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VOL 17 No. 32
May 24, 2017
Charter county concerns city officials There are efforts afoot to have a charter county question placed on a future ballot. BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
BRADENTON BEACH – Vice Mayor John Chappie is concerned about the push to make Manatee County a charter county, and he wants City Attorney Ricinda Perry to monitor these efforts. During the May 18, City Commission meeting, Chappie, a former county commissioner, requested that Perry attend the County Commission’s charter government workshop on Wednesday, June 14. The workshop will take place in the Longboat Key Room at the Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd., Palmetto, at 6 p.m. After further discussion, the other commission members supported Chappie’s request. Charter counties are guided by charter documents that serve the same role as a city charter, see charter, page 41
KRISTIN SWAIN | SUN
JD White takes a moment on Sunday to thank everyone who donated, sponsored and supported his efforts to raise money to purchase two WalkAide devices, as friend and benefit volunteer Brad Lisk shouts encouragement.
Community comes out to help one of its own
FISH Boatworks in flux The FISH board would love to continue its Boatworks program, but a volunteer manager is needed. BY JOE HENDRICKS
A weekend fundraiser for one Island resident generates $15,000. BY KRISTIN SWAIN SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
HOLMES BEACH — A call to action for Holmes Beach resident JD White brought out the best in the Island community. More than 100 community members came out to D Coy
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SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
Ducks Bar May 21 to help support White in his quest to purchase two WalkAide devices. The equipment will help White walk without the aid of the leg braces he’s used for most of his life. The WalkAides help him to move easier, correcting dropfoot, a condition which prevents the toes from raising correctly while walking. White suffers from cerebral palsy, which causes the dropfoot. Each WalkAide device costs $5,000.
BINS Be Clean offers area a unique new service. 14
Anna Maria Island, Florida
Now, thanks to the community, White will not only be able to purchase both of the needed devices, but also pay for the therapy needed to help him make the most of his newfound mobility. The fundraiser at D Coy Ducks raised $15,000 for White, surpassing his $10,000 goal. “It’s a wonderful day,” Island community member Wendi Webb
CORTEZ – Historian and Cortez matriarch Mary Fulford Green does not want to see the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) Boatworks program discontinued. The recent departure of longtime, part-time Boatworks manager Rick Stewart has left the FISH board with no one to run the volunteer program the original mission of which was to focus primarily on the restoration, repair and construction of wooden boats similar to those historically used by Cortez fishermen.
see fundraiser, page 10
see FISH, page 41
See who THE FAVORITES ARE IN THE SUN’S READERS’ CHOICE SECTION.
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the first nests of the season are
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