I’m not one to praise hospitals, especially ER rooms…

But the HCA Florida South Shore ER Hospital on 301 is super fast, super clean, and super friendly.

In case of an emergency, like me last night getting stitches in my back for falling into glass, I would recommend going there.

Oh and if you have a crazy high medical deductible…

Pro tip: Ask for the self-pay. (I’m also a health insurance advisor😉)

Let’s get on with the rest of the newsletter…

The county commission's regular meeting starts at 9 a.m. today at the administration building, 1112 Manatee Ave W in Bradenton.

Sixty-eight numbered items, and a surprising number of them touch this end of the county.

Two weeks into a school year with two brand-new campuses, slowing cars down near schools is the rare agenda item nobody writes an angry letter about.

You can watch from the kitchen table on the county's live broadcast, or show up and say your piece during public comment.

Agenda and meeting details are on the county's public notices page, and Pulse of Manatee has the full rundown.

The county commission's land use meeting on Thursday, Sept 3 carries two items that will shape this town.

That's 508 potential homes decided in one morning.

Meeting details post to the same county notices page, and we'll have the outcomes the Tuesday after.

The doctor's offices arrive before the hospital does.

The BayCare hospital at 6730 Moccasin Wallow Rd won't open until 2028, but the 45,000-square-foot HealthHub next door is slated for 2026.

That building gets primary care and specialist offices, an outpatient lab, and imaging — MRI, CT, X-ray, mammography.

When the full hospital opens, it will be the only one in the county north of the Manatee River.

For now, the thing to watch is the HealthHub — that's the part you could be sitting in a waiting room of within a year. Project details here.

Moccasin Wallow: no news is the news.

The county hasn't posted a fresh project flyer since July 31.

Both directions are still running on the new eastbound lanes between Bay Winds Pkwy and Grand River Pkwy, and the late-2026 finish for Segment 2 hasn't moved.

Updates, when they come, land at moccasinwallowroad.com.

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The 40 Carrots Partners in Play group runs Friday, Aug 28, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the meeting room at the Rocky Bluff branch library in Ellenton.

Free, drop-in, no signup, built for babies and their grown-ups.

Parenting educators run the room, and the whole point is uninterrupted floor time with your kid.

Eight minutes from Parrish, air conditioned, and it costs nothing — that math works. Full library calendar here.

The South Manatee Friends of the Library run their BOOKS & BLING sale Saturday, Aug 29, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the South Manatee branch meeting room.

Used books plus donated jewelry, with every dollar going back into library programs.

Fair warning: it's a good 35 minutes from Parrish, so stack it with whatever else drags you into Bradenton on a Saturday.

Go at 9 — the good jewelry doesn't make it to noon. Details on the library calendar.

No school Monday, Sept 7 — Labor Day.

And the Parrish Civic Association's monthly meeting is Tuesday, Sept 8, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The public is welcome — they just ask that you let them know you're coming.

1704 99th St NW in northwest Bradenton, about 35 minutes from Parrish, and worth every one of them.

Open sunrise to sunset, every day, free.

More than 600 acres of mangroves, salt marsh, tidal creeks, and flat, stroller-friendly trails.

There's a kayak launch if you bring your own boat.

The honest late-August note: shade is scarce out on the marsh, so go at sunrise, bring more water than you think you need, and be done by 10.

Questions go to Parks at (941) 742-5923. Preserve details here.

The Manatee River runs right along the edge of this town, and most of us only ever see it from the Fort Hamer boat ramp.

This outfit fixes that: pontoons and tritoons rented off Shore Dr in Ellenton, about ten minutes down 301.

Open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, seasonal hours can shift, phone is (941) 932-3700.

From the dock you can run the river, Terra Ceia Bay, or all the way out to the sandbars.

Straight talk on price: figure roughly $500 for a day on the water, so this is the splurge column, not the Tuesday-errand column.

Split it three families deep and it's cheaper than a theme park day, with no line.

One real opinion: if you've never docked a pontoon in a river current, pay for the USCG-licensed captain and enjoy your own trip.

The fall boating window is the good one — book ahead. Their Parrish rental page is here.

You say the name every week — the road, the bridge, the boat ramp.

Here's the fort underneath it.

In November 1849 the U.S. Army built Fort Hamer on the south bank of the Manatee River, right about where the park sits today.

It was one link in a chain of forts the Army strung 200 miles across Florida, from the Manatee River to the Indian River, during the Seminole conflicts.

About 165 soldiers were stationed here.

They put up a 100-by-60-foot warehouse, an 80-by-30-foot hospital, log houses, and a hay barn — a supply depot more than a battlefield.

The name honors Brig. Gen. Thomas L. Hamer, who died in the Mexican War in 1848.

Which means the man the road is named for died a year before the fort went up and never set foot in Florida.

In 1856 a local militia called the Manatee Rangers used the fort again after a Seminole raid on Braden Castle that March.

Today the fort is gone, the rowers glide past at sunrise, and the county spends millions widening a road that still carries a soldier's name from 1848.

There's a historical marker at the park if you want to stand on the spot. The marker and the full story are here.

Senior girl, 8-plus years, medium build, grey brindle and white, spayed.

She's at Manatee County Animal Welfare, 305 25th St W in Palmetto, (941) 742-5933.

The shelter's own words: calm, easy-going, loves a slow walk and a sunny spot to sprawl in.

She'd do best as the only pet, in a home without young children.

Puppies are a lottery ticket — a senior dog is a known quantity, and Bri's paperwork is all good news.

Now the money part, and today is the day to act on it.

Every Tuesday is Half Price Tuesday at the shelter, so adoption fees are 50% off today.

Better still: if you're 55 or older adopting a pet 7 or older, the county's Seniors for Seniors deal makes Bri ten dollars.

Manatee County residents add a $20 pet license, and it's smart to call ahead to confirm she's still there.

See Bri's full listing here.

An 1849 fort, a 2028 hospital, and a county meeting deciding what goes in between.

Until next week — stay gritty, stay healthy, and keep Parrish strong. — Greg.