Some of the top images of 2021 from the Bradenton Herald.
Tiffany Tompkins
ttompkins@bradenton.com
Manatee
In Manatee County, 2021 was marked by celebrations, rallies and the worst environmental disaster in the county’s recent history — all while continuing to work through another difficult year of COVID-19.
The Bradenton Herald captured many of the year’s top moments on camera.
On Holmes Beach, a memorial honored those we lost to the raging pandemic before vaccines became widely available.
A COVID memorial honored the Florida dead on Holmes Beach just as vaccines became more available.
Juneteenth was celebrated by children at the 13th Ave Dream Center as protesters continued to fight for social justice.
October brought hundreds to downtown Bradenton to rally for women’s rights and a Veteran’s Day parade brought music and marching to Anna Maria Island while honoring ‘Old soldiers and sailors.’
Check out some of this year’s other highlights inside.
06/18/21—Youth from several community centers converged upon the 13th Av (cq) Dream Center for a Juneteenth celebration with author Vincent Taylor who used music and audience participation to teach and entertain. The celebration was directed by Dr. Sharon Jefferson of Rosalyn Walton Education and Enrichment Services. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
06/03/21—Marleny Merida reacts in joy at Bayshore High School’s commencement ceremony at LECOM Field. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
03/30/21--Site operators at Piney Point, the former phosphate mine, have begun a controlled release of up to 480 million gallons of contaminated water into a channel at Port Manatee due to a leak in a holding pond. A family fishes in the waters adjacent to the port. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
04/21/21—A rally at the steps of the Manatee County Courthouse celebrates the jury verdict that found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
07/07/21—The remains of Elsa on Cortez Beach for the most part were large, surfer-friendly waves and water too dangerous for most swimmers. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
04/21/21—Natasha Clemmons, the mother of Rodney Mitchell, participates in a rally at the steps of the Manatee County Courthouse to celebrate the jury verdict that found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
02/16/21--Richard and Joanne Brown of Holmes Beach joined a group of people led by Cathy Tobias hold a memorial created from ribbons and stretching 250 yards to remember the almost 27,000 people lost to COVID-19 in Florida. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
03/17/21--A small busload of seniors from Cypress Springs dressed for the occasion of getting their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Premier Sports Complex in Lakewood Ranch. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
10/02/21—Pro-choice advocates made a stop at the courthouse for speeches as they marched through the streets of downtown Bradenton Saturday, joining hundreds of other Women’s March demonstrators across the country in support of reproductive rights. The march was organized by Women’s Voices of Southwest Florida. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
08/24/21—County Commissioner James Satcher seen through the red robes of Women’s Voices of SW Florida who dressed as Handmaids to attend the meeting. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
11/11/21—Dean Garden, 5, gets ready to be in the City of Anna Maria’s Old Soldiers and Sailors Veterans Day Parade. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
06/08/21—Boaters set out from the algae-laden shores of Emerson Preserve. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
08/24/21—Women’s Voices of SW Florida dressed as Handmaids to attend a Board of County Commissioners’ meeting to advocate for choice for women. Tiffany Tompkins ttompkins@bradenton.com
Tiffany Tompkins is the Bradenton Herald’s Visual Lead; shooting, editing and producing photographs and videos for the newspaper and online since 1999. Tiffany is a graduate of State College of Florida.
