Diabetes and Neuropathy Treatment in Samoset, FL

Like most parents, Taura Denis wants a safe neighborhood for her children.

That’s what compelled the 36-year-old mother of seven to organize the Samoset Neighborhood Association last May.

“I think that giving back to your community where you were born and raised ... is the best thing that you can do as a resident from the town that you’re from,” the Manatee County native said.

With a lack of sidewalks, narrow streets, no streetlights and poor drainage in Samoset, Denis got to work, mobilizing the community in an attempt to revitalize one of the county’s oldest neighborhoods. The neighborhood, which has a population of nearly 4,700, is generally bound by 13th Avenue East to the north, 27th Street East to the east, 15th Street East to the west and to the south by 44th Avenue East and 36th Avenue East.

In her research, Denis found out that Manatee County has had a plan dating back to 2007, detailing many of the same concerns residents still have a decade later.

“I have a family and I want my neighborhood to be safe that my kids in as well as my neighbors,” she said, sitting in the Oasis Community Center in Samoset. “If you live here, you should have a vested interest in your community. You have to be engaged in your community if you want your community to be successful.”

Manatee’s new half-cent infrastructure sales tax, which goes into effect Sunday, is expected to generate $30 million a year for the next 15 years. Residents are hoping some of that revenue will finally go toward Samoset.

When Seaboard Air Line extended its railroad service into Manatee County in 1902, Samoset was born. It began as a railroad town, prospering briefly during the early 1900s land boom until the Great Depression.

“Samoset served local farmers, cattle ranchers, citrus growers and fishermen whose products supplied markets as far away as New Orleans and Key West,” according to Samoset Community Improvement Strategy, which was adopted by the county commission in November 2007. “The reason for the choice of the place name is not known but it is said to be named after Samoset, the Algonkian Native American who, with Squanto, assisted the Pilgrims to survive at Plymouth.”

The town’s proximity to the railroad line was enticing for developers to create subdivisions in the area. In 1926, Samoset was incorporated as a city.

“At its heyday in the 1920s, Samoset boasted well-kept, shell roads and new, wood-frame houses,” the county document states.

But by the end of the decade, Samoset had been forced into bankruptcy by the hurricane of 1928, the Florida land bust and the Great Depression.

“According to land tax records, much of Manatee County was lost to the state for nonpayment of taxes up into the 1930s,” according to the plan. “The citizens of Samoset voted out the new government and 100 landowners were left with a $1,000 debt they had to pay through a tax levy during the 1930s.”

And the area never really recovered.

“For decades, roads remained unpaved, and there were no sidewalks,” according to the plan. “Homes, well-built in the 1920s, deteriorated and businesses closed.”

The county developed the 2007 improvement plan along with the residents of Samoset. It identified specific improvement strategies to address issues such as drainage, lack of sidewalks and streets that are too narrow.

”Once a railroad gateway to Manatee’s surrounding agricultural economy and the early coast land boom, Samoset today is struggling to gain needed community improvements that are on par with other neighborhoods of the county,” the plan states.

Now, a decade later, Samoset residents are hoping that some of the issues such as drainage, lack of sidewalks and streetlights will be addressed.

“It’s just a great place,” said 54-year-old Carol Fenzl, who has lived in Samoset since 1998. “I think it’s getting pushed aside. It seems as if Samoset has been neglected once Lakewood Ranch started being built up in 2007 or 2008. There were supposed to be some improvements made that got dropped by the wayside.”

The community is trying to get enough residents to sign a petition to create a lighting district for Samoset so streetlights can be put in.

“They would need 67 percent of the residents to say they will pay for the lights over the cost of time,” said Ogden Clark with the county’s neighborhood services department.

While the 2007 plan called for improvements, the recession hit almost immediately after its approval and the county became strapped for money and resources.

“Let’s see what we can use of the plan, what needs are still there,” Clark said of the existing plan.

The Samoset Neighborhood Association is trying to regain the county’s focus for revitalization.

“I think that if they didn’t know there was an interest in Samoset before, maybe then they know now,” Denis said. “I think that they know that we have a voice now.”

Denis and others point with hope to the new half-cent infrastructure sales tax. In the ballot language, it specifically lists sidewalks and streetlights as projects funded by the revenue it generates.

“Now they have extra resources; hopefully, something can get done,” Denis said.

Next week, an English class will start at the Oasis Community Center for the Spanish-speaking Samoset residents, who had been asking for the classes at the monthly meetings.

Several years ago, Alan Gedeon taught English in Samoset at the community center. So when the opportunity presented itself, the community development specialist with Manatee County volunteered to teach the classes again.

“We hadn’t been there for a while,” Gedeon said. “It’s been several years. It will sort of be nice coming back. ... We will do it for 12 weeks. We will just see what happens. If there’s continued interested, we will continue on.”

On a recent December evening, 10 adults and 10 children gathered on the grounds of the Oasis Community Center. Five Master Gardeners from the county’s Extension office worked with them on the Plant-a-Pail community garden project.

The Denis family planted baby carrots, radishes, tomatoes, collard greens and lettuce during the event. Other families learned how to plant other vegetables, which they were able to take home with them.

“The kids definitely had fun getting in the dirt and hearing about plants,” Denis said. “I think it will be more successful if we can actually find a location for the garden in the future.”

Through her efforts in Samoset, Denis hopes to bring the community together.

“The only challenging part is trying to get the community engaged,” she said. “We are a small group so just getting the word out.”

In the last six months or so, more residents have been attending the monthly neighborhood meetings.

“That’s a sign to me and our department that there’s traction there in that community,” Clark said. “They are being vocal. They are starting to be heard. More and more people are starting to get more knowledgeable about their community and how they can play a role in improving it.”

That’s a big step in the right direction, he stressed.

“They are starting to mobilize and starting to get people to buy in,” he said. “We are really trying to create a sense of place and give them a way to have pride in the community.”

Similar to Rubonia, another older Manatee County neighborhood with poor infrastructure, Samoset is a community that was organized in the past.

“This is kind of a new rebirth of that community organization and what that neighborhood is doing,” Clark said. “I think bringing people together has really allowed them to voice those concerns. The community conversation will hopefully lead them to identify ways that they can play an active role in improving their community.”

Claire Aronson: 941-745-7024, @Claire_Aronson

This story was originally published December 31, 2016, 2:14 PM.

Manatee County officials braced for the worst in the days leading up to Hurricane Ian's landfall when many forecast models predicted the storm could smash straight into Tampa Bay.

Ian's eye passed about 22 miles from Manatee, and the county was largely spared from the Category 4 storm. Agricultural communities in East Manatee were devastated by heavy winds and the worst of the county's flooding. Myakka Elementary was the last school to return to session in the school district.

A new map by Manatee County shows that most of Hurricane Ian's structural damage occurred in western Manatee County, where winds battered more populated areas in older parts of the community and many manufactured home parks.

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And:Aerial video shows massive flooding in Manatee County, Florida

The map is still being updated with new data, so the numbers are not final, but it shows that 1,791 residential buildings and 273 commercial buildings were damaged by the storm countywide as of Wednesday afternoon.

Manatee County is among several local governments using Crisis Track disaster management software to track hurricane-related damage and report it to state and federal agencies. The county is able to produce a map with the data that sorts damaged buildings into four categories: destroyed, major, minor or affected.

Manatee County Code Enhancement Supervisor Kris Weiskopf said officials had to use a pen, paper, and GPS-enabled cameras during previous storms, but that the new software has made the process faster and more streamlined.

"We were much more effective in being able to report damage, numbers, and dollar amounts of damage than the old ways," Weiskopf said. "Even as of the Irma days back in 2017, we were talking paper and cameras."

The map shows many of the buildings that sustained "major" damage were located in many of of the county's mobile home communities like Trailer Estates Park, Heather Hills and Twin Oaks in Southwest Manatee County, Colony Cove in Ellenton, and Coach House Mobile Home Park in Palmetto.

"Those area is heavily populated, anywhere from that south county area to U.S. 301 and Samoset, those are heavily populated areas," Weiskopf said. "The further you get out east, the homes get more sparse."

"Overall, the county was lucky in the minimal damage that we sustained," he said. "Most of the damage, dollar-wise, and number-wise, was all in the 'affected' category."

Pat Wenzel, a building department official with the city of Bradenton, said most buildings in the city were spared. He did not see any flooding or much of the wind damage sustained in communities just south of the city limits. He said most of the debris in the city was from damaged trees, some rooftops, and structures like lanais.

He said storm damage can sometimes be confounding, and unlike the nearby manufactured home parks that sustained significant damage, he said the two parks inside the city limits were largely spared.

"The Manatee Mobile Home Park and Braden Castle, two very old mobile home parks, I only heard of one trailer that lost its roof," Wenzel said. "Braden Castle seems to have gotten by with nothing. No damage whatsoever. It's a strange old park."

Matz won the award over a Sarasota and Manatee County teacher

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Melissa Matz, a seventh-grade teacher from Clay County, was named the 2023 Florida Teacher of the Year at a banquet in Orlando Thursday evening.

A math teacher at Lakeside Junior High School in Orange Park, Matz beat out Jennifer Jaso and Deelah Jackson from Sarasota and Manatee counties, respectively, to win the statewide award.

The Florida Department of Education made the announcement at the Teacher of the Year Gala at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando in front of each district's teacher of the year winners and their families. Matz received a $20,000 bonus, and will be able to give one of her students a two-year college scholarship through the Florida Prepaid program

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She will also serve one year as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education for the state. Each of the five finalists for the award received a $15,000 bonus from the DOE, with the winner receiving an additional $5,000.

Finalist for Florida's 2023 Teacher of the Year in Southwest Florida

Two finalists work just 20 miles from one another in Southwest Florida. Jackson, 50, is a fourth-grade teacher at Samoset Elementary School in Manatee County. Jaso, 42, is a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Sarasota Middle School.

Jaso has taught social studies in Sarasota County since the 2007-08 school year and won the county's teacher of the year award in 2022. She has served as the social studies department chair at Sarasota Middle and is a presenter at the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference and the Florida Council for the Social Studies Conference.

“There are few who match Jennifer’s content-knowledge expertise, her innate passion for her craft, and her love of, and commitment to, working to educate and improve the lives of children from every background,” said Jennifer Nzeza, principal of Sarasota Middle School, in a May press release.

Jackson has taught at Samoset Elementary since the 2015-16 school year, and she won the Manatee County Educator of the Year award in February. She has helped coach the school's robotics competition team and is the site director for the Extended Day Enrichment Program, an after-school program.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Beginning Saturday, Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT) will make several changes to its fixed-route bus service.

The modifications are made possible by grant funding from the Florida Department of Transportation and start-up funding from Manatee County’s Redevelopment and Economic Opportunity Department.

This additional funding allows MCAT to enhance transit service for important travel corridors and provide more convenient transportation options for Manatee County commuters, according to a county news release.

Route 99, which connects Manatee and Sarasota counties via U.S. Highway 41, will increase service frequency during peak hours between 5 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. daily. Both MCAT and Sarasota County Area Transit buses will operate on the new schedule, with buses arriving every 20 minutes during these peak periods instead of every 30 minutes.

Route 2, which serves east Bradenton and Samoset, will also see enhancements. Buses will now arrive every 30 minutes increasing the frequency from the current 60-minute service, 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Find out what's happening in Bradentonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The Route 2 service enhancements along with MCAT’s new 20-minute peak-period service for the Route 99/US Highway 41 corridor will provide Samoset residents with greatly improved local and regional public transportation services,” William Steele, transit division manager, said. “These improvements are the result of partnerships with FDOT and our Redevelopment and Economic Opportunity Department working in conjunction with MCAT to improve public transit services and travel opportunities. The Samoset service enhancement is an important part of the Inclusive Manatee project to enhance economic opportunities in Manatee County’s Southwest District.”

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Additional service modifications will begin Saturday for MCAT routes 3 and 12. For Route 3, which serves the Manatee Avenue corridor between I-75 and Manatee County Public Beach, there will be changes to the timing of the last trips of the day. The late-night buses will now depart the Downtown station at 8:15 p.m. and 8:50 p.m. Eastbound trips from Manatee Beach will now depart at 8:35 p.m. and 9:10 p.m.

Route 12, serving State Road 70, will push back the last departure from DeSoto Station to 6:35 p.m. on weekdays, Monday through Friday.

All changes to MCAT route schedules will be available on each bus and online at www.mymanatee.org/MCAT. Passengers can also call the MCAT Rider Information Line at (941) 749-7116 for more information.

The award acknowledges excellence in teaching and puts a spotlight on professional educators in Florida schools.

Credit: Manatee and Sarasota County Schools

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Samoset Elementary School teacher Deelah Jackson and Sarasota Middle School teacher Jennifer Jaso were selected as finalists for the 2023 Florida Teacher of the Year by the Florida Department of Education.

Both Jaso and Jackson received the news in a surprise visit from Deputy Chancellor for Educator Quality Dr. Paul Burns on Wednesday at their respective schools.

“My congratulations to Jennifer Jaso for your selection as a 2023 Florida Teacher of the Year finalist,” said Incoming Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. “Your many accomplishments are commendable, and your classroom instruction is an outstanding representation of high-quality education in our state.”

The award acknowledges excellence in teaching and puts a spotlight on professional educators in Florida schools.

“Deelah Jackson is a tremendous example of service and commitment. She’s an exemplary educator,” said Diaz. “Congratulations for your selection as a 2023 Florida Teacher of the Year finalist.”

Jaso, a sixth-grade social studies teacher, is known at the middle school for building relationships with students by expanding their critical thinking skills and subject comprehension, Sarasota County Schools wrote in a news release.

“There are few who match Jennifer’s content-knowledge expertise, her innate passion for her craft, and her love of, and commitment to, working to educate and improve the lives of children from every background,” said Jennifer Nzeza, principal of Sarasota Middle School.

As for Jackson, officials at the Manatee County elementary school describe her as a teacher who engages her students with high-quality lesson plans that include singing and movement so students can remember the subjects when they go home.

“Deelah chooses to be in the classroom. It is her calling, and it is where she gets her energy. She is at school many days from sun-up to sun-down working with and for students,” said Maribeth Mason, principal of Samoset Elementary School.

Both are involved in leadership roles, with Jaso being a longtime presenter at the Florida Council for the Social Studies Conference and Jackson being on an advisory council at Samoset Elementary School.

Out of approximately 185,000 public school teachers in the Sunshine State, Jaso and Jackson were named the five finalists for the award.

A selection committee that represents principals, teachers and parents will choose the winner on July 14 in Orlando. The winner will also be rewarded with serving the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education for one year.