New top editor hired at Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Keith Burbank and Will Greenlee
MARTIN COUNTY — The body of an Indianapolis man was recovered Wednesday morning from the water off Hosford Park.
James Summer, 74, was recovered about 11:45 a.m. in about 15 feet of water using sonar, sheriff ’s officials said. Divers had been searching for Summer since he apparently went into the water at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday after his boat, with his wife aboard, drifted away from the dock.
He was fully clothed when he went in while trying to secure the boat, officials said. He tried to get a grip on the boat and failed, going under the water.
Summer is a seasonal resident of Martin County with a residence off Southwest Salerno Road, said sheriff’s Chief Deputy John Budensiek.
Hosford Park is near Southwest Kanner Highway and Southeast Cove Road, not far from Halpatiokee Regional Park by Interstate 95.
Wildlife, weather, tides affected search
Rescue and recovery efforts were hampered Tuesday evening by wildlife, the weather, tidal conditions and the water itself, which was dark with debris on the bottom, Budensiek said.
“You can’t see past your hand,” he said.
Rescue divers encountered an alligator Tuesday and had to leave the water. Search efforts continued even without the divers.
The water is a tributary of the St. Lucie River and is affected by tides. Wind gusts were strong when rescue crews arrived at the park Tuesday. Snipers were used Wednesday to keep alligators at bay, sheriff’s officials said.
When Summer fell into the water, his wife first called a neighbor, who is a former law-enforcement officer, according to Budenseik. The neighbor first came ro the park and then called 911.
First responders who were not divers but were on the scene first swam out to search for Summer and failed to locate him, said Martin County Fire Rescue Chief Chad Cianciulli. Divers came later, he said.
Reason for boat launch unclear
It’s unclear why Summer and his wife were launching a vessel at the park at dark, officials said. But they likely were ferrying their boat back to their home on the water on Salerno Road, Budensiek said.
Summer’s wife was not in danger but would have been if she had gone into the water with her husband, he said.
The boat was old and had taken on a lot of water when first responders pulled it out, he said. Crews don’t know why it took on water.
Keith Burbank is TCPalm’s watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com.
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
Mark J. Rochester has been tapped as the next executive editor at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, where he will lead newsroom operations with a focus on watchdog journalism.
Rochester, an Indianapolis native who attended Indiana University, has spent more than 35 years in the news industry, mostly in senior management positions with an emphasis on investigative journalism.
Rochester has held editor positions at the Indianapolis Star, Newsday, The Denver Post, Associated Press, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Detroit Free Press.
He also has served as the vice president of Investigative Reporters & Editors Inc.
He most recently was the managing editor for California-based nonprofit inewsource where he managed a team of reporters and editors in San Diego.
Rochester met with the Herald-Tribune newsroom on Monday when he was announced as the next executive editor, with a start date of Jan. 2.
He said he plans to focus the newsroom’s resources on watchdog reporting, which he called accountability journalism, while highlighting past examples of his newsroom projects’ community impact.
“Thousands of people count on us to learn about the world, help them make better decisions, get involved in their community, and enjoy the rich culture and resources Southwest Florida offers,” Rochester said. “This is an amazing opportunity we have here at the Herald-Tribune to positively impact the region by doing high-impact journalism and storytelling for our community.”
Gannett Co., the Herald-Tribune’s parent company, is largest newspaper chain in America with more than 200 publications.
The role of executive editor had been open after Jennifer Orsi left the paper in late March after almost two years with the organization overseeing the company’s papers based in Florida.
The Florida papers include the Naples Daily News, Palm Beach Post, Daytona News-Journal, The Florida Times-Union and the Fort Myers News Press.
“We are thrilled to have someone of Mark’s caliber to lead the Herald-Tribune newsroom,” said Wendy Fullerton Powell, vice president and Florida Region editor for the USA TODAY Network. “He is truly committed to high-quality news, which the Sarasota community has come to expect from our award-winning journalists.”