collection schedule switched every other week between yard waste and recycling.

Manatee Native Dons Chiefs Jersey at Super Bowl LV

A familiar face took the field wearing a Kansas City Chiefs jersey during the team's Super Bowl LV match-up against home team Tampa Bay Buccaneers in February.

Kansas City's starting center, Austin Reiter, is a 2010 graduate of Lakewood Ranch High School in Manatee County. From there, he went on to play football for the University of South Florida before launching his NFL career.

Pineberries: Florida Welcomes a Berry Industry Game Changer

It was an exciting year for Florida berry farmers as they welcomed a newcomer on the scene, the pineberry or white strawberry.

Typically found in Japan and other Asian countries, the University of Florida's Gulf Coast Research and Education Center began exploring how they could bring the unique strawberry to the Sunshine State in 2012, said Dr. Vance Whitaker, an associate professor at UF's GCREC and a strawberry breeder through UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences extension program.

While some smaller growers found ways to produce pineberries in the U.S. in the past, it wasn't done at the scale Florida is doing now, nor was it the same product, he said. "They could be found in some other areas, but they were very mild, very tiny, the size of your thumbnail. It's just not something that has been grown and put into a supermarket here."

Bradenton Native Crowned Miss FL, Will Vie for Miss America Title

A Bradenton native was named the newest Miss Florida in June. Miss Tampa, Leah Roddenberry, was crowned in front of a capacity crowd at the RP Funding Center's Youkey Theatre in Lakeland after two rounds of competition.

She went on to represent the state in the 100th Miss America competition in December.

19-Year-Old Aged Out of Foster Care Adopted by Her Case Worker

A Manatee County teenager who aged out of foster care had a lot to celebrate when she was formally adopted by her former case worker in April.

Monyay, 19, had previously been in foster and group home care before aging out of the system, Safe Children Coalition, an organization that works to protect children and strengthen families in Sarasota, Manatee and Desoto counties, shared on its Facebook page.

The teen was adopted by Leah Paskalides, adoptions assistant manager for Safe Children Coalition. She served as Monyay's case manager and later became a mentor to the teen.