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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 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…
July 22, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Commission terminates parking talks with Kaleta

Commission terminates parking talks with Kaleta

BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners voted unanimously on July 18 to terminate parking lot management agreement discussions with Beach to Bay Investments Inc. for a paid parking lot between Church an…
July 22, 2024
By Leslie Lake
City threatens shutdown of Bridge Street parking lot

City threatens shutdown of Bridge Street parking lot

BRADENTON BEACH – A city-threatened shutdown of the paid parking lot at 101 Bridge St. prompted its management to begin to fix one long-standing issue, but due to non-compliance with other city requi…
July 17, 2024
By Leslie Lake
First least tern chick takes flight

First least tern chick takes flight

BRADENTON BEACH – At a colony of 45 least terns, eight chicks vary in ages from one to four weeks and the oldest chicks are gaining their flight feathers and practicing flying. On July 8, shorebird…
July 17, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Sea turtle nests disturbed at Coquina Beach

Sea turtle nests disturbed at Coquina Beach

BRADENTON BEACH – Upon seeing a group of six people digging around a marked turtle nest at the south end of Coquina Beach on Saturday, two early morning walkers did exactly what they were supposed to…
July 15, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Piney Point stormwater to be discharged into Tampa Bay

Settlement reached in Piney Point litigation

PALMETTO – Prompted by a 2021 lawsuit by multiple conservation groups, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has agreed to allow more oversight of discharges from the Piney Point…
July 8, 2024
By Leslie Lake
Second sea turtle nests in daytime

Second sea turtle nests in daytime

ANNA MARIA – More than 100 beachgoers saw an uncommon sight when a nesting loggerhead sea turtle laid her eggs during the day on June 26, the second daytime nesting in a week. Anna Maria Island Turt…