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Leslie Lake

Leslie Lake

July 11, 2022
Leslie Lake covers Bradenton Beach, Cortez, the environment and Anna Maria Elementary School.
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August 26, 2024
By Leslie Lake

Tourism visitation flat, room rates up

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Visitor numbers are down slightly in the Bradenton area from last year, but higher room rates are pointing to confidence in the market, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bure…
August 26, 2024
By Leslie Lake
TDC members explain benefits of tourist tax increase

TDC members explain benefits of tourist tax increase

ANNA MARIA – A referendum to raise the Manatee County tourist tax from 5% to 6% will be on the November ballot, and the county’s chief tourism official spoke about the benefits and misperceptions of…
August 26, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Kaleta gets three extra days to fix parking lots

Kaleta gets three extra days to fix parking lots

BRADENTON BEACH – City building official Darin Cushing has given an extension of time to developer Shawn Kaleta to complete all city commission-required stipulations for temporary use permits for fou…
August 20, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Turtle Watch completes post-storm assessment

Turtle Watch completes post-storm assessment

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring has completed a post-storm assessment of the turtle nests remaining on the beach after what was then Tropical Storm Debby p…
August 19, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Piney Point 2024

Piney Point withstands Debby

PALMETTO – Severe weather associated with then-Tropical Storm Debby passed over the Piney Point site on Aug. 4-5, producing high winds and more than 9 inches of rain, according to the Florida Departm…
August 12, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Storm washes out more than 160 turtle nests

Storm washes out more than 160 turtle nests

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Following Hurricane Debby, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers have been assessing the damage to turtle nests on local beaches. Of the 479 nests th…
August 12, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Least tern colony leaves Bradenton Beach

Least tern colony leaves Bradenton Beach

BRADENTON BEACH – The strong winds, high tides and storm surge of then-Tropical Storm Debby were too much for the Island’s least tern colony on Aug. 4-5. A visit by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and…
August 12, 2024
By Leslie Lake
City cleans up minor damage following Debby

City cleans up minor damage following Debby

BRADENTON BEACH – City officials reported minor damage and flooding from Tropical Storm Debby on Aug. 4-5 before it became a hurricane, but said that the city fared well overall. Several of the coco…
August 12, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Parking lot shutdown short lived

Parking lot shutdown short lived

BRADENTON BEACH – Less than 24 hours after the Aug. 9 city closure of Shawn Kaleta’s four paid parking lots, the lots were reopened following the intervention of Kaleta’s attorney, Louis Najmy. The…
August 5, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Turtle Watch marked nests with GPS before Debby

Turtle Watch marked nests with GPS before Debby

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – In advance of Hurricane Debby, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers secured stakes at the 682 nests on the Island. “Thanks to a generous anonymous d…
August 5, 2024
By Leslie Lake
City imposes deadline to close parking lots

City imposes deadline to close parking lots

BRADENTON BEACH – With city-imposed closure deadlines looming, time is running out at Shawn Kaleta’s four paid parking lots. City commissioners put multiple conditions in place before granting tempo…
August 2, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Bradenton Beach declares local state of emergency in advance of tropical storm

Bradenton Beach declares local state of emergency

BRADENTON BEACH – City officials declared a local state of emergency beginning on Aug. 2 at 9 a.m. in advance of a tropical system expected to bring heavy rains this weekend. “We have tropical mas…
July 29, 2024
By Leslie Lake
LaRose sues Kaleta over parking contract termination

LaRose sues Kaleta over parking contract termination

BRADENTON BEACH – Following Shawn Kaleta’s termination of Easy Parking Group’s (EPG) contract to manage a Bridge Street parking lot, EPG owner Josh LaRose has filed a lawsuit against Kaleta and Beach…
July 29, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Guthrie net camp being demolished under court order

Guthrie net camp being demolished under court order

CORTEZ – After a six-year legal battle between Raymond “Junior” Guthrie and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the net camp he built in 2017 in Sarasota Bay is being dismantle…
July 23, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Least tern chicks fitted with tracking bands

Least tern chicks fitted with tracking bands

BRADENTON BEACH – Four least tern chicks in a local nesting colony have been outfitted with color-coded bands to help researchers study their migration patterns along with population and breeding suc…