About the Author: Alice Herman | Suncoast Searchlight
‘Hostile takeover’: Charter operator files to occupy 3 Sarasota schools
Mater Academy Inc., a Miami-based charter school operator, has submitted notices to occupy three Sarasota County public school campuses, marking a sharp local escalation of the state’s newly expanded “Schools of Hope” law, which allows [...]
ICE ‘detainers’ erode constitutional rights in Florida’s justice system, advocates warn
As the federal government mines local jails for undocumented people, immigrants increasingly face the reality that paying a bond does not guarantee their freedom. Instead of walking free, many who post bail are held [...]
She paid his bond. ICE took him. Bradenton family’s saga shows how Florida jails fuel deportations
Leer en español aquí. In the early morning hours on July 12, Oscar Romero Santos drove his red Ram truck toward the Bradenton home he shared with his wife. When he turned onto his [...]
Ella pagó su fianza. ICE lo atrapó. La odisea de una familia de Bradenton demuestra cómo las cárceles en Florida alimentan la ola de deportaciones. GalleryElla pagó su fianza. ICE lo atrapó. La odisea de una familia de Bradenton demuestra cómo las cárceles en Florida alimentan la ola de deportaciones.
Ella pagó su fianza. ICE lo atrapó. La odisea de una familia de Bradenton demuestra cómo las cárceles en Florida alimentan la ola de deportaciones.
Traducción por Aimée Barat Read in English here En la madrugada del 12 de julio, Oscar Romero Santos conducía su camioneta Ram roja hacia la casa que compartía con su esposa en Bradenton. Al [...]
Privatization push emerges at New College as ex-insider breaks with DeSantis allies
A former senior member of New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran’s administration is leading a push to privatize the institution — a dramatic turn for a conservative insider once tapped to help carry [...]
Sarasota kindergarten vaccine rates plummet — and doctors fear speaking out
As childhood vaccination rates plummet across the Suncoast and measles cases resurge nationwide, Sarasota County faces a critical threat to public health. Roughly 82% of kindergarteners in the public school system were fully immunized [...]
Right-wing activists rage at Florida GOP during Sarasota County gathering
On a muggy afternoon in late July, roughly 200 right-wing activists gathered at a Venice country club to plot a course of action. Despite Donald Trump winning the presidency for a second time, an [...]
Donors pull planned gifts to Ringling Museum amid fears of political interference
When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed transferring The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art from Florida State University to New College of Florida earlier this year, museum supporters warned the move would scare [...]
Florida gets spotlight for religious freedom from group reshaping church-state separation
Florida was declared the top state for religious freedom in the nation this week — not by a government agency or academic institution, but by a prominent legal group at the forefront of the [...]
Meet the Sarasota pastor rallying for a spiritual war against America’s ‘enemies’
At a recent Saturday evening service, Pastor Brian Gibbs issued a startling pronouncement to his Sarasota congregation: Nefarious entities had embedded themselves in America. “Warring angels,” he prayed, would assist the U.S. military in [...]
As LGBTQ+ rights face setbacks, Suncoast elders reflect on pride and perseverance
Dressed in a glittery rainbow caftan and knee-high boots, Darcel Stevens strutted across the dance floor at Silver Pride this month in downtown Sarasota, lip-syncing to Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) a [...]
Florida troopers tapped surveillance network for immigration searches, raising alarm
Florida Highway Patrol has tapped into a vast private surveillance network — performing hundreds of searches for license plates scanned by cameras controlled by the controversial surveillance company Flock Safety — to aid in [...]
