News Briefs

+ Myakka City Fire District adds engine
The Myakka City Fire Department celebrated the arrival of a new fire engine with a dedication and luncheon March 31.

With the feat, Myakka City Fire Chief Dan Cacchiotti fulfilled his 10-year plan to obtain a new fire engine and to fully staff the Fire District’s No. 2 station.

Cacchiotti replaced the district’s nearly 10-year-old fire truck with a new “state-of-the-art” vehicle a year before his self-imposed deadline.

Myakka City Fire District used a 2013 $400,000 grant from The Mosaic Co. to fulfill both of the department’s needs.

+ Manatee County prepares to open Neal Preserve
Manatee County soon will open its newest preservation lands system, Neal Preserve, to the public.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will introduce the publicly owned, 120-acre preserve, which was named in honor of Lakewood Ranch-based home builder Pat Neal and his company, Neal Communities, to the public at 4 p.m. April 9, at the property, located just east of the bridge to Anna Maria Island, on the south side of Manatee Avenue.

Attendees can enjoy guest speakers and light refreshments, along with demonstrations of American Indian tool use and guided tours of the site.

Neal Preserve features an observation tower overlooking Sarasota Bay, elevated platform-style trails through salt marsh and traditional railed trails, which wind through mangrove forests.

Visitors can also view the new picnic pavilion and try out a hard-packed shell trail on the property.
Manatee County purchased the site in 2005.

+ Construction underway for next PDQ Chicken
Tampa-based fast food chain, People Dedicated to Quality (PDQ) Chicken, will make its way to East County, as construction begins on its newest location on Lena Road.

Outback Steakhouse co-founder Bob Basham and Nick Reader, CEO of Basham’s private investment firm MVP Holdings, purchased the land in July, in hopes of bringing their chicken tenders, hand-cut fries and milkshakes to another Florida market.

Since Basham and Reader started the company in 2011, the duo has built more than 25 locations in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Meetings & agendas
Manatee County School Board Workshop — 3 to 5 p.m. April 4, at 215 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

Manatee County School Board Regular Meeting — 5:45 p.m. April 8, at 215 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

Manatee County School Board Audit Committee — Interviews for External Auditor — 3 to 6 p.m. April 9, at 215 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.