In Covid19 crisis citizens help, elected officials fail the homeless

All Talk, No Action in protection for the homeless

Carrie Seidman's Easter Sunday editorial points to the abject failure of Sarasota County and the City of Sarasota to mount any sort of coordinated,, effective response to the Coronavirus crisis now affecting the homeless as well as everyone else here.

Andrea Buscemi posted this regarding Streets of Paradise, a citizen group helping the homeless during the Covid19 pandemic:

Good morning everyone! Feeling disheartened by this? Well there is something you can do!

COVID 19 has shut down a lot of our homeless friends resources for food. Some volunteers had been trying to fill that void by providing meals 7 days a week.

We have been so lucky to have some help but we are still coming up short. Below is a list of items we desperately need to continue feeding our friends 7 days a week. Also please know we are following the strict guidelines set forth during this stay at home order to keep ourselves and our friends safe.

If you wish to donate you can go to www.streetsofparadise.org and mention “for food supplies” in the “notes” portion of the donation. Thank you all so much. You can also donate via Facebook by visiting the Streets of Paradise Inc. page.

Items needed:

~Granola bars
~Water
~bread
~meat and cheese for sandwiches
~peanut butter
~Jelly
~chips
~mustard
~mayonnaise
~sandwich bags

All items can be dropped off at your convenience to:
3044 Bay St., Sarasota FL 34237

I'd like encourage everyone to join the Streets of Paradise volunteers group to stay current on volunteer opportunities available to help the homeless community in Sarasota.

Cathy Bryant, Greg Cruz, Devon Oppenheimer, and Angel Mendoza Williams are some of the amazing volunteers who lead and organize this group. You can reach out to them with more questions.

Streets of Paradise has ongoing efforts to help feed the homeless.

New: LTE 4.15.20 regarding Board inaction.

County, State and Federal Emergency Service

Sarasota County Emergency Management

Sarasota County Emergency Shelter/Evacuation Inf

• Shelter Map - Sarasota

FEMA ASSISTANCE

To apply for FEMA assistance visit this site: or call 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) TTY: 1-800-462-7585. Go to link to find the nearest FEMA Disaster Recovery Center.

EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

If you need emergency help call 911.

BASIC SUPPLIES

If you need supplies, such as food, water, or ice, please contact your county emergency management site or by phone at (850) 815-4001 for the location of the nearest distribution center. Your county emergency management can provide up-to-date information about shelters and local distribution centers for food and supplies. See also Florida Disaster.org.

HELP FOR SENIORS

If you know of a senior who needs assistance call the Florida Department of Elder Affairs hotline at 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337). To report elder abuse, call 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873).

HELP FOR VETERANS

Veterans in need of assistance or in need of their medication can contact the Veteran Disaster Hotline at 1-800-507-4571 or go to any VA medical facility for assistance.

MENTAL HEALTH

If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress please call the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained counselor. You may also visit this SAMHSA site for more information about managing stress after a disaster and talking with children about traumatic events.

DIALYSIS

To find a dialysis center in your area visit: http://www.dialysisunits.com/. Patients of DaVita Dialysis may contact 1-800-400-8331 to find the nearest Dialysis Center.

MORTGAGE RELIEF

To find out if you qualify for temporary mortgage relief, visit the Freddie Mac website, the Fannie Mae website, or by phone at 1-800-2FANNIE (800-232-6643). Contact the Federal Housing Finance Agency here.

You may also contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to find out if you qualify for any hurricane related help with your mortgage or mortgage insurance. Contact HUD about disaster assistance here.

TAX RELIEF

Taxpayers in affected areas may be eligible for tax relief from the IRS. To learn more about IRS assistance go here.

DISASTER RECOVERY LOANS

The U.S. Small Business Administration is providing various disaster loans to qualifying Floridians. More information about SBA disaster loans can be found here. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides loans to qualifying individuals, businesses, and communities after disasters. For more information go here, or contact the USDA office in Florida at: (352) 338-3400.

DISASTER UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE

Floridians who are unemployed as a result of a disaster, and who are ineligible for regular state unemployment insurance, are encouraged to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) through the U.S. Department of Labor. Go here for additional information about DUA, or contact the U.S. Department of Labor by phone at 1-866-487-2365.

HURRICANE RESPONSE HIRING

The U.S. Small Business Administration is hiring a variety of temporary positions located throughout areas affected by recent disasters. More information here. For FEMA hiring visit this page.

FEMA ASSISTANCE

For in-person assistance with storm related questions, visit your local FEMA Disaster Recovery Center. For a list of centers in your area visit this page or call 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) TTY: 1-800-462-7585.

Be aware of SCAMS: Federal and state workers never ask for or accept money, and always carry identification badges. There is no fee required to apply for or to get disaster assistance from FEMA, or the State of Florida. If you suspect fraud call FEMA's Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or the Florida Attorney General fraud hotline at 1-866-966-7226.

RESOURCES

Emergency Assistance 9-1-1

Local resources (food, shelter, childcare,) 2-1-1

Food, water, ice distribution 850-815-4001, TDD/TTY: 1-800-226-4329

Florida County Emergency Management Offices statewide

Sarasota County Emergency Shelter/Evacuation Inf

• Shelter Map - Sarasota

Shelters Open Statewide

Florida Highway Conditions, or dial 5-1-1 or *FHP (347)

Florida Elder Affairs Hotline 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337).

Veteran Disaster Hotline , 1-800-507-4571.

Disaster Distress Helpline (for emotional distress) 1-800-985-5990, or text TalkWithUs to 66746

Blue Tarp Roofs (Army Corps of Engineers) 1-888-ROOF-BLU

FEMA: 1-800-621-FEMA (1-800-621-3362) TTY: 1-800-745-0243

Fake Government 101: DEP, Rick Scott, Carlos Beruff, Pat Neal, etc.

How many times do we have to hear that a city, county, or state violated its own rules before it sinks in?

From The Bradenton Tmes:

Conservation: Fighting the Good Fight Keeps Getting Harder

Dennis Maley•Sunday, Mar 19, 2017

Last week, the 5th District Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in an appeal filed by a group of local environmentalists to a permit issued by our local water management board. The permit would allow the destruction of wetlands on Perico Island in order to facilitate politically-connected developer Pat Neal's desire to build homes on the land. 

The Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage, Suncoast Waterkeeper, Manasota 88, Sierra Club and TBT Publisher Joe McClash are asking the court to reverse a Southwest Florida Water Management District order that awarded Neal a controversial permit to destroy mangroves and build on the coastal wetlands of this critical area that lies in the bay waters between Anna Maria Island and the mainland of northwest Manatee County. 

Neal's request was pushed through Swiftmud by his developer pal, Carlos Beruff. But it should have never even gotten that far. The City of Bradenton clearly violated its own rules in giving approval for the development request, as well as state guidelines on wetlands. The city basically ignored the conservation groups that pointed this out and, in addition to the Swiftmud appeal, there is a pending suit by Suncoast Waterkeeper that challenges the city's approval. Despite the disputes and the fact that the ACOE has yet to weigh in, Neal has begun clearing on the site.  Read more...

From Politico:

DEP employee suspended in 2012 speaks about her experience — and the future

"...when you run into a conflict, what do I follow, the boss or follow the rules?"

An administrative law judge in 2012 disagreed with DEP after it issued a notice of intent to permit the Highlands Ranch wetlands mitigation bank in Clay County. 

Bersok had written a memo objecting to a draft proposed permit and argued that fewer development credits were deserved. 

Shortly thereafter, she was suspended with pay but later was cleared of work violations by a department investigation. Read more . . .