$74K Stolen From Manatee County Museum: Reports

PALMETTO, FL — More than $74,000 over six transactions was stolen from the Manatee County Agricultural Museum’s bank account, according to multiple reports.

The money was designated for building a new climate-controlled storage facility for the Palmetto nonprofit museum, ABC 7 reported.

“We're in a building project, still are, for archival storage, which the museum needs, because we’ve run out of space,” Sandy Garrison, president of the Friends of Manatee County Agricultural Museum, told Bay News 9. “And we, of course, with the growth of the county and the growth of all of our family and children’s programing. We just need more space.”

The nonprofit reported the theft as soon as it was discovered, but its bank, BMO Bank, denied the reimbursement claim because of a 24-hour reporting requirement, WENG reported.

Garrison called the loss “devastating,” adding that it has caused “a lot of sleepless nights,” according to reports.

Palmetto police Chief Scott Tyler told Patch that detectives are investigating the theft.

"This is still an open investigation so there’s not much the [police department] can share," he said.

The museum plans to move forward with the construction of the storage facility anyway, but may have to cut other programming, reports said.

Its free programming serves about 15,000 families each year, costing about $25,000, reports said.

The museum accepts donations online here.

Patch has reached out to the Friends of Manatee County Agricultural Museum and the Manatee Agricultural Museum for more information. This article will be updated when they respond.

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