Former Navy Seal's Tampa firm brings solar power to Manatee arts school

Manatee School for the Arts' planned solar project includes 3,000 panels and was drawn up by former U.S. Navy Seal Steve Rutherford, who used technology to protect soldiers in Afghanistan.

  • By Louis Llovio
  • | 5:00 a.m. April 15, 2025
  • | 0 Free Articles Remaining!
Steve Rutherford's company, Tampa Bay Solar, is overseeing the design, engineering and installation of a major solar project at the Manatee School of the Arts.
Steve Rutherford's company, Tampa Bay Solar, is overseeing the design, engineering and installation of a major solar project at the Manatee School of the Arts.
Photo by Mark Wemple
  • Manatee-Sarasota
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Sitting just off of U.S. 301 in Palmetto, the Manatee School for the Arts is a 26-year old institution that combines arts and academics.

Reading the charter school’s literature, you’ll run across statements about its “arts-infused approach reaching student’s individual needs” and how its “acknowledging and accommodating different learning styles and multiple intelligences.”

 

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