Suncoast Searchlight

Nine artists have filed claims against the city of Sarasota, alleging their rights were violated when officials removed pavement art in response to a state directive from the Florida Department of Transportation.

Mark Vengroff, 61, has emerged as one of the most active affordable housing developers and landlords on Florida’s Suncoast.

Its boundaries would stretch beyond the 3-million-square-foot UTC shopping corridor, reaching from University Park in Manatee County south to Fruitville Road in Sarasota County, all west of Interstate 75.

Some homeowners say the negotiations were conducted with too little transparency and fear the deal gives the developer too much control over land long seen as the heart of the community.

Local and national media experts at a recent forum warned that, in the age of AI, emotionally charged and false content spreads significantly faster on the internet than accurate information.

Commissioners are expected to consider a plan to update funding agreements with nonprofits in response to a federal law that bars undocumented immigrants from receiving state and local benefits. Nonprofits that don’t comply would lose their county funding.

The measure has drawn backlash from local governments and advocacy groups, including 1000 Friends of Florida, which argue the law undermines home rule and prevents communities from strengthening wetlands protections among other issues.

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.

New College of Florida plans to divert $2.5 million from its auxiliary housing fund to help build a new baseball field, despite the campus facing an ongoing student housing shortage.

While community donations and volunteers met the immediate surge in need, advocates say the emergency response highlighted deeper gaps, including limited shelter access, enforcement of anti-camping laws and a shortage of affordable housing that leaves many people cycling between the streets and short-term aid.

A Florida Senate bill would allow homeowners in community development districts (CDDs) to recall board members accused of malfeasance, neglect or incompetence — a power residents currently lack.

Sarasota’s effort to directly develop affordable housing downtown — an unprecedented, city-led plan championed by former City Manager Marlon Brown — faltered after the city spent more than $7 million on land without a finalized construction budget or financing strategy and as anticipated state and philanthropic funding did not come through.