Florida’s Manatee County made the national spotlight in 2021. Here are the top stories
This year, the national spotlight fell on Manatee County more than once or twice.
For good reasons, bad reasons and everything in between, our corner of the Tampa Bay area made national — and sometimes global — headlines.
These are some of the top stories that gave the rest of the world a peek at what it was like to live in Manatee County in 2021.
Piney Point pollutes Tampa Bay
Perhaps the largest news story to come out of Manatee County over the past year was the breach at Piney Point, where millions of gallons of contaminated water threatened to create a massive flood.
Despite closing in 2001, the former phosphate plant still holds massive ponds of contaminated water. When it began to leak in March, public safety officials feared the whole system could collapse, which would require an evacuation order for everyone in the surrounding area.
In the end, state leaders allowed the site operators to pour 215 million gallons of contaminated water into Tampa Bay in order to prevent a crisis on land. Experts have said that the emergency release likely contributed to an extended bout of red tide this summer.
But government officials are on their way to a solution, more than 20 years after the site was abandoned by its former owners. Gov. Ron DeSantis has asked the Florida Legislature to set aside $200 million to pay for the site closure.
In December, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection approved Manatee County’s permit to build an underground injection control well to store the remaining water about 3,000 feet below ground. The well is expected to be up and running by the end of 2022.
Brady leads Bucs to Super Bowl Championship
In his first year as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, quarterback Tom Brady led the team on an incredible run to Super Bowl, which just so happened to be held on their home turf at Raymond James Stadium.
The Bucs finished their 15-5 season by taking down the Kansas City Chiefs in decisive fashion. Tampa’s defense put on a clinic to limit the reigning Super Bowl Champions to just 9 points as the Bucs offense scored 31 points of their own.
And who could forget the victory parade down the Hillsborough River? Tossing the Lombardi trophy from boat to boat seems like a good idea to us, especially when Rob Gronkowski is the intended receiver.
Lightning become back-to-back champs
The Bucs weren’t the only local champs to bring home the hardware this year. The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup for the second time in a row by defeating the Montreal Canadiens in July.
The Bolts largely dominated the best-of-seven series before securing their second championship in less than a year. In 2020, the team took down the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals.
This time, the Stanley Cup even came to party on Anna Maria Island. Head Coach Jon Cooper brought the trophy with him to the Drift Inn, giving local residents a chance to drink out of “The Holy Grail.”
Florida records most-ever manatee deaths
After the worst year on record for Manatee County’s namesake, environmentalists are sounding the alarm.
More than 1,050 manatees have been reported dead in the past 12 months, shattering the previous record that came in 2013 when 830 manatees died.
It’s a devastating statistic for the species, which already faces challenges from accidental collisions with boaters. Only 27 of the deaths were reported in Manatee County, but the statewide loss has triggered an investigation and an incoming lawsuit.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, most of the reported deaths have been reported near the Indian River Lagoon. In that area, large algae blooms have killed off major swaths of seagrass that manatees feed on.
Congressman Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, and other lawmakers have signed onto a new bill that would heighten protections for the West Indian manatee by adding it back to the federal list of endangered species.
Trump comes to Sarasota for the Fourth of July
In one of his first major public events since he left office, former President Donald Trump spent the Fourth of July weekend with local supporters in Sarasota.
Trump, along with other conservative leaders, addressed a massive crowd on July 3 as part of a Save America Rally. More than 25,000 residents showed up to the day-long rally, organizers said.
The country’s 45th president spoke for about 90 minutes in a wide-ranging speech that criticized President Joe Biden’s leadership and made unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Following his remarks, Trump ended the event with a major fireworks show.
COVID-19 outbreak highlights vaccine efficacy
In what became an early case study on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines, Manatee County government made headlines following a deadly outbreak of the virus.
Two unvaccinated employees died from an outbreak that was traced back to the county’s Information Technology Department. Three other unvaccinated in the department were hospitalized with infections.
According to an update from County Administrator Scott Hopes, the one employee who made contact with the others was fully vaccinated and did not contract COVID-19.
“That vaccine, I believe, not only saved him but it appears that because he was vaccinated and he was sort of the next individual in line in the timeline that the outbreak in IT stopped, I believe, because it ran up against a vaccinated individual,” Hopes told CNN.
