Hello Patch readers. My name is Merab-Michal Favorite.
I graduated with her B.A. in journalism at the University of South Florida. Before taking a few years off to crew on a yacht through the Caribbean. Before that, I attended Manatee Community College (now SCF) and Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville.
I grew up on Snead Island, which is located in Palmetto. Before there was a county park (Emerson Point Park) on the island, the Native American mounds served as my playground. As a child, I would hide in the woods surrounding the park as well as swim and play at the mouth of the Manatee River.
In addition to working for Patch, I recently completed two pictoral histories of local towns, one of Palmetto and one of Bradenton, which are available through Arcadia Publishing. So, if you like history and want to know more about the area, just ask.
I love anything to do with the bay, so you will probably see me paddle boarding, boating, sailing or camping on one of the local keys. My all time favorite thing on the planet is to be completely disconnected from the rest of the world -- 100 miles offshore and under sail at night.
Some of my favorite places to visit are Greer (Beercan) Island, Skeet’s Key and Starfish Co. in Manatee County and Burns Court Cinema and Epicure in Sarasota.
As part of my beat, I would like to do a profile of an elected official every week and I was wondering, what would you, as readers, like to know about the people running your city? Please comment on this article and let me know.
Do you have a news tip? Please drop me a line.
I can be reached at merab.favorite@patch.com or 941-730-8766.
Be sure to stay connected via Facebook and Twitter, too.
Looking forward to seeing you around town!
A former Palmetto High School student was arrested Wednesday and charged with raping another student in a bathroom at the school last March, according to the Palmetto Police Department.
Seven men were charged with indecent exposure during a three-day undercover operation conducted at Caspersen Beach Park by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
A new study ranks the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area as the most stressful place in the United States to live. Do you agree?
Florida Senator Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, has filed a bill that would see the red light cameras become a thing of the past. Do you agree with him?
Here are five things we thought you should know about today.
Here are five things we thought you should know about today!
Here are tonight's Powerball numbers. Good luck, Sarasota/Bradenton!
The second Wawa in Manatee County will open in downtown Bradenton, officials say.
A North Port father was arrested Monday for allegedly shooting his son in the leg after the son became irate during a “family meeting” where members sought the help of a priest to aid with his altered mental state, according to the North Port Police
Those brave enough to jump out of a perfectly good plane can save a little money in the process courtesy of a sale on tandem skydives.
The 12th annual benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation takes place this Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
Here are five things we thought you should know about today!
Here are five things we thought you should know about today!
The 17-month-old murder victim who was allegedly shot by her mother on Sunday morning was still alive when police arrived, according to the Sarasota Police Department.
Several Motel 6 employees were able to tackle a thief who had allegedly sprayed their general manager with mace and robbed her of her purse and bank deposit, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities say a man robbed the McDonald's on the 5500 block of Fruitville Road with a pistol early Tuesday.
A 48-year-old Sarasota woman was pronounced dead at Cabbage Key Inn early Saturday morning, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
A man wielding a tire iron was arrested Saturday evening for allegedly chasing another man around Centennial Park because he had broken up a fight between the aggressor and a one-armed man.
A man’s body was found behind under the overhang at the back of Books-A-Million around 6 p.m. Monday, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
