Governor to recognize veterans in Bradenton Aug. 25

Gov. Rick Scott will be in Bradenton Aug. 25 to present the Governor’s Veterans Service Award to honorably discharged veterans of all ages and eras.

The ceremony will be at the Bradenton National Guard Armory, 2100 13th Ave. E. at 1:30 p.m. Registration will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. Veterans should bring proof of their service, anything from a retirement ID to a DD-214 or Florida driver license with a vet designation.

“We are just giving a thank you to veterans who served their country,” Lee Ann Sferrazza-Rios, public affairs manager for the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, said. “We have had excellent turnouts, especially from the Vietnam and Korean War veterans. They really appreciate the recognition.”

Scott presents the state medals about once a month at different locations throughout the state.

“We’re hoping to make it a large event,” said Lee Washington, veterans service officer for Manatee County. “This has been a part of the governor's outreach for over a year now, maybe longer. He publishes the dates and locations through the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, who then contact the local area veterans services offices, who then disseminate the information to the community via service posts and detachments, as well other community partners and media.”

Florida has about 1.6 million veterans, with nearly 498,000 from the Vietnam War era, the most of any wartime era.

The ceremony typically last about 90 minutes, with the governor spotlighting a veteran, and then presenting the state medal to each registered veteran, Sferrazza-Rios said.

For more information, call 727-518-3202, ext. 5572. To register, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GVSA.

This story was originally published July 29, 2016 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Governor to recognize veterans in Bradenton Aug. 25."