Sarasota County

A shortfall looms while the county's tax collector seeks a 52% budget increase.

A Sarasota County judge dismissed a legal challenge to a controversial Siesta Key land swap, clearing the way for a 5,000-square-foot home to be built on a county-owned parcel originally purchased for preservation.

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.

A proposed land swap is now on hold after Siesta Key activist Lourdes Ramirez filed a legal challenge alleging violations of county development codes and improper disposal of public land.

Local officials, attorneys and community leaders gathered in Venice to warn that state preemption and developer influence have eroded meaningful local control over growth, citing laws like SB 180 that limit regulation and weaken environmental protections.

Sarasota County’s bid to end a years-long legal battle over beach access on Siesta Key might have backfired, igniting a new lawsuit and allegations of a costly giveaway of taxpayer-owned parkland.

On "The Florida Roundup," Sarasota County Schools Superintendent Terry Connor and Politico's Andrew Atterbury gave insight into these changes and how they may affect public schools.

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 county has not yet begun dredging Phillippi Creek, and many in Sarasota are concerned about a repeat of last year's floods this hurricane season.

The former board chair was among 13 school board candidates endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who lost elections last year. She replaces Tom Enos, who vacated his seat to become the district's police chief.

They're warning of a looming budget crisis after efforts to trim spending fell far short, with constitutional officers offering just $2.2 million in concessions toward a gap of more than $20 million.

Sarasota County commissioners ended their final budget workshop Tuesday with little progress on curbing spending, despite earlier vows to rein in ballooning budgets.