Legal Aid of Manasota, Inc.

Sarasota and Manatee county residents impacted by Hurricane Milton can apply for FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster assistance through Dec. 11, 2024. IMPORTANT NOTE: if you completed an application for FEMA assistance involving Hurricane Debby or Hurricane Helene, you need to complete a separate application for Milton in one of three ways: 1. Going to DisasterAssistance.gov 2. Using the FEMA APP 3. Calling 800-621-3362 Learn more at https://lnkd.in/e7TUybw8

Supply Points of Distribution are set up at four locations in Sarasota County to provide water, food and tarps for those impacted by Hurricane Milton. The sites will open at 2 p.m. today, Friday, Oct. 11. ?? Venice Community Center, 326 Nokomis Ave., Venice ?? San Pedro Catholic Church, 14380 Tamiami Trail, North Port ?? Englewood Sports Complex, 1300 S. River Road, Englewood ?? Glebe Park, 1000 Glebe Lane, Sarasota Disaster Recovery Centers are also open at the following locations: ?? Lakewood Ranch Library, 16410 Rangeland Parkway, Bradenton ?? Sarasota Christian Church, 2923 Ashton Road, Sarasota.

Hurricane Milton is a dangerous Category 5 storm packing 175 mile-per-hour winds as of Monday, Oct. 7. It's forecast to make landfall on Florida's west coast on Wednesday. Legal Aid of Manasota will be closed on Tuesday, Oct. 8, and Wednesday, Oct. 9, and reopen when it is safe to do so. Currently, Sarasota County is calling for evacuations for residents living in Zones A and B and mobile home communities, and Manatee County is calling for evacuations for residents living in Zones A, B, and C and mobile home communities. Here's what to know to prepare. ?? For the most up-to-date news for Sarasota County, click here, follow @SRQCountyGov on social media, or dial 311: https://bit.ly/3TFZWY3 ?? For the most up-to-date news for Manatee County, click here, follow @ManateeGov on social media, or dial 311: https://bit.ly/3zxmzqE ?? A list of evacuation centers in Sarasota County can be found here: https://bit.ly/3OTivEM ?? A list of evacuation for Manatee County can be found here: https://bit.ly/3zsgKLb ?? Sandbag operations are open in Sarasota County and locations can be found here: https://bit.ly/3TFZWY3 ?? Sandbag operations are also open in Manatee County and can be found here: https://bit.ly/3TCDOxF ?? Under Executive Order 24-215, residents who rely on prescription medication can get early refills regardless of typical limits. ?? Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT) will continue to operate as normal through Monday night. Beginning Tuesday, October 8, MCAT will operate emergency transfers to shelters as long as they can. Specific pick-up locations will be announced. ?? In Sarasota County, in order to use all available resources to evacuate people, there will be no OnDemand or Siesta Key Trolley service. Breeze Plus will only be providing medical trips. There will be no Breeze services on Wednesday, Oct. 9. ?? Sarasota County anticipates shutting off potable water services and lift stations for wastewater to customers on Siesta Key and Casey Key on Tuesday, Oct. 8. This precautionary measure protects the community’s infrastructure, which may be inundated by storm surge and high winds. Legal Aid of Manasota is also here to help in any way we can. Please call us at (941) 366-0038 and our staff will be happy to assist before or after the storm passes.

To our neighbors affected by Hurricane Helene, please save or share this list of resources with anyone who needs it. ?? Serious Needs Assistance from FEMA provides money to pay for emergency supplies like water, food, first aid, breast-feeding supplies, infant formula, diapers, personal hygiene items, or fuel for transportation. www.fema.gov ?? Two (2) Disaster Recovery Centers have opened in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch to help answer residents’ questions about disaster recovery, give referrals to organizations who can provide further recovery assistance, and more. The Lakewood Ranch Disaster Recovery Center is located at 16410 Rangeland Parkway, and the Sarasota Disaster Recovery Center is located at 2923 Ashton Road. Every center is accessible to people with disabilities or access and functional needs. ?? Disaster Unemployment Assistance for Helene is open at FloridaJobs.org Additionally, work search reporting, waiting week, and Employ Florida registration requirements for Reemployment Assistance claims have been temporarily waived for Floridians impacted by Hurricane Helene in FEMA disaster-declared counties. ?? Points of Distribution sites are open in Sarasota and Manatee counties with supplies including food, water, tarps and more for residents in need. For a list of local sites, click here: https://lnkd.in/eC88-j54 ?? SNAP Program Food Replacement applications should be completed by October 6, 2024. Households are required to provide verification of having a power outage of four or more hours to their MYACCESS Account, except for households located in Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Nassau, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, and Wakulla counties. ??Legal Aid of Manasota is standing by to help provide free civil legal assistance in the wake of Hurricane Helene for issues including landlord/tenant disputes, insurance claims, FEMA application questions and more. Visit legalaidofmanasota.org to learn more.

As we survey the devastating loss from Hurricane Helene, our hearts are with our neighbors who have been impacted by the storm. In times like these, community is more important than ever. The Legal Aid of Manasota team is standing by and ready to help if you are in need of civil legal aid. We provide assistance for landlord/tenant issues, FEMA applications, insurance claims and more. Please call (941) 366-0038 or visit legalaidofmanasota.org for more information. We are committed to doing everything we can to take care of our neighbors in this time of need—but we can't do it alone. If you are an attorney who would like to volunteer to take on a pro bono case, visit https://lnkd.in/enBUBHa2 or call (941) 366-0038. If you are in a position to donate, your gift will provide critical legal support to those who need it most. Visit https://lnkd.in/dbqKtev to give. We're all in this together—no one is alone. Thank you so much for your support as we work to rebuild our community. ?? : Sarasota Police Department

Due to the impending effects from Tropical Storm Helene, Sarasota and Manatee counties are issuing evacuation alerts for residents in Level A, mobile home communities, Forked Creek in Englewood, and Curry Creek and Hatchett Creek in Venice, beginning Sept. 25 at 7 a.m. for Sarasota County and 10 a.m. in Manatee County. ?? For the most up-to-date news for Sarasota County, click here, follow @SRQCountyGov on social media, or dial 311: https://bit.ly/3TFZWY3 ?? For the most up-to-date news for Manatee County, click here, follow @ManateeGov on social media, or dial 311: https://bit.ly/3zxmzqE ?? A list of evacuation centers in Sarasota County can be found here: https://bit.ly/3OTivEM ?? A list of evacuation for Manatee County can be found here: https://bit.ly/3zsgKLb ?? Sandbag operations are open in Sarasota County and locations can be found here: https://bit.ly/3TFZWY3 ?? Sandbag operations are also open in Manatee County and can be found here: https://bit.ly/3TCDOxF Legal Aid of Manasota is also here to help in any way we can. Please call us at (941) 366-0038 and our staff will be happy to assist.

In case you missed it: on this week's special hour-long episode of "Justice Matters" on WSLR 96.5's "Peace & Justice Report," we discussed the state of homelessness in Sarasota with Katie Ross, CEO of the Suncoast Partnership To End Homelessness; Joe Polzak, Assistant Attorney for the City of Sarasota; and Terry Lynn Drake, Assistant Public Defender for the 12th Judicial Circuit. We also discussed how HB 1365, a new law that prohibits local governments from allowing homeless encampments on public lands, will affect our region and more. Listen here and share your thoughts by leaving a comment: https://bit.ly/4e510gj

Here's your 30-minute reminder about today's special hour-long episode of "Justice Matters" on WSLR 96.5's "Peace & Justice Report"—listen on wslr.org! Linda, Larry and host Tom Walker will be joined by a panel of experts to discuss HB 1365, which prohibits local governments from allowing homeless encampments on public lands. They'll discuss how this law affects our region; where Sarasota and Manatee counties stand in terms of the work they do to help people stay housed; and why the the demographics of the local homeless population may not be who you think. If you or someone you know lives in our region, you're not going to want to miss this important discussion. Tune into wslr.org at 9 a.m. for more!

Beginning Oct. 1, a new law will go into effect in Florida that prohibits people from sleeping overnight, outside—in any way, shape, form or fashion—unless it is in an area designated by the county. The law expands the definition of what constitutes "lodging" or "camping," and gives a person or business the right to sue the city or county if they feel the law isn't being followed. It also sets strict standards as to what the county's designated areas for the homeless must include—and the protocols that have to be established before starting the process. On this week's special hour-long episode of "Justice Matters," our radio show on WSLR 96.5's "Peace & Justice Report," Legal Aid of Manasota CEO Linda Harradine and board chair/12th Judicial Circuit Public Defender Larry Eger will be joined by Twelfth Judicial Circuit Assistant Public Defender Terry Lynn Drake, Sarasota Police Department's embedded Legal Advisor/City of Sarasota Assistant City Attorney Joe Polzak, and Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness CEO Katie Ross. They'll discuss: ?? Who is considered homeless (and why those demographics may be different than you think) ?? If someone is sleeping in a park or on a sidewalk, are they breaking the law? ?? Where do Sarasota and Manatee counties currently stand in terms of the work they do to help people stay housed? ?? Whether there are enough beds for the unhoused population in Sarasota and Manatee counties ?? And much more Be sure to tune in to this can't-miss, hour-long episode on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 9 a.m. on wslr.org

In case you missed it: our CEO, Linda Harradine, was on ABC7 this week discussing the work we do at Legal Aid of Manasota and why it's so crucial to keeping our community strong. Click through to hear Linda discuss: ?? What it means for a small nonprofit like Legal Aid of Manasota to lose $172,000 in public funding after providing free civil legal services to low-income residents for 33 years. ?? Why cutting public funds at a time when our residents are facing eviction or foreclosure due to Hurricane Debby is devastating to our community—and how these types of cases are growing. ?? A special donor who stepped up by donating $100,000 to help bridge the gap in public funding. ?? Who needs civil legal services—and why they may not be who you think ?? How the justice system suffers when there is no legal aid and the impact on our courts, judges, attorneys and clients. ?? Why we need your support now more than ever! https://lnkd.in/eNEP2CXd