bserver O EAST COUNTY FREE • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
CLOSE TO HOME
Ranch resident Fred Lopez responds to Philippines disaster. PAGE 3A
OUR TOWN
SPORTS
VIVA ITALIA!
Father, son duo make ‘A-Team.’
East County celebrates Italian heritage. PABE 1B
HIGHER PURPOSE
PAGE 13A
one-year review
by Pam Eubanks | Managing Editor
by Josh Siegel | Staff Writer
Officials assess first year
+ Juror on notice Military veteran and former Sen. Mike Bennett, Manatee County’s new supervisor of elections, will head to the courthouse Thursday, Nov. 21, to serve on jury duty. Bennett was selected Monday to hear a DUI case. “I think it’s such an important opportunity we have,” Bennett said. “I’m glad I was picked. It’s a wonderful opportunity everyone should strive to be part of.”
+ Free ride The Tara Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) sponsored a limo ride and lunch for students who sold the most cookie dough as part of a fundraiser last month. The top 10 sellers took a limo ride, donated by Prime Time Limo, Nov. 12, to Half Shell Oyster House, where they ate a free lunch.
+ Ring for return The adage may be “Finders, Keepers,” but members of the Lakewood Ranch Rotary Club are eager to find the rightful owner of a lady’s ring found after the Suncoast Food and Wine Festival Nov. 9, at the Sarasota Polo Club. The ring appears to be valuable and may be sentimental to the owner. If it’s yours, call Jerry or Denise Hearn at 907-8013.
Commissioners and East County residents — Vanessa Baugh and Betsy Benac — and School Board member Dave Miner, take stock.
Bayside starts new addition
A year into their lives as public officials, three prominent Manatee County figures reflected on their service so far, and looked ahead to the future, in separate interviews with the East County Observer. Each was elected to a fouryear term. Edited excerpts from their responses follow.
Bayside Community Church will break ground this week on a $16.5 million addition to its East Bradenton campus.
EAST COUNTY — The Rev. Randy Bezet didn’t know he could dream this big. But, more than 11 years after launching Bayside Community Church, his vision is getting bigger — again. Bezet, Bayside’s senior pastor, told his three-campus, 5,300-person congregation of the church’s plan for a roughly $16.5 million expansion at Bayside’s East County campus during services Nov. 3 and Nov. 4. Construction was slated to begin some time this week. Contractor Willis Smith hopes to complete the 70,000-squarefoot facility, located slightly
northwest of the existing building, by Dec. 1, 2014 — just in time for Bayside to hold its Christmas services there. “We have outgrown the space we are currently in,” Bezet said. “(We aren’t expanding) because I like to hear myself talk; it’s to create space for people. There are no more options for us at this campus.” Bayside may have started as a 20-member church in March 2002, but when it moved from its home at Freedom Elementary School in mid-2010 to its East Bradenton campus, it went from holding five services each weekend at the school to hold-
Courtesy photo
Bayside Community Church Pastor Randy Bezet, pictured with his wife, Amy, said Bayside’s vision to engage the community and connect people with God has not changed.
ing three services each weekend in its new 1,000-seat auditorium. Since that time, however, it has twice expanded, opening locations in Sarasota, east of Interstate 75 off Fruitville Road, in
SEE CHURCH / PAGE 14A
VANESSA BAUGH,
Manatee County commissioner, District 5
Assumed the dais Nov. 27, 2012
What did you want to achieve your first year? The most important thing was eco-
BETSY BENAC
Manatee County commissioner, at-large
Assumed the dais Nov. 27, 2012
What did you want to achieve your first year? I wanted to get a good understanding of where the
DAVE MINER
+ Callin’ for change
Manatee County School Board member
The East County Observer hasn’t moved locations, but our phone number changed effective this week. You now may reach us at 755-5357. Our old number, 907-0895, has been designated as our fax number.
Assumed the dais Nov. 20, 2012
What did you want to achieve your first year? We were hoping, and I think sucRenderings courtesy of Fawley Bryant
A 2,500-seat auditorum will be part of a 73,000-square-foot expansion of Bayside Community Church.
SEE Q&As / PAGE 8A
INDEX Calendar............ 12A Classifieds ........ 13B
Cops Corner....... 11A Crossword.......... 12B
Neighborhood...... 1B Real Estate........ 10B
Sports................ 13A Weather............. 12B
Vol. 14, No. 33 | Two sections YourObserver.com