Suncoast Searchlight

Since Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed a new slate of trustees in early 2023, the small liberal arts college has undergone a dramatic transformation — eliminating its Gender Studies program, reshaping student life, and launching a costly new athletics department.

Suncoast Searchlight studied property appraisals and tax bills for more than 300 homes across these special districts to create a first-of-its-kind dataset comparing their annual fees to the property taxes they pay for city and county services.

Suncoast Searchlight partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Suncoast Searchlight partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

A Sarasota-area community’s effort to save its golf course by forming a special-purpose government district and issuing $24 million in public bonds has devolved into a bitter, yearslong feud over cost, governance and transparency.

Suncoast Searchlight partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

In Florida, where commercial and recreational fishing supported $24.6 billion in economic activity in 2022 alone, the stakes are high.

Suncoast Searchlight partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

If Sarasota city commissioners approve the condo, Bay Plaza residents say they’ll take the fight to circuit court — a move that could push their costs far higher and prolong the battle for years.

Officials say many homeowners don’t understand what they’re getting into and are then left with few options to fight back when decisions turn contentious.

Suncoast Searchlight partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.

In some cases, districts have financed extravagant projects like a beach-style swimming lagoon or even a baseball stadium for the Atlanta Braves. Yet if the housing market sours or a project fails, it’s the homeowners — not the builders — who are left footing the bill.