The Bradenton Herald from Bradenton, Florida • B1

BRADENTON.COM SECTION TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014 By SARA KENNEDY MANATEE The new South- west Area Tax Increment Financing District is taking shape after county commis- sioners last month phased out earlier incarnations, called community redevelopment areas. The district, occupying the southwest quadrant of the county, was established Oct. 1. It is expected to generate $780,796 this year, accord- ing to Jan Brewer, deputy director for the fi- nancial management de- partment. Of that amount, $145,694 is allocated for current-year expenses to the tax financing district, also called the South- west County Improvement District; $255,102 to be placed in reserves; and $380,000 for the general fund, Brewer said.

Projects designed to en- courage commercial activity, fight crime, and add amenities will be paid for by using part of the money from increases in property-tax revenues as the area revitalizes. District boundaries are from Manatee Avenue on the north to the Sarasota County line on the south, and from Sarasota Bay on the west to U.S. 301 on the east. The next step involves con- tacting small business owners and listening to what like to see in the way of proj- ects to be financed as part of the work of the new dis- trict, said Alison Hewitt, ex- ecutive director for the Cen- tral Economic Development New SW TIF district is now taking shape New tax district expected to generate funding for projects to address local needs TIF TO 8B Joseph and Hector Braden, brothers who owned plantations in North Florida, moved to the Manatee River area in 1842. They had lost their Tallahassee plantations during the Money Pan- ic of 1837, and learned of the opportunity for land claims and the abundant natural resources in the Manatee area.

The brothers moved into a log cabin just 5 miles from the mouth of the river with the intent of starting a new plantation in Manatee. But in 1846, Hector Braden drowned. Rumor has it that he at- tempted to cross the Man- atee River during a hur- ricane that blew most of the water out of the river. It is thought that he start- ed his ride during the eye of the storm, but his horse became stuck in the river. According to legend, Hec- tor was found the next day still seated upon his horse, tightly gripping the reins with his eyes wide open.

This tragic event, how- ever, did not discour- age Joseph Braden from building the sugar plan- tation that the broth- ers had dreamed about. The Braden sugarmill was built near where the Braden River and Mana- tee River meet. Still, success was not immediate because a sandbar in the river pre- vented larger boats from reaching the sugar mill. To take advantage of the deeper channel and ship his goods out, Braden built a pine log pier at the end of present-day Old Main Street, and the pro- cessed sugar was shipped from there. To protect his invest- ment from attacking Sem- Braidentown, Bradentown to Bradenton HISTORY MATTERS Melissa Porter Manatee Village Historical Park Postcard view of downtown Bradentown taken from the House That means from the old 1880s wooden courthouse, replaced in 1912 by a new large brick building with white columns.

The presence of both an early automobile and a horse-drawn carriage parked outside the Iron Block Building on Old Main Street (12th Street West) suggest the image was made circa 1910. This picture is from the Manatee County Public Library Historical Image Digital Collection. By MARK YOUNG PALMETTO As city offi- cials continue to develop a downtown corridor devel- opment plan, the Palmet- to City Commission voted unanimously Monday to pro- pose amending its compre- hensive plan. public hearing served a dual purpose, ac- cording to Community Re- development Agency Direc- tor Jeff Burton, who said the city comprehensive plan has long been neglected and it is time to update language while ensuring the CRA plan matches it as well. Significant proposed chang- es include rezoning the coast- al high hazard area, which the city established years ago from Manatee River north to Fourth Street West.

Burton said the coastal high hazard area far exceeds the state model, which ends at Riverside Drive, and it could hinder downtown develop- ment. we are going to follow what the law says rather than what a former city commis- sion Burton. wise we are hamstringing Other key issues in the Palmetto takes next step in downtown development plan DOWNTOWN TO 3B HISTORY TO 8B Blaine Turpin and his granddaughter, Brianna Neas, dressed as Frankenstein and his bride for last Boo Fest on Main Street in Lakewood Ranch. The Haunted House will be back again this year. FILE PHOTO By KATHRYN MOSCHELLA com LAKEWOOD RANCH Horror film afi-cionados want to miss the eighth annual Lakewood Ranch Boo Fest expect- ed to draw roughly 5,000 people to Main Street on Friday night.

As in past, the Haunted House Hallow- een spectacular will be held under a fully enclosed tent with themed rooms of legendary haunted movie, including of Fran- of and the of with the meanest witch of all the Wicked Witch of the West. A special committee of adult volunteers and many husband-and-wife teams from the Lakewood Ranch area will dress in scary costumes, paint their fac- es with ghoulish makeup, and try to scare the living daylights out of everyone who passes through. special about the haunted house this year is come up with a theme based on horror flicks that will run through different sections of the house. This is also the first year with volunteer adults. Last year we did it with students, but the adults will give us more consistency and said Lori Basilone, director of Lakewood Ranch Com- munity Activities during a Haunted House Commit- tee meeting Monday.

The Haunted House will be lit for the first hour at 6 p.m. for little ones to pass through eight unique mov- ie exhibits. Later it will be darkened and characters and creatures will await wary passersby with all sorts of props, antics and tricks. Volunteer Jay Traverso of the Lake Club in Lake- wood Ranch said he and his wife, Marybeth Traver- so, plan on handing out candy body parts formed like brains, lungs, kidneys and liver. be part of a din- Lakewood Ranch Boo Fest aimed at fright film fans Mia McLauchlan, left, rests on the curb with friend, Olivia Lazaris.

The girls dressed as Cinderella and Snow White for the 2013 Boo Fest in Lakewood Ranch. The 2014 Halloween extravaganza takes place Saturday night. FILE PHOTO special about the haunted house this year is come up with a theme based on horror flicks that will run through different sections of the house. Lori Basilone, director of Lakewood Ranch Community Activities dur- ing a Haunted House Committee meeting Monday. BOO TO 8B By SARA KENNEDY MANATEE An audit re- port addressing troubles at the Manatee County Ani- mal Services Division has been delayed, an official said Monday.

The report by the con- sulting firm Matrix Consult- ing Group Ltd. of Mountain View, was to be com- pleted this month, but now is not expected to be done until November, said Nick Azzara, county information outreach manager. In July, county officials signed a $53,000 contract with Matrix to audit the animal services operation. The company was assigned to do interviews, tour coun- ty facilities, send out anon- ymous questionnaires to employees, profile the orga- nization, and diagnose and evaluate its operations. It is to submit a report with rec- ommendations at the conclu- sion of the probe, according to its contract with the coun- ty, the Herald has reported.

The audit, which officially began July 24, originally was to have taken about 12 weeks to complete, it said. It was considered neces- sary after several commis- sioners said they were con- fused and frustrated by all the investigations of the an- imal services division. County animal services employees came under fire in connection with an animal abuse case involving a private shelter where they had sent animals for care. Owners of the East Manatee animal res- cue, called Log Cab- in Horse and Animal Sanc- tuary, face multiple counts Manatee County Animal Services abuse report slow report expected this month will not be ready until November By MARK YOUNG PALMETTO The debate raged for months within the City Hall chambers of Pal- metto on how to revise the city noise ordinance, but in the end, the only change made was to target violators by implementing fines. Commissioners debated decibel levels, whether police or code enforcement should handle potential violations, what kind of equipment to use and how much of it at what expense and whether it was even needed consid- ering the city is still debating an outdoor eating and drink- ing ordinance also designed to address noise issues.

The final conclusion was to leave the ordinance alone while adding a tier of citations. The first violation would get a warning and subsequent vi- olations up to four or more within a year costing up to $500 and a mandatory court appearance. A second viola- tion would be a civil citation for $250 and a third would be a civil citation for $500. Commissioners unanimous- ly passed the noise ordinance fine amendment at its regular meeting Monday while the outdoor eating and drink- Palmetto tries to devise fines for new noise law ANIMALS TO 2B NOISE TO 8B.