Manatee Clerk equipped to save lives with nine AEDs donated by Defibrillate Manatee Foundation

Image: Clerk Angel Colonneso (left), Ernie Withers (center), and Jackie Barron (right) stand outside the Historic Courthouse holding three AEDs donated to the Clerk's Office by Defibrillate Manatee

The Manatee Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller now has life-saving equipment at the Historic Courthouse, Historical Records Library, and its four historical museums thanks to the Defibrillate Manatee Foundation.

Defibrillate Manatee Foundation donated nine automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to the Clerk & Comptroller’s Office. The first four AEDs were received in September and thanks to a generous gift from The Mosaic Company to the Defibrillate Manatee Foundation fund, the foundation provided an additional five to the Clerk & Comptroller’s Office in November.

The units are located on each floor of the Historic Courthouse, at the Historical Records Library, Manatee Village Historical Park, Manatee County Agricultural Museum, Palmetto Historical Park, and Florida Maritime Museum.

Ernie Withers established the Defibrillate Manatee Foundation (https://defibmanatee.org/) with a fund through the Manatee Community Foundation. Withers knows first-hand the importance of having immediate access to life-saving equipment. In 2023, he collapsed at Pirate City in Bradenton during a Manatee Chamber event. Thanks to quick action by Pirates training staff and an on-site AED, Withers survived. The team performed CPR and used an AED to revive him. Four months after his cardiac arrest, Withers’ foundation donated its first 20 defibrillators to the Bradenton Police Department. Since then, the foundation has donated more than 275 AEDs, AED simulators, CPR mannequins, and CPR training kits to organizations. Defibrillate Manatee work is made possible thanks to fund donors including The Mosaic Company, Manatee Memorial Hospital, and the Manatee Memorial Foundation.

"I am grateful for the second chance at life that I have been given, and I want to ensure that others have the same opportunity," said Withers. "I believe that facilitating CPR training and having AEDs available in public places can save lives, and that's why I started this foundation."

In addition to donating the equipment, Withers personally trained forty Clerk & Comptroller team members, including Clerk Angel Colonneso, on how to use the AEDs and perform CPR. Additional training will be provided to the Historical Resources Department staff and other team members who are interested.

“These AEDs give us the tools to potentially save a life—whether it's a team member, a visitor to our museums, or someone conducting business at the courthouse," said Angel Colonneso, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller for Manatee County. "We're grateful to Ernie, his foundation, and the donors for ensuring we're prepared to respond when seconds matter.”

Published date: January 15, 2026