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Beach House employee killed in Bradenton shooting

Beach House employee killed in Bradenton shooting

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON – A Manatee High School wrestler and employee of the Beach House Waterfront Restaurant in Bradenton Beach was tragically killed in a March 8 shooting in Bradenton.

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office’s (MCSO) Public Information Officer Randy Warren said a suspect in the shooting has been arrested. The victim, Jann Michael Feeney, 17, known to friends and family as J.M., was said by friends and family to be a talented athlete with a great level of sportsmanship and a hard worker loved by his Beach House co-workers and many friends.

Shortly after 7 p.m. on March 8, MCSO deputies responded to a report of a shooting with injuries. When they arrived they found a 17-year-old male lying in the backyard of a residence with a gunshot wound to his chest. Deputies performed life-saving measures until EMS responded. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Witnesses told detectives multiple teenagers were hanging out in the backyard of a residence in the 5900 block of Eighth Avenue Drive West, Bradenton,” Warren said. “Through investigative means, detectives developed probable cause early the morning of March 9 to arrest Carter Layne, 17, for Manslaughter with a Firearm. He was taken into custody at his home in Parrish.”

Warren also said the investigation continues, and his department believes there are more individuals who were at the scene and may have information that will help paint the picture of exactly what happened. MCSO is currently working to speak with those individuals. According to Warren, alcohol was present at the party.

“This is exactly why guns can’t be in these types of situations,” Warren said. “This is a tragic case of a loss of life that could have been prevented, and our hope is to not see it happen again.”

The Beach House set up a GoFundMe page for the Feeney family with a goal of $12,500. As of the time this story was written, they had raised more than $30,000.

A celebration of life was held at The Center of Anna Maria Island on March 16, where friends and family gathered to remember the young man who was taken from them too soon. Anyone wishing to make a donation to the Feeney family can visit https://gofund.me/bdac2632.

Warren also said the investigation continues, and his department believes there are more individuals that were at the scene and may have information that will help paint the picture of exactly what happened. MCSO is currently working to speak with those individuals. According to Warren, alcohol was present at the party.

“This is exactly why guns can’t be in these types of situations,” Warren said. “This is a tragic case of a loss of life that could have been prevented, and our hope is to not see it happen again.”

The Beach House set up a GoFundMe page for the Feeney family with a goal of $12,500 goal. As of the time this story was written, they had raised more than $30,000. There was also a celebration of life held at the Center of Anna Maria Island March 16, where friends and family gathered to remember the young man who was taken from them for too soon. Anyone wishing to make a donation to the Feeney family can go to https://gofund.me/bdac2632. 

Mary Fulford Green

Green named 2020 MHS Outstanding Alumna

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Community News, Cortez.

CORTEZ – Dr. Mary Frances Fulford Green, valedictorian of the Bradenton High School Class of 1942, has been selected as Manatee High School’s 2020 Outstanding Alumna.

Bradenton High is one of the former names of Manatee High.

Among her accomplishments, Green has been instrumental in preserving the historic fishing village of Cortez, where she was born. She was a driving force in creating the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH) that purchased 100 acres on Sarasota Bay to protect and enhance the habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife, and she wrote the application and lobbied successfully to have Cortez put on the National Register of Historic Places. She also is among the founders of the Cortez Village Historical Society.

Green helped to create the career counseling program at State College of Florida and was one of the founders of HOPE Family Services. She was a licensed mental health counselor and served as a full-time volunteer with the Manatee Mental Health Association, volunteering with the Manatee County Drug Court and several Florida prisons to mentor those incarcerated.

When class reunions became too difficult for aging classmates to attend, Green began calling all her 1942 classmates and still sends a newsletter to keep them informed about each other.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Outstanding Alumni Banquet has been postponed, but organizers hope to honor Green later this year.

The Manatee High Alumni Association has recognized and honored outstanding MHS alumnus/alumna with achievement awards since 1994.

Here are all the MHS Outstanding Alumni from 1994-20.

AME alumni at MHS reunion

AME alum at MHS reunion

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Community News, Schools.

The Manatee High School Class of 1977 enjoyed a breezy 40th reunion at the Gulf Drive Café in Bradenton Beach and the Seafood Shack in Cortez last weekend. Among them, from left, were Anna Maria Elementary School alumni Cindy Shaw, Lisa Varano, Edrick vanBeuzekom, Scott Makar, Lisa Kipp, and Paul Winters.