Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Six firefighters who serve the Lakewood Ranch area deployed to Escambia County on Sunday to assist with Hurricane Isaias recovery, the second joint mutual-aid mission for West Manatee Fire Rescue and North River Fire Rescue in two months.
Public Safety
Diamond Sharee'Nicole Phillips, 29, of Sarasota, faces a third-degree felony charge after her 4-year-old son fatally shot himself with a loaded handgun left unsecured in her purse, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office said.
Public Safety
The Florida Department of Transportation will shut down Polo Trail at State Road 70 for about 30 days starting Monday, Oct. 5, blocking vehicle access for Polo Run residents while crews build new westbound lanes and reconnect the community's entrance.
Public Safety
Manatee County's 911 center earned its ninth consecutive year of Tri-ACE accreditation from the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch, answering 97.5% of calls in under 10 seconds — well above the national standard of 90% within 15 seconds.
Public Safety
Panther Ridge's main entrance at 197th Street East closes Sept. 30 through Nov. 14 for roundabout construction, and FDOT has confirmed emergency vehicles will retain access through the work zone.
Public Safety
Manatee County EMS is holding two free car seat inspection events, on Sept. 24 and Sept. 26, after an official said roughly 74% of children injured in local crashes had improperly installed seats.
Public Safety
Manatee County commissioners hold a public hearing and vote Tuesday on an ordinance banning slot-style machines from storefront casinos in unincorporated areas, giving the Sheriff's Office a simpler enforcement tool against businesses linked to hundreds of crime calls.
Public Safety
FDOT will close the northbound I-75 on-ramp and off-ramp at Toledo Blade Boulevard nightly from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday through Friday, for paving work near the Lakewood Ranch corridor.
Public Safety
FDOT will fully close Panther Ridge's primary entrance at 197th Street East for 45 days to build an SR-70 roundabout, forcing residents to drive up to 40 miles round-trip for errands while questions about emergency vehicle access remain unanswered.
Public Safety
The east half of the new roundabout at The Masters Avenue and Bourneside Boulevard in Lakewood Ranch is finished, but The Masters Avenue is closed to traffic at the intersection through October while crews build the west side.
Public Safety
A water main break has closed Ninth Avenue West in Bradenton between 26th and 29th Street West, with repairs not expected to finish until Wednesday, Aug. 19, disrupting traffic near Manatee High School for multiple days.
Public Safety
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office confirmed that missing 15-year-old Zaniyrah Gilbert was spotted at a RaceTrac on SR-70 E. in Bradenton at 2:57 p.m. on Aug. 10 and left in a vehicle, nearly three hours after she was last seen at Braden River High School.
Public Safety
A Manatee County jury convicted Vincent Steele, 52, of Riverview on all six counts Thursday in the May 2024 Palmetto road rage shooting that struck a pregnant woman three times; sentencing has not been scheduled.
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