The Manatee Chamber of Commerce this week expects to open up in a new space in Downtown Bradenton. That comes more than a year after leaving a building it had occupied since the 1960s.

“We're thrilled with how this new space will enhance our ability to serve our members and the community,” read a memo from Chamber staff to members.

“We are so proud of our role as the ‘face of business’ in the greater Manatee County region and both our Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch offices are here to welcome residents and visitors, connect consumers with our members and strengthen our business environment.”

Since last April, the Chamber has operated in a space within the Bank of Ozarks building in Downtown Bradenton. The organization moved there to make room for a mixed-use project being constructed on 10th Street and 3rd Avenue West. Now, the Chamber will move back to the same 10th Street address but into newly constructed space attached to a new city parking structure.

“The Manatee Chamber is about people and the businesses that they own and are employed by and we are so excited about how our new Bradenton office will complement our Lakewood Ranch office as a hub of business leadership," Chamber President Jacki Dezelski told SRQ. "Business people, residents, and visitors will find a welcoming, beautiful space through which to find information, make connections, and share ideas.".

Chamber staff closed both its Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch offices on Friday so all hands could be available to move out of the Bank of the Ozarks. The Lakewood Ranch office has re-opened, but Bradenton staff are focused on moving into the new digs downtown.

The new office will open on Tuesday, though staff warned visitors to “expect a little clutter as we unpack.”

The Manatee Chamber dates its roots back the 1890s, and, for the bulk of the last half century, 10th street has housed the business organization. Dezelski expects the new space, which boasts a recognizable exterior stretching up four stories of the new garage, to be the organization’s headquarters for the foreseeable future.

"Hats off to the City for its vision for the entire garage project," Dezelski said. "The Manatee Chamber has been a visible business advocate and community ambassador from this corner in downtown since the 1960s. We’re ready to start our next chapter."

A ribbon-cutting and official grand opening will be announced in coming weeks, Chamber officials said. 

Photo Courtesy Manatee Chamber of Commerce

The "No Swim" advisories issued Wednesday, July 3, for Brohard Beach has been lifted. Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County officials received testing results this weekend at a satisfactory level meeting both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state recreational water standards. Residents and visitors may return to swimming and other water sports at this site. The "no swim" advisory signage has been removed.

The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County monitors water quality weekly at 16 sites along Sarasota's 34 miles of beaches. Check the website below for beach water testing results. There are currently no advisories at any Sarasota County beaches. 

Florida Healthy Beaches Program

Manatee County is now accepting applications for an opening on the Construction Trades Board for a State Certified or Locally Licensed Contractor. The Construction Trades Board regulates state and local contractors and licensed local contractors within unincorporated Manatee County. The Construction Trades Board has the authority to discipline anyone who violates applicable local code, State Statutes or Florida Building Code provisions pertaining to the activities of licensed contractors, including the authority to suspend and or revoke their licenses and impose monetary fines.

To be eligible, applicants must: be a contractor with five years of experience in the construction trade; hold an active license as a Certified General Contractor with Department of Business and Professional Regulation; be registered as a General Contractor with an active Certificate of Competency license in Manatee County; and reside or have a business located in the unincorporated areas of Manatee County.

Applications are due July 24 and may be found online at the website below. 

Manatee County Advisory Boards

Manatee Memorial has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for the 11th year and the association’s Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll Award for the 3rd year.

Manatee Memorial Hospital earned the AHA/ASA Get With The Guidelines Award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health and get a follow-up visit scheduled. Additionally, Manatee Memorial Hospital received the association’s Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll Award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. 

Manatee Memorial Hospital

Icard Merrill Litigation Attorney Anthony J. Manganiello has been listed in the 2019 edition of Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite. Manganiello was named as a Legal Elite Up and Comer in the Civil Trial category, which recognizes attorneys under the age of 40 who have exhibited leadership in the law and in their community. He has a diverse litigation practice with a special emphasis on personal injury, automobile accidents, wrongful death, products liability and complex civil litigation.

To compile the list, Florida Trend invited all actively practicing Florida lawyers to name the attorneys that they hold in highest regard. The winner list represents just over 1% of the active Florida Bar members who practice in Florida. The list of 1,126 honorees includes attorneys in private practice as well as top government and non-profit attorneys. 

Icard Merrill

Attorney Morgan R. Bentley, a partner of the Sarasota-based law firm Bentley & Bruning, has once again been named to Florida Trend magazine’s prestigious Legal Elite list. Those named to the Legal Elite list are selected by their peers who are invited to name attorneys for whom they have the highest regard or whom they would recommend to others. Only 1,126 lawyers in Florida were named to the 2019 list, which represents fewer than 1.3 percent of the active Florida Bar members who practice in Florida. Bentley, also a Florida Super Lawyer, is a past president of the Sarasota County Bar Association, a past chairman of the Florida Commission on Ethics, and is board-certified in business litigation by the Florida Bar. He concentrates his practice on litigation involving business and real estate disputes.  

Bentley & Bruning

DONUT ALERT: When you sign your advertising IO for SRQ Magazine through July 31, our team will deliver famous Five’O Donuts direct to your office.

Contact your Business Development Associate today or email GrowMyBusiness@srqme.com to get signed, sealed and delivered!