The area has closer ties to the event than just about anywhere, save for New York and Washington D.C.
By Ramon Lopez
Original Air Date: September 12, 2025
Host: A first-responder ceremony in Sarasota reminded us of 9/11, and Ramon Lopez has a report reminding us of this area’s close ties to the events of that day in 2001.
Photo courtesy of Sarasota County
[Bell rings]
Ramon Lopez: Twenty-four years ago on September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists launched an attack on American soil.
They killed almost 3,000 people in New York City, Washington, D.C., and in a Pennsylvania field. The suicide attackers seized four passenger jetliners and crashed them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.
As flags flew at half-staff across Florida and the United States, a series of events took place on Thursday across the nation to mark the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Photo courtesy of Sarasota County
Local firefighters gathered at the Sarasota County Emergency Operations Center for a memorial ceremony. The EOC’s Director Rich Collins talked about sacrifice.
Rich Collins: I would ask you to take a second to think back to that day and the days after. What did we see and learn? We saw Americans. We saw people give their lives for complete strangers. There was no question. “Who are you?” “What do you believe?” “What does it mean?” They just went and did. Selflessly.
RL: The keynote speaker was former Sarasota County Commissioner Carolyn Mason. She was the city of Sarasota’s mayor in 2001.
Mayor Carolyn Mason welcomes George W. Bush at SRQ, Sept. 11, 2001. Photo: Courtesy City of Sarasota
Carolyn Mason: People working in those Twin Towers started that day like they did every day. Families and loved ones sent them off to do their jobs that day, not knowing they’d never see them again. We can all remember what we were doing that day.
I will never forget the sacrifices made on September 11, 2001. Don’t you forget.
RL: Also attending the local 9/11 event was Peter Abbott. He served as the police chief of Sarasota after retiring from the New York City Police Department in 2002 as an inspector. He’ll never forget.
Carolyn Mason. Photo: Lopez
Peter Abbott: I worked at the top floor of Lee’s Plaza, which was about four blocks away from the World Trade Center. When the first coin hit, it was time to go. It started going across the municipal plaza and city hall park and Park Row. And the second plane hit, and then we knew it was not an accident, and it was go time. It was a tough day.
When the second plane hit, I’ll never forget the explosion and fireball—both sides of the fireball met at the top of the tower. I’ll never forget when I was across the street in 75. Godfrey when the first tower fell and when I was just off of Vesey when the second tower fell. Just a tough day trying to account for all my people and the folks I helped put the gear on to go into the towers never came out. It was a tough day.
Bush at Booker Elementary School. Photo by Eric Draper, Courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library
That was a very tragic event, and it changed the way our life is. I do remember how united the country was back then to stick together when times were bad. I would say where we are now is completely different. I would hope that it doesn’t take a tragedy to get us back to working together, because it works better when we work together.
RL: 343 New York City firefighters died that day, including paramedics and a chaplain. Police officer deaths included 23 NYPD cops and 37 Port Authority police officers.
Aside from New York City and Washington, D.C, perhaps no other place in the nation has more important connections to the events of September 11, 2001 than Sarasota County.
Bush arrived at Emma Booker Elementary School at 9 a.m. that day for what was supposed to be a routine appearance.
Fifty students, teachers and parents were assembled to listen to the Chief Executive promote reading. As Bush read “The Pet Goat” to the children, word filtered in that the first of the Twin Towers had been struck, then the second.
Mohammed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi, two of the 9/11 terrorists, learned to fly at now defunct Huffman Aviation at the Venice Municipal Airport. They rammed hijacked jetliners into the Twin Towers.
ID photos of Mohamed Atta, Marwan al Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah and a photo of the front of the Venice home Mohammed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi shared.
The two terrorists lived in Venice for six months in 2000. They rented a two-bedroom, one-bath, 858 square-foot home in Nokomis. They paid $550 a month to owner Steve Kona, the now retired Fire Chief of the Nokomis Fire Department. Other tenants have since occupied the house over the years.
Remembering 9/11. Never forget.
[Reverent bagpipes instrumental]
This has been Ramon Lopez for WSLR News.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.
