INDIAN SHORES — The town welcomed a new attorney June 9, as Noah M. Daiker of Bryant, Miller and Olive P.A. attended his first Town Council meeting.
The council unanimously approved Daiker’s contract at a special meeting May 28. He replaces Daniel Lewis, who chose not to seek another contract and finished his final day as town attorney May 17.
Daiker works out of the Tampa office of Bryant, Miller and Olive, a firm specializing in state and local government law. In business for 50 years, it also has offices in Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee and Washington.
Daiker’s first report to the council listed six items for future discussion: providing memos that summarize legislation passed in 2026; reviewing the impact of property tax bills from the Legislature’s third special session of 2026; reviewing the ownership status of 195th Avenue and options for selling or vacating the parcel; reviewing the legality of the town’s shark ordinance; drafting ordinance revisions on the town’s eligibility for future Army Corps of Engineers beach renourishment; and drafting a contract allowing the Indian Shores Property Owners Association to host bingo in the fourth-floor community room.
National Aphasia Awareness Month
Mayor Diantha Schear read a proclamation designating June 2026 as National Aphasia Awareness Month in Indian Shores and urging “all citizens to learn the signs of this disorder.”
Aphasia is a communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to understand or express speech, the proclamation states. It most often results from a stroke — which accounts for about 73% of cases — but can also stem from traumatic brain injury, tumors or progressive neurological diseases. Though it affects speaking, comprehension, reading or writing, a person’s intelligence remains intact.
The proclamation says more than 7,150 Pinellas County residents live with aphasia and that an additional 795,000 people nationwide are affected each year. Its stated goal is to educate communities and spotlight advocacy and rehabilitation groups such as the National Aphasia Association and, locally, Voices of Hope for Aphasia, a nonprofit that works to reconnect Pinellas County residents with their lives through its programming.
Debbie Yones, executive director of Voices of Hope for Aphasia, spoke briefly about the condition, handed out brochures and introduced local residents tied to the organization. Members with aphasia and their caregivers included Eamonn Kneeshaw, Kathryn McCabe, Patrick McCabe and Timothy Burns.
Schear presented Yones a printed copy of the proclamation on the town’s behalf.
“I extend my gratitude to the nonprofit organizations, physicians, speech-language pathologists and care partners dedicated to its [aphasia’s] treatment ... utilizing communication supports to ensure those with aphasia are heard and understood,” the mayor said.
For more about Voices of Hope for Aphasia, including how to volunteer or donate, visit vohaphasia.org.