Latest news with #PineViewSchool
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pine View student named 2025 Youth of the Year by Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota/DeSoto
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties recently honored Pine View School student Ava M. as the 2025 Youth of the Year local during the organization's annual Youth of the Year Celebration. Ava, a senior at Pine View School and a member of the Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club, was first introduced to the Club through the Students Taking Active Roles (STAR) Leadership Program in 2021. 'The Club has helped me develop two key qualities: leadership and a passion for service," Ava said. "It has shown me that I can take charge, guide groups to success, and inspire diverse perspectives." Four other outstanding teens were in the running for the honor, including: · Angel V., Imagine North Port, 12th grade. · Liam D., Pine View School, 11th grade. · Nazaria D., Sarasota High School, 12th grade. · Sophie B., Riverview High School, 12th grade. The Youth of the Year has been the premier recognition program since 1947 of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, fostering a new generation of leaders prepared to live and lead in a diverse, global, and integrated world economy. The program celebrates the achievements of Club members across the nation. Candidates who embody the values of leadership service, academic excellence, and healthy lifestyles compete at the local, state, and regional levels with hopes of attending the national celebration. Since 2015, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties has celebrated six Florida Youth of the Year winners, one state runner-up, three Southeast Youth of the Year winners, one regional runner-up, and one National Youth of the Year. "Ava demonstrates the leadership, dedication, and compassion that our organization aims to cultivate in youth," aid Bill Sadlo, president/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. "Her growth reflects the powerful impact of the teen programs, and I have no doubt she will continue to inspire and lead with purpose. We are incredibly proud of her achievements and look forward to cheering her on as she represents us at the state level." Ava's commitment to service extends beyond the STAR program. Her involvement within the Club includes more than seven programs, including Cultural Immersion, Superintendent's Student Advisory Council, Ambassador's Club, Youth Council, and Advocacy 101. Ava was also recently invited to represent Boys & Girls Clubs of America at The Advocacy Conference in Fort Lauderdale, where she took the stage during 'Your Grassroots Program Would Be Nothing Without Your Advocates,' sharing how real stories and grassroots action can drive real change. After graduation, Ava will be attending the U.S. Military Academy, where she plans to study chemistry on a pre-med track with the goal of becoming a field surgeon, combining her passion for medicine with her dedication to service. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties has been a leading youth-serving organization since 1970, providing enriching after-school and summer programs to thousands of youth, ages 6 to 18, in Sarasota, Venice, North Port and Arcadia. The organization's mission is to enable young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Boys & Girls Clubs programs are designed to empower youth to excel in school, become leaders, adopt healthy habits and create plans for success after high school graduation. For more information, visit or call 941-366-3911. Submitted by Erin Guzzo This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Pine View student honored as Youth of the Year by Boys & Girls Clubs
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Yahoo
Should Florida require license plates on both ends of cars? Lawmakers considering bill
The Brief The Florida legislature is considering a bill to require drivers to have license plates on both the front and back of vehicles. The bill is in honor of Lilly Glaubach, 13, who was killed in 2022 by a driver who is now serving fifteen years for leaving the scene. State Sen. Joe Gruters is pitching a bill that would require Floridians to add a license plate to the front of their vehicle. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida legislature is considering a bill to require state drivers to have license plates on both the front and back of vehicles. The goal is to make it more difficult to get away from a hit-and-run crash. The backstory The bill is in honor of 13-year-old Lilly Glaubach, who was killed in 2022 by a driver who is now serving fifteen years for leaving the scene. READ: Sen. Ashley Moody introduces HELPER Act. Here's how it would help first responders & teachers "It's almost kind of like time stopped at that point," said Glaubach's mother, Sarah Alexander. "Every day that goes by, we miss different milestones." Glaubach was headed home from Pine View School in Osprey when 65-year-old David Chang hit her so hard, the force sent her almost through the windshield. "Good Samaritans happened to take a picture pulled up next to him at a red light," said Paul Alexander, Glaubach's step-father. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube Big picture view To add one more way to catch a hit-and-run driver, State Sen. Joe Gruters is pitching a bill that requires Floridians to add a license plate to the front of their vehicle. "As people are speeding away from these scenes, there's a lot of cameras out there, and those cameras can't always see the back of the plate," said Gruters. Dig deeper Gruters points out that only 12.5% of hit-and-run crashes in 2023 resulted in charges. The bill also requires repair shops to ask for police reports. If one is not provided, the store would have to send the estimate to a new FDLE database. "This legislation seeks to deter hit-and-runs by increasing the accountability of nautical motor vehicle repair shops, while preventing individuals from getting work done under false pretenses," said Gruters. MORE: Florida House advances bill to create statewide 'dangerous dog' registry The other side Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd agrees with most of the bill, but not the double license plates. He sees it as an undue burden on drivers to get a second plate, and also on law enforcement who would have to stop more cars for not complying. "We have a lot of technology that we use to solve hit-and-runs," said Judd, "and if added front license plate were the end all, then I would be for it, but it's simply not." What's next The license plate part of the bill is a new addition after several years of Gruters trying to get the Lilly Glaubach law to the governor's desk. Her family said they will be in Tallahassee next week to lobby for it. READ: Florida bill would create stricter punishment for leading law enforcement on pursuits "Just any little bit of information to find the person who hit your loved one is important," said Sarah Alexander. The bill has passed two committees unanimously, and is headed to the appropriations committee next. Twenty-nine other states do require license plates on both the front and backs of vehicles. The Source The information in this story was gathered from details about the bill and from Sarah Alexander, Paul Alexander, State Sen. Joe Gruters and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. It also includes details from Lilly Glaubach's hit-and-run death. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Yahoo
'Common sense solution': Florida senator seeks to get 'Lilly Glaubach Act' passed in 2025
David Chang drove almost 80 miles to an auto-body shop in Tampa after slamming into a 13-year-old girl bicycling home from Pine View School in 2022, leaving her lying in the roadway. His vision was obscured by fissures in his windshield — wind most likely whistled through the cracks from the impact of the crash. Chang later returned home on the same road where hours earlier he'd hit Lilly Glaubach. He spent one more night with his wife and daughter before police knocked on his door after a Good Samaritan saw the damaged car, snapped a photograph and alerted police. More than two years after the hit-and-run that took Glaubach's life, Chang is serving a 15-year sentence, and a Florida senator is again pushing for a bill that would help law enforcement with hit-and-run investigations. A look into hit-and-runs: One decision changed lives. Manatee County hit-and-run crash leaves behind sorrow, regret Keep reading: Why do some drivers flee after a crash? The psychology behind hit-and-runs Sen. Joe Gruters filed Senate Bill 92, also known as the Lilly Glaubach Act, in December. The bill would require auto repair shops to collect and submit crash reports before repairing cars. 'For people to shirk their responsibility and run away, it drains the entire system. It's not fair,' Gruters said. 'To me, this is a simple, common-sense solution that everybody can get behind, and trying to block or slow down a bill like this, to me, is inexcusable.' The bill, if passed, would require auto body shops to ask vehicle owners that came in with damage due to a collision to provide a written crash report from police before giving a written estimate. If the driver doesn't have a report, the repair shop would have to complete its own report, which would then be available to law enforcement within 24 hours. Gruters filed a similar bill in 2023, but it died in the Commerce and Tourism Committee in March 2024. It is only the second piece of legislation in 10 years that has been aimed at those who flee the scene of a crash. In 2014, former Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed into law the Aaron Cohen Life Protection Act which increased the minimum mandatory sentence for those found guilty of fleeing a crash involving death from a year to 4 years. During an interview with the Herald-Tribune, Gruters said while the bill won't catch everybody who decides to flee after a crash, it could help bring closure to more families in a state that annually sees more than 103,000 hit-and-run crashes. As of Feb. 27, there have been 97,702 hit-and-run crashes, including 242 deaths from hit-and-run crashes, according to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicle and Highway Safety's crash dashboard. In 2023, there were 104,273 hit-and-run crashes in Florida, a decrease of less than 1% from 2022, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Larry Coggins, regional executive director with Mothers Against Drunk Driving or MADD, is excited about the bill being talked about and filed again. As part of the national organization's mission of ending drunk driving, the bill is a step toward bringing justice to loved ones who have lost someone to a crash. 'We know people flee crashes because they're drunk. We know that,' Coggins said. 'So, we are a big proponent and supporter of this legislation.' Coggins acknowledged those who oppose the bill will most likely argue it will place a tremendous burden on auto body shops or create an extra step that takes more time, but he disagrees. He feels that an overwhelming amount of time, drivers who come into auto body shops already have an insurance claim, crash report or a case number in hand. The bill would simply ensure due diligence for auto body shops to check with local law enforcement agencies on the small number of people who come in and claim they hit a dog, mailbox, tree or some other object and don't have any proof. The bill has been likened to current pawn shop legislation. Under Florida law, anytime an item is sold or pawned at a pawn shop, the shop is required to enter that item into a statewide database that law enforcement can access. The same would happen if the bill was passed. In Manatee County: Trial expected next week for Manatee County woman accused of fatal hit-and-run More: Sarasota Police identify car involved in hit-and-run that killed 2-year-old, 5-month-old The bill states that if estimated repairs to a car that was brought in cost $5,000 or more, the shop would require the driver to provide a written crash report. If a report is not provided, the shop will then prepare an accident or collision repair work transaction form which includes the name and address of the auto repair shop, a description of the vehicle being repaired, and detailed description of the damage. The shop would then need to submit the form to a local law enforcement agency on a daily basis and keep a copy of each form for at least a year, according to the bill. Glaubach's mother and stepfather, Sarah and Paul Alexander, are hopeful that the bill will get through the Legislature so as to prevent other families going through the uncertainty they lived through while Lilly was in the hospital fighting for her life and they had no idea who had run into her. 'It means a lot that Lilly didn't die in vain,' Paul Alexander said. 'That hopefully she can still help others. That's kind of always who she was. … (She) was always willing to help other people whether it was standing up to friends saying mean things, or whether it was her just reaching out to the new people at a school. She was always that person, and it means the world that she may still get to do that.' Recent news coverage of another Sarasota hit-and-run that killed two children and left their 29-year-old mother in a coma has brought up a lot of feelings for Sarah Alexander and her family. She said that the incident reinforces the need for the bill to be passed. She added that just talking with people in the community seems to reveal that almost everyone has had a brush with a hit-and-run or knows someone who has had a hit-and-run happen to them. "I'm just so thankful and really humbled that people still think about Lilly and think about, you know, what happened," Sarah Alexander said. "And I just, obviously, every time I do an interview like this, or think about this, it's hard. It's hard to relive things, but I do think that it's helpful ... it can be helpful to other families. I know that's what she would have wanted." Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@ or on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 'Lilly Glaubach Act' could help law enforcement solve more hit-and-runs
