Six years ago, on a day meant for celebration, a shadow fell over the DeSoto Grand Parade in Bradenton. A police-owned SUV, driven by the city’s police chief, backed up and struck a woman and ...

Smiling children marched along the route down 10th Avenue West toward Sutton Park and Lamb Park in Palmetto Friday morning.

Top Bradenton city officials - including two mayors - were likely aware Melanie Bevan struck a woman and child in her vehicle. The public never knew.

The De Soto Parade is coming up in two a little under two weeks. The 2025 De Soto Parade is Sat., April 26, from 6:30 p.m.

Palmetto’s DeSoto Children’s Parade blended storybook themes, music, and fun, as families flocked to enjoy a festive celebration ending at Sutton Park.

A Herald-Tribune examination found no internal affairs investigation was ever conducted. No police report names the chief.