Bradenton Beach News

A complainant reported her father's memorial bench was missing, telling a Manatee County Sheriff's Office deputy the last time it was seen was May 6. The bench was later located at the Willow Avenue beach access, a block north of its former location.

Republican Club of Manatee Countywill meet at noon today at Westside Cafe, 2444 Cortez Road.

Ridership of the fare-free Island Trolley increased 24.8 percent for the period February-April 2012 compared with the same three months of 2011, an increase of 34,311 passengers.

This is Stitch, a Jack Russell and Chihuahua mix rescued by Safe Haven Animal Rescue of Florida during the May 4 Venice Raid.

"What we have here is a failure to communicate," is a line made famous from the 1967 movie "Cool Hand Luke," starring Paul Newman, but it also suits the ongoing issues between the Bradenton Beach city commission and planning and zoning board.

A parking area at the BeachHouse Restaurant, 200 Gulf Drive N., is posted for valet storage.

The Coquina Cafe concession stand at Coquina Beach quietly opened in early April, but an opening celebration is planned for this month.

Florida Forest Service spokesman Ed Flowers assists April 25 in raising the Tree City USA flag, recognizing National Arbor Day at the U.S. Post Office, 116 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach.

Manatee County's crime rate dropped by 1 percent in 2012. However, in the city of Bradenton, it spiked by 11.9 percent, according to statistics released Monday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.