Suncoast Searchlight

The Sarasota County Commission approved $32 million in stormwater projects Tuesday to help prevent future floods at Bahia Vista, St. Armands and Celery Fields following the severe storms in 2024.

Ranchers and agricultural experts say an influx of cheaper imports could depress cattle prices, discourage producers from rebuilding their herds and drive more ranchers out of the industry — potentially weakening the domestic beef supply without providing much relief for consumers.

Commissioners approved $2.1 million in county support to 33 organizations. Urbanite Theatre, which declined to sign a DEI acknowledgement circulated by the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, was the lone exception.

A Sarasota parking open house meant to ease months of frustration instead erupted into boos, shouting and accusations that residents had been misled about the meeting’s format.

A Suncoast Searchlight-Bradenton Herald investigation exposed more than 20 “adult arcades” operating across the region despite state law banning slot machines. The ordinance would give the county and law enforcement new tools to shut down existing operations.

More than 5,000 residents now considered on the brink of losing their housing — up more than 50% in just three years.

The figures assume cuts would be made proportionally based on current funding levels and allocations; no funding decisions have been finalized.

Sarasota’s St. Armands parking garage has fallen far short of the revenue projections used to justify the project, leaving the city’s parking division struggling to cover the debt tied to it and contributing to a financial crisis now rippling across the city’s parking system.

The next Sarasota County School board will see a liberal-leaning majority take control after voters rejected the conservative policies and culture wars that for years dominated the board.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared alongside a lineup of state officials, New College President Richard Corcoran and U.S. Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education David Barker.

The new crosswalk raises a basic question: What makes this design different from the artwork Sarasota removed at FDOT’s direction last year?

Florida law enforcement officers are collecting names, photographs, addresses and other personal information about people they suspect may be undocumented and uploading it to a centralized state database.