MANATEE COUNTY – Former County Commissioner Gwendolyn Brown passed away last week due to COVID-19.
Brown was Manatee County’s first black county commissioner and the county’s first black commission chairperson. She was also an early childhood education teacher at the State College of Florida (SCF).
According to Vicki Tessmer, supervisor of board records for the county’s Clerk of the Circuit Court, Brown was elected to the commission in November 1994 and left office in November 2010. She served as the commission chairwoman in 2008.
County Commissioner Carol Whitmore announced Brown’s passing during a Friday afternoon emergency county commission meeting.
“I have some very bad news. Commissioner Gwen Brown died at 2:49 (p.m.) from this terrible disease. She was at home. She wasn’t in a nursing home. She wasn’t able to drive, so somebody brought it (the virus) to her. Her family asked me to announce this and to please pray for her. So, for those of you who say you don’t know anybody and can’t put a name to this, Commissioner Gwen Brown, rest in peace,” Whitmore said.
Reggie Bellamy serves as the District 2 commissioner and is currently the only African American member of the current county commission.
“I extend my condolences to the Brown family. Commissioner Brown was the first African American Commissioner in District 2. She has a legacy in our community and my heart goes out to her and her family. I know her family and I’m very close to some people in her family. From the county commission office to the Brown family, we extend our deepest condolences,” Bellamy said.
“What this does is bring reality to what we’re dealing with, and you have an individual that was at home and then came down with COVID-19. District 2 makes up about 70% of the COVID-19 cases that we’re currently talking about, along with Oneco – and I share a little bit of that with Misty (Servia),” Bellamy said.
Commission Chair Betsy Benac said, “I’ve known Gwen Brown for a very long time. I worked very closely with Gwen Brown and I know the heart she had for her community.”
Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said, “Losing Gwen Brown is very sad. I know that she has had for quite a while now a lot of serious health issues. God bless her, she will be missed. She was the first black commissioner in Manatee County and that is a phenomenal thing that she did.”
Commissioner Misty Servia said, “I loved Gwen. I’ve known her for a long, long time. I worked with her and she just was a lovely woman. I’m really sad that she’s gone.”
Later in the week, Whitmore said, “She was a good friend. I talked to her about three weeks ago and she was doing good.”
The educator
According to a 2009 news release posted at the SCF website, Brown helped students earn Early Childhood Education degrees, a degree that had not previously been offered in Florida.
“Dr. Gwen Brown worked to develop the local Head Start Program in Manatee County. The demand for qualified, educated teachers has evolved throughout the years as research has shown the importance of early childhood development in preparing children to learn how to read, write and relate to others,” the SCF website says.
“She was my Early Childhood Education professor at SCF. Gwen had a strong passion for children and her community,” former student Amy Hendricks said when she learned of Brown’s passing.
BRADENTON – Manatee County Commissioners have extended the countywide curfew until Tuesday, but they have even larger concerns about the lack of coronavirus (COVID-19) testing kits and the high number of nursing home residents and employees who’ve already tested positive.
And according to Commissioner Carol Whitmore, former commissioner Gwendolyn Brown has died as a result of contracting COVID-19. Brown was Manatee County’s first African-American county commissioner and the county’s first African-American commission chairperson.
Curfew extended
During Friday afternoon’s emergency county commission meeting, Manatee County Public Safety Director Jake Saur presented his request to extend the curfew for another seven days.
“Manatee County has not yet achieved a flatting of the curve. Our response to COVID-19 is going to continue for some time. Therefore, sustained efforts to promote social distancing that slow the spread or flatten the curve remain more crucial than ever. Over the next few weeks, while our health and medical community remain on the front lines and under a great deal of stress, we need to be doing all that we can to build and maintain resiliency in ourselves and in our community,” Saur told the commission.
Saur said COVID-19 cases in Manatee County are now predicted to peak during the week of May 3. The previous anticipated peak was on or around April 21.
The commission voted 4-3 to extend the curfew until Tuesday, April 21, when it will be discussed again during the regular county commission meeting which starts at 9 a.m.
When making her motion to extend the curfew until Tuesday April 21, Commissioner Priscilla Trace said it was possible that Gov. Ron DeSantis might make an announcement on Monday that impacts the county curfew.
For now, the countywide curfew remains in effect from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily. Travel during that overnight timeframe is restricted to those engaged in essential businesses, services or activities set forth in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order 20-91, which some refer to as a ‘stay-at-home’ order.
Testing concerns
Commissioner Misty Servia asked Saur why Manatee County has had so many fewer tests than Sarasota County.
According to Saur, the Manatee County Health Department has run out of specimen collection kits and is waiting for more.
“We know the state of Florida has run out of tests. Since we last saw our 200 tests we used for our drive-through (testing) the State of Florida has sent us more tests. However, we were told we could not use them and all of the information on all those tests were in Chinese,” Saur said.
The tests marked with Chinese language are not FDA approved.
“As of today, they’re going to start replacing those with valid FDA-approved tests. When those come in, we will definitely start using those to start testing the public,” Saur said.
Manatee County commissioners are dealing with numerous coronavirus-related concerns. – Manatee County Submitted
Saur said MCR Health in Manatee County has purchased its own tests and is providing COVID-19 testing for those who meet the testing and symptomatic criteria. Saur said those with a prescription from their personal health care provider can be tested at a MCR Health facility. He also said those without a prescription can be tested at a MCR Health facility if they meet the testing criteria.
“MCR has plenty of tests,” Saur said.
Saur said Manatee Memorial Hospital has purchased tests and he thinks Blake Medical Center has too.
Commissioner Vanessa Baugh asked Baugh if COVID-19 testing was free nationwide. Saur said he’s aware of medical facilities in Manatee County charging for coronavirus tests.
Dr. Jennifer McCullen is an obstetrician in Lakewood Ranch. She is also the president-elect of the Manatee County Medical Society. During public comment, she expressed support for extending the curfew. She also addressed the cost of purchasing COVID-19 tests.
“They are $60 per test and you’re not getting them for free,” McCullen said.
County Administrator Cheri Coryea said there would be a meeting on Monday at which she, Saur, local health care professionals and Manatee County Health Department officials would discuss purchasing test kits directly, without going through the state.
Coryea said she has asked the discussion group to provide a number as to how many tests are needed and how many tests can be appropriately administered in Manatee County.
Commissioner Reggie Bellamy asked about the county’s available financial resources.
“It is a funding issue from the standpoint of the costs of tests, but it’s also an access issue of finding tests that are the appropriate tests. At this point we’re not as concerned about the financial implications,” Coryea said.
Coryea said said she’s spoken to other organizations and individuals in the community who’ve offered to assist in the efforts to purchase tests directly.
“I don’t feel it’s a funding issue, it’s getting the right information so the right tests are here and carried out properly,” Coryea said.
Coryea said she would provide the commissioners with more details on Tuesday.
Nursing home concerns
Saur addressed the need to test nursing home residents and employees.
“Our number one testing concern right now is with our nursing homes. The state has brought in incident management teams to our nursing homes and they’ve started a very big push to get all of those patients and workers tested,” he said.
“As of this week, our health department has started issuing involuntary quarantines to some of those nursing home workers because we know they’re spreading COVID-19. The state is reserving those tests for the nursing homes. We have to get into those nursing homes to make sure they’re following all the proper procedures and that they’re also being tested,” Saur said.
“We have two long-term care facilities that have tested employees and residents. And of those two sites, we’ve had over 100 positives in those two long-term care facilities,” Saur said.
COVID-19 claims former commissioner
During Friday’s meeting, Whitmore announced Brown’s passing.
“I have some very bad news. Commissioner Gwen Brown died at 2:49 from this terrible disease. She was at home. She wasn’t in a nursing home. She wasn’t able to drive, so somebody brought it (the virus) to her. Her family asked me to publicly announce this and to please pray for her. So, for those of you who say you don’t know anybody and can’t put a name to this, Commissioner Gwen Brown rest in peace,” Whitmore said.
Former County Commissioner Gwendolyn Brown has passed away. – Manatee County | Submitted
Beaches still ‘closed’
During public comment, Bradenton resident Michelle Pinel addressed the beach closures on Anna Maria Island. She questioned the fairness of Island residents and vacation rentals guests being allowed to access the Island beach areas that remain difficult for other county residents to utilize due to the temporary elimination of public parking spaces.
Bradenton resident Michelle Pinel wants the county beaches reopened. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“The beach is closed down, but it is only closed down to the average Manatee County citizen. There are people illegally checking into vacation rentals and the citizens (of the Island) are allowed to use the beach, but we are not. I think that is unfair,” Pinel said.
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