Manatee County

Melvin Trotter was sentenced to death in the June 1986 murder of Virgie Langford, 70.

An idea for a cruise terminal near the Skyway is drawing early resistance as environmental groups question whether the promised benefits outweigh the risks to one of Tampa Bay’s most fragile coastal areas.

SSA Marine said its port would be just south of the seaward side of the Sunshine Skyway and would complement Port Tampa Bay's operations. The land is on an environmentally sensitive island, worrying advocates.

The largest private landowner in the district would control its own local government to finance and oversee future expansions of the shopping hub, largely composed of commercial retail around the mall and rowing park.

Adam Johnson is seeking a seat on the Manatee County Commission. He said he objects to high property taxes and overdevelopment in the county, claiming current county leaders are wasteful.

The $50 million project will capture methane that is flared into the atmosphere at the Lena Road landfill and convert it to usable energy.

The districts argued the plans were impractical, citing a variety of reasons for this, including a lack of available space to accommodate charter students and more.

Immigration enforcement is creating a chill across local businesses. Vendors of Mr. G Flea Market say the once-bustling cultural hub has seen better days.

How law enforcement struggles to rein in illegal “adult arcades,” told through the saga of Spin Fun Arcade.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said Manatee's spending was the "largest we have seen so far as we're doing these calculations."

All state lawmakers representing Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties voted for the “Schools of Hope” expansion . Now that a Miami-based charter operator has filed early notices to occupy several local schools, most of those lawmakers have declined to answer questions about the law or its local impacts.

The Schools of Hope program was established in 2017 to allow charter schools to offer alternatives at poor-performing schools. This year, Florida lawmakers expanded the program.