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Police department boat lift back on track

Police department boat lift back on track

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – Duncan Seawall, Dock & Boat Lift has repositioned and repaired the floating dock next to the Bridge Street Pier and expects to complete the installation of a boat lift for the Bradenton Beach Police Department next week.

The boat lift installation is expected to be completed well ahead of the Sept. 30 grant funding deadline for the boat lift project.

On Wednesday, Duncan Seawall, Dock & Boat Lift foreman Tom Schied said the boat lift installation would take two to three days to complete once that work started. On Friday, City Attorney Ricinda Perry said the Duncan crew planned to start driving the boat lift pilings on Saturday or Monday. The floating dock was open Friday afternoon and being used by boaters.

Duncan’s work crew, barge crane and other equipment arrived on Tuesday and made quick work of repositioning the floating dock 8 feet to the east, toward the T-end of the pier. That work included the installation of four new pilings.

Police department boat lift back on track
Duncan foreman Tom Scheid installed a cap on one of the new dock pilings Wednesday afternoon. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The dock repairs also included the installation of new roller brackets that connect the floating dock to the dock pilings. The new roller brackets replaced some of the roller brackets that Gibsonton-based Hecker Construction Company used when installing the floating dock in July and early August of 2019. Some of the brackets installed in 2019 were later deemed unsuitable for that specific location and application.

Police department boat lift back on track
The Duncan crew also replaced some of the roller brackets that connect the floating dock to the pilings. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Duncan was brought in to complete the dock repositioning and repairs as a result of discussions that occurred during the Sept. 2 and Sept. 14 Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meetings.

Grant deadline

During the Sept. 2 meeting, Perry and Lt. John Cosby told the CRA members the long-desired boat lift installation must be completed by Sept. 30 if a $50,000 West Coast Inland Navigation District Grant (WCIND) approved by Manatee County commissioners in May 2017 was to pay for the boat lift.

During that meeting, Duncan Seawall General Manager Steve Porter confirmed that the boat lift had to be connected to the west end of the floating dock after the repositioning and repairs were completed.

Police department boat lift back on track
The police department boat lift will be attached to the west end of the repositioned floating dock. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

During the Sept. 2 meeting, the CRA members reconfirmed their previous authorization for Hecker Construction Company to complete the dock repairs and repositioning for $11,600. The CRA members also authorized Duncan Seawall, Dock & Boat Lift to install a 10,000-pound-capacity boat lift for approximately $37,813 after Hecker completed its work – if that timetable could be met.

During a follow-up emergency CRA meeting on Monday, Sept. 14, the CRA members authorized Duncan to reposition and repair the premanufactured floating dock. CRA chairman Ralph Cole said a Hecker representative told him that company could not complete the dock repairs and repositioning in time to meet the Sept. 30 boat lift installation deadline.

“They couldn’t do it until October. We need this done right away,” Cole said. “I want to thank Duncan for stepping in and doing this. This has gone on long enough and we just need to get it across the finish line.”

During Monday’s meeting, Perry read aloud a written statement regarding Duncan’s offer to complete both projects before the boat lift grant money availability expires.

“Chairman Cole has dedicated significant time trying to work with Hecker and finalize the installation of the floating dock to no avail. It has been clear that Hecker is not in a position to accomplish this goal in a timely fashion. Fortunately, we have Duncan and Ronáutica who have understood the different challenges we have faced, and both have jumped in to bring this project across the line,” Perry said.

Regarding past events that also involved the Technomarine Group originally contracted to install the floating dock in 2017, Perry said, “Thank you to Oscar Saá and Ronáutica for providing the materials, shipping and releasing of them from U.S. customs to Bradenton Beach. Ronáutica had every right to retain possession over the floating dock; however, it looked out for the best interest of Bradenton Beach and made sure the city received the product it had paid for even at Ronáutica’s financial loss.

“We all know of the problems following the installation work of Hecker on the floating dock. Understanding the importance and needs of the city, Duncan Seawall has generously offered to undertake the work proposed by Hecker. They will also meet the critical deadlines of the WCIND grant so that our police department will have an essential resource for its marine patrol unit,” Perry said.

Police department boat lift back on track
Some of the previously installed roller brackets have been removed and replaced. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

“Thank you to Steve Porter, Steve Liebel and all of Duncan Seawall for your support of our law enforcement officers, the city and all of our visitors who will enjoy the Bridge Street Pier even more because of you. This project would have failed but for Duncan’s strong ties and commitment to our community,” Perry said.

She also noted CRA-contracted engineer Joe Foster had already produced the engineering documents needed to repair and position the floating dock and install the boat lift.

Related coverage

 

Police boat lift project may lose funding

Devon Straight named Officer of the Year

Devon Straight named Officer of the Year

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – Devon Straight is the Bradenton Beach Police Department’s Officer of the Year.

“I’ve prepared for my law enforcement career for as long as I can remember and I’m more than honored to receive this award. I thank my department for the opportunity and my family for their support. I’m proud to serve with devotion the community I grew up in,” Straight said of the award.

Straight was 19 when he was hired by the Bradenton Beach Police Department in November 2018, making him the youngest officer ever hired by the department.
The award nomination letter written by Police Chief Sam Speciale details why Straight won the award.

“On 07/29/2019, Officer Devon Straight was on patrol. Officer Straight was given information referencing a known burglar seen in the city walking around and possibly prowling to do more vehicle burglaries. Officer Straight was patrolling one of the condos in the city and immediately recognized the known burglar walking in the parking garage which the known burglar did not live at or have any reason to be on the premises,” the nomination letter says.

“Upon the suspect seeing Officer Straight, the suspect quickly left the parking garage and walked across the street. Officer Straight acted as if he was leaving the area but kept an eye on the suspect through his rearview mirror. Officer Straight observed the suspect walk back into the parking garage. Officer Straight turned around and saw the suspect in the pool area. The owner of the condos told Officer Straight he spoke with a male earlier and felt the male was acting suspiciously. Apparently, when confronted by the owner, the suspect gave the owner false information,” Speciale’s letter says.

“The suspect was found in an employees’ only supply closet. The suspect was detained and after looking at surveillance video it showed the suspect walking into the parking garage, casing the parking area and walking between vehicles where the suspect had no reason to be.

“The suspect was arrested for burglary to a structure and several other charges. If it hadn’t been for Officer Straight paying attention to the information given to him about the suspect, and his initiative of patrolling the resorts, the city of Bradenton Beach would have possibly had several crimes committed by this suspect. Therefore, the Bradenton Beach Police Department is proud to announce Officer Devon Straight as the Officer of the Year,” Speciale’s letter says.

Family tradition

Straight has wanted to be a police officer for most of his life. He is the grandson of Bradenton Beach residents Ed and Gail Straight, the founders and curators of Wildlife Inc. Education and Rehabilitation Center, where Devon has long served as a volunteer.

Ed Straight served several terms as a Bradenton Beach City Commissioner. He spent nine years as a paramedic for Manatee County Emergency Medical Services, 13 years as EMS chief and seven years as the chief of the county’s Emergency Communications/911 center. He also served for more than two decades as a reserve deputy with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

“It’s always nice when you’re doing a job and your supervisors notice it. The best compliment of all is being able to use good judgment, and these days, not everybody is capable of doing that. People who use good judgment tend to eventually end up in leadership roles,” Ed Straight said.

“Devon’s work with us at Wildlife Inc. helped him stay on the right path. It’s really important when you’re doing rehabs and rescues that you pay close attention to detail. I think that carries over into Devon’s police work. We’re quite proud of him. He did well at school, he did well at the police academy and he knew all along that if he wanted to be in law enforcement, he had to keep a good, clean record,” Ed Straight said. “In these times we are in, we are of course concerned about law enforcement, but we know Devon will use good judgment in whatever situation he encounters.”

Officials lukewarm on new evidence

Officials lukewarm on new evidence   

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Featured.

BRADENTON BEACH – Kelly Osborn’s claims that her daughter did not commit suicide and was murdered – possibly by her fiancé – are unlikely to be revisited, according to local officials.

Osborn has released a report by her private investigative team, Pensacola-based Forensic Pieces, concluding that photos of Sheena Morris taken after her 2009 death in a hotel room indicate that she was placed in a chair after she died, then hung in a shower from her dog’s leash in a staged suicide.

Marks on her lower back match the pattern in a wicker chair visible in a photo of the hotel room taken after her death, according to investigator Jan Johnson, who said the marks were caused by lividity, a process in which blood pools in the body after the heart stops pumping at death.

The 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office forwarded the report to the Bradenton Beach Police Department (BBPD) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for review, Assistant State Attorney Art Brown said.

“Any investigation that they do, we will review,” he said.

“I didn’t see anything new,” said BBPD Det. Sgt. Len Diaz, who investigated the case in 2009, determining that Morris’ death was a suicide.

“I agree with Dr. Vega,” the District 12 medical examiner, he said, adding that he does not plan to reinvestigate the case based on the photograph.

“You can look at a picture like you look at a cloud and see a puppy,” he said.

Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Russell Vega’s office is not reconsidering the case either, a spokeswoman said.

The marks were not detected in the autopsy, according to Vega’s written response to the report, which notes the marks were likely made by seams and creases in Morris’ clothing, not the chair.

“In the photo of interest, the elastic waistband pattern is crisp and clear and appropriately positioned to have developed while the body was hanging in the shower,” the report states, noting that photos of her sweatshirt and undershirt are not available for comparison to the marks.

The report also notes that the photo of the chair and Morris’ back were taken from different angles, and “the difference in perspective of the photos only serves to exclude the chair as having caused the lividity pattern.

“In summary, we strongly disagree with the conclusions that, based on the lividity pattern, either 1) the pattern must have been caused by the chair; 2) the body must have been moved to the hanging position after the pattern developed, or 3) both.”

“It’s right there in front of everyone’s eyes and they’re turning a blind eye,” Osborn said. “It’s devastating.”

But she does not intend to give up, she said.

“There’s no way they’re going to keep shutting me down. Come hell or high water, I will make sure it goes to a grand jury,” Osborn said, “even if I have to get a statewide prosecutor.”

The FDLE did not return calls seeking comment.

Morris, 22, was found dead by police on Jan. 1, 2009 after BridgeWalk hotel staff heard dogs barking and called for assistance in evicting her.

Police had been called to the hotel about 12 hours earlier after an argument between Morris and her fiancé, Joseph Genoese, who left before police arrived.

He was not charged with any crime, and has repeatedly denied any involvement in Morris’ death.

Related coverage

New evidence in Morris case may point to murder

BB Officer Straight

Devon Straight joins Bradenton Beach Police Department

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News, Featured.

BRADENTON BEACH – Nineteen-year-old Devon Straight is Bradenton Beach’s newest police officer.

He was sworn in on Thursday morning, Nov. 15, then introduced to the City Commission at its noon meeting. He began his field training this weekend.

Devon is the grandson of former City Commissioner Ed Straight. He’s also the youngest officer hired during Police Chief Sam Speciale’s 30-plus-year tenure with the city.

When introducing Devon to the commission, Speciale said, “When I first got here everybody said to me, ‘You’re Joe Speciale’s son.’ It took a lot of years for someone to go up to him and say, ‘You’re Sam Speciale’s dad.’ Devon grew up in the shadow of Mr. Straight – a commissioner, a sheriff’s deputy, EMS chief and all that – and people will say, ‘You’re Ed Straight’s grandson.’ After a few years, he’ll be driving around and they’ll say, ‘Hey Ed, aren’t you Devon’s grandfather?’ He’ll be driving car #2, one of the new SUVs, so when you see him driving around wave to him.”

Mayor John Chappie joked that Devon might stick around long enough to be the police chief someday.

BB Officer Straight II
Former commissioner Ed Straight joined his grandson Devon at Thursday’s commission meeting. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Devon has spent much of his life thus far working with his grandparents, Ed and Gail Straight, rescuing and caring for injured, sick and displaced wildlife at the Bradenton Beach-based Wildlife Inc. Education and Rehabilitation Center.

“I couldn’t ask for a better place to work, right on the beach. I already know most everybody in the community from my work with Wildlife Inc. I’m proud to serve in a different capacity. I spent my life saving animals, now I get to use my talents to save peoples’ lives,” Devon said of his new job with the police department.

He received his law enforcement training at the Manatee Technical College. He started in January and graduated in June.

BB Officer Straight Flashback
Three-year-old Devon Straight and his grandfather Ed Straight, shown here in 2002. – Gail Straight | Submitted

When asked why he wanted to be a police officer, Devon said, “I’m following my grandfather’s footsteps. He was a reserve sheriff’s deputy for Manatee County. Ever since then he’s inspired me and I thought it was the coolest job. To be in a uniform and go out and saves lives has always been my dream.”

Devon will continue to volunteer at Wildlife Inc. as his new work schedule allows.

“I’m sure my days off will go to good use with them,” he said.

“We’re very proud of him,” Ed said. “Considering all the different things that can happen to kids and grandkids nowadays, working with the wildlife helped him stay on the right track. He got the Anne Frank Humanitarian Award from Bayshore High School during his junior year for his work with the wildlife.

BB Officer Straight Sworn
Devon Straight was sworn in as the city’s newest officer by City Clerk Terri Sanclemente. – Ed Straight | Submitted

“I told him to do his best at the academy because people are always going to look back on how well you did with your training. We’re proud that he came really close to coming in first at the academy. He missed it by just a few points. On the state board exam he did get the highest score in his class. His class started out with 24 people and ended up with 12 people graduating, so it was a tough class to make it through. His teacher said, ‘He’s not a quitter,’ so we’re proud of him,” Ed said.

When asked about the hiring, Speciale said, “We looked at our applications and we thought it would be good to have a new guy right out of the academy.”

Bradenton Beach boats tagged

Abandoned boats tagged for removal

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – Police have tagged four abandoned boats as part of the increased enforcement efforts taking place in the unmanaged anchorage near the historic Bridge Street Pier.

On Tuesday, May 8, Officer Eric Hill piloted the police boat into the navigable waters that provide anchorage for approximately 40 vessels. Lt. John Cosby then affixed to four vessels the bright orange stickers that serve as official notice that the city intends to have the abandoned vessel removed.

Bradenton Beach abandoned boats officers
Officer Eric Hill piloted the police boat and Lt. John Cosby tagged the boats deemed to be abandoned. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The stickers declare the abandoned vessels to be unlawfully located in city waters and order them removed within five days. The stickers note the boats have been identified by a law enforcement officer as being lost or abandoned property according to state law.

“Otherwise, it will be removed and disposed pursuant to Chapter 705, Florida Statutes,” the notice says.

Bradenton Beach boats sunke
This sunken boat south of the Bridge Street Pier has been designated for future removal. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Two of the tagged boats were sailboats and two were cabin cruisers. Cosby said a third sailboat that was going to be tagged was recently sold and the new owner must be given 30 days to register the vessel.

The stickers inform the boat owners that they have 21 days to appeal the violation or violations to a special master. Cosby said the owners would be given the allotted period to file an appeal before any vessels are removed.

The last known registered owner of each vessel tagged was sent a certified letter informing them of the city’s intentions. One of the vessels tagged was the cabin cruiser that belonged to former liveaboard boater Brandon Nieuwkoop, who drowned in the anchorage waters on March 31.

Cosby said the vessels were deemed abandoned according to previous enforcement efforts and research conducted by Hill. Cosby said there are three conditions that render a vessel derelict: no power, either by motor or sail; no working steering mechanism; and hull intrusion that compromises the integrity of the vessel’s ability to stay afloat.

When derelict and abandoned vessels are removed and destroyed, an outside contractor does the work and the city pays the contractor using grant money provided by the West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND). Cosby said on average it costs between $2,500 and $5,000 to have a boat removed, depending on whether it’s already sunk. One of the motorboats tagged has already sunk; its hull is resting on the bottom.

Bradenton Beach boats cruiser
Tagged for pending removal, this boat formerly belonged to liveaboard boater Brandon Nieuwkoop, who drowned in late March. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Cosby estimated that three-quarters of the boats out there are in good shape and are compliant with city and state laws and regulations.

“We’ve tried to educate them. All we want you to do is be compliant and you’ll never hear from us,” he said. “We have a lot of boaters out here that are compliant and they do not want these bad boaters out here either.”

The police boat currently must be transported by trailer down to the Coquina boat ramps to be placed in the water. This will change when a new boat lift for the police boat is installed alongside the pier. This is expected to happen later this year using previously approved WCIND grant money.

“We can then drop the boat in the water and make a quick run out,” Cosby said, noting the city has three officers qualified to make marine patrols.