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!
Authorities say the woman had made purchases in three other cities using someone else's name with checks with two different sets of routing numbers and accounts.
It’s been 50 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous speech. How is Tampa Bay faring on making it a reality?
It’s been 50 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous speech. How is Tampa Bay faring on making it a reality?
Authorities have identified the body of the man who was found on the sandbar in Big Pass Tuesday morning; he owned a Fort-Myers based construction company employed to make repairs on Bay Island Park.
A 14-year-old boy was robbed while walking in his Bayshore Gardens neighborhood around 10 p.m. on Monday, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
Would you be OK with a church in your community putting up a sign like this? The sign used to be posted in a north Florida neighborhood, but now the church responsible for putting it there is coming to Manatee County.
A crime ring has been using a blond woman to lure male victims to various locations where they are robbed of their personal items, their vehicle and their pants, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Here are five things we thought you should know about today!
Here are five things we thought you should know about today!
Do you think Midnight Pass, located on the southern end of Siesta Key, should be reopened? Why or why not?
Rain chances are lower at the start of the week, but forecasters say storms are still possible.
Rain chances are lower at the start of the week, but forecasters say storms are still possible.
A woman was shot in the back early Saturday morning. She is currently in stable condition.
We compile the odd, unusual and the "oh my gosh" police items from throughout the Tampa Bay region.
We compile the odd, unusual and the "oh my gosh" police items from throughout the Tampa Bay region.
Here are a few things we thought you would like to know about the upcoming week.
Here are a few things the folks at the water cooler might be talking about as we kick off the workweek.
Sarasota kids weren’t welcomed back to school by a bus that careened out of control like youngsters in Boca Raton. Even so, we’re willing to bet there are some wacky stories out there. We’d like to hear them!
Snook season has been closed for over three years, but now wildlife authorities say their management efforts have allowed the fish population to replenish, so let's get geared up to go fishing!
The FWC said there are an estimated 100 - 160 adult Florida panthers in the wild today.
