Manatee
The year that seemed to never end is almost over. While the national news cycle was jam-packed with story after story, from President Donald Trump’s inauguration, monstrous hurricanes and April the giraffe finally giving birth, Manatee County wasn’t short of happenings, either.
A new sheriff. A frightful accident during a Circus Sarasota rehearsal. The unfortunate death of our favorite manatee, Snooty.
Did you remember it all? Buckle in and relive some of the highlights Bradenton Herald readers were most drawn to this year.
January
There’s a new sheriff in town. The son of former Manatee County Sheriff Charlie Wells was sworn in on Jan. 3 in front of a crowd of friends, family and fellow law enforcement officers. He succeeded Brad Steube but set himself apart from his predecessors. “I’m not Sheriff Steube. I’m not Charlie Wells. I’m Rick Wells. And that’s how I’ll always act. I will always be myself.”
Four days before Christmas, Boni, a black Labrador mix, escaped her home and was picked up by Manatee County Animal Services. The story of a man’s best friend of 17 years being euthanized before the county’s five-day grace period clearly tugged the heartstrings of several thousand readers.
February
The School District of Manatee County was subject to a phishing scheme in February, releasing the personal information of more than 7,700 school employees to hackers posing as Superintendent Diana Greene. One employee was transferred to a position where she would not have access to sensitive information and another received a formal warning letter.
While practicing an eight-person stunt two days before the opening night, five performers were injured in an accident during Circus Sarasota rehearsals. Famed performer Nik Wallenda was confident that the show would go on (and it did) and credited God for the “miracle.”
March
Tragedy struck the DeSoto Speedway when veteran race car driver David Steele crashed and died of his injuries during the Southern Sprint Car Shootout Series on March 25. He was 42. Sprint cars are open-wheel winged cars where the driver sits in a steel roll cage. Steele’s car hit the side wall and although emergency crews were able to get to him in a short time, he was pronounced dead on the track.
Cancer concerns at Bayshore High School came back into the headlines, 10 years after then-State Rep. Bill Galvano held a public meeting. The resurgence led to a joint meeting between county commissioners and school board members, and the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County started collecting former students’ and faculty’s information as part of a health study.
April
The most-read story of April on Bradenton.com was after the news broke that the Florida House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that would allow for alleged offenders to be charged with manslaughter for distributing drugs that lead to someone’s death. The bill was eventually signed into law, with Gov. Rick Scott visiting Sarasota County in July for a signing event.
The second most-read story was when gunman Glenn Watenpool, 68, took a hostage at the Pescara Lake mobile home park clubhouse. According to Sheriff Rick Wells, Watenpool was upset about rumors circulating about him and that he was about to be evicted. The SWAT standoff lasted several hours and deputies killed Watenpool after he opened fire.
Extremely dry conditions earlier this year fueled wildfires throughout the state. Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency, and eventually Manatee County followed suit. There were three times as many wildfires in Manatee County in the first five months of 2017 compared to the same time in 2016.
May
More than two years after a 51-hour manhunt for triple-murderer Andres “Andy” Avalos, he was convicted and sentenced to three life prison terms for the 2014 murders of his wife, Amber Avalos, his neighbor, Denise Potter, and the Rev. James “Tripp” Battle. He was also sentenced to an additional 15 years for the attempted murder of a fellow inmate.
A five-alarm fire at Callaghan Tire raised the alarm for readers. It sent a flume of black smoke into the air that could be seen from miles away and destroyed thousands of tires. At the time, the Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations had not found any evidence that the fire was suspicious.
June
School was out for the summer, but some 249 students learned that their advanced-placement English test results wouldn’t count because there was an unauthorized person in the room. To get credit, students had the option of retaking the test two weeks after the announcement.
Manatee School of the Arts alum Reggie Williams Jr., also known as R.LUM.R, was featured in the Rolling Stone’s list of the “10 Artists You Need to Know.” He released his first EP and went on an international tour.
July
A shot straight through to the hearts of all Bradentonians, Snooty, the oldest manatee in captivity, died one day after his 69th birthday celebration. He gained access to the life support maintenance tube, couldn’t turn around and drowned.
The infamous shark-dragging video emerged in late July, gripping the world and Bradenton Herald readers alike. After a months-long investigation, charges were filed against three men, two of whom are sons of Manatee County government officials.
August
Some neighborhoods in the Whitfield area experienced disastrous floods in late August, about two weeks before Hurricane Irma hit. Then-Florida Emergency Management Director Bryan Koon made a visit to the Centre Lake subdivision as residents emptied their destroyed homes.
The 2017 solar eclipse definitely lived up to the hype, especially if you were in the path of totality. Locally, residents were treated to about 80 percent coverage and temperatures dropped by about three degrees. Students at St. Joseph Catholic School took time out of their school day to experience the living science lesson for themselves, complete with snacks of Moon Pies and Capri Sun.
A violent three days in August claimed the lives of six. First, Melquisedec “Tito” Betancourt was found shot to death in a car on Tamiami Trail. The suspected shooter, Karrie Lee Sanderson, was arrested. A robbery turned double homicide left Timothy Hurley and Kevin Carter dead, and later Darryl Hanna Jr. was arrested. Rodney Williams and Keith Lamar Jones were shot during a home invasion in Bayshore Gardens, and Andre Bryant was found dead nine miles away.
As conversations about the place of Confederate statues in public places spread nationwide, protests soon followed, including one in Bradenton. County commissioners decided to shroud in plywood the monument that sat outside of the Historic Courthouse for 93 years before voting by a near split to move it into storage for fear of public safety. In a middle-of-the-night bungled attempt to move the Confederate war veteran memorial, the top spire fell and ended up breaking in two.
September
Hurricane Irma dominated the news in September. Some of the best read stories included a deaf interpreter saying the county’s ASL signing during one update was “horrible and embarrassing”; Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said that we “dodged a bullet”; two manatees were carried back out to open water after finding themselves stranded in extremely low tide; and Anna Maria City Pier was found to be damaged by the storm.
October
The Oct. 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas hit home as the parents of one of the 58 victims, Hannah Lassette Ahlers, reside in Bradenton. Ahlers, a stay-at-home mother of three who lived in Beaumont, Calif., was at the Route 91 concert with her husband, Brian. When shots were being fired, Brian shielded his wife with his body but it was too late. Shooter Stephen Paddock died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino.
Fear of a serial killer in the Tampa neighborhood Seminole Heights gripped the nation. Eventually the deaths of four — Benjamin Mitchell, Monica Hoffa, Anthony Naioba and Ronald Felton — would be connected to 24-year-old Howell Emanuel Donaldson III. More recent developments include Donaldson’s parents being ordered to appear before the court in January and the couple who provided the surveillance video want a cut of the reward money, which went to the McDonald’s manager who reported Donaldson’s gun to a nearby police officer.
November
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement Medical Examiners Commission’s annual report was released in November, describing how many people across the state died as related to various drugs. In Manatee County, cocaine, fentanyl and carfentanil were key players in the opioid epidemic in 2016, although the sheriff’s office says drug busts have helped decrease overdoses.
Notorious serial killer Charles Manson died in November of natural causes at age 83. His alleged grandson, Jason Freeman of Bradenton, said he wants to fly to California, cremate Mason’s body and bring his ashes to Florida.
A teen in Myakka City told their mother that they saw large cats. The sheriff’s office reports that it could possibly be tigers. Chaos ensues.
December
A run over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is finally coming to a traffic jam near you. After attempts for the same event on New Year’s Day never came to fruition, officials announced a 10K in March that would be the first foot traffic on the bridge since it opened in 1987.
Make your alternative route plans now.
Hannah Morse: 941-745-7055, @mannahhorse
This story was originally published December 29, 2017 5:05 PM.