About the Author: Suncoast Searchlight Staff
Did the Florida Department of Health find arsenic in some candies?
Yes. The Florida Department of Health announced in January that it found arsenic in some popular candies after conducting testing. Of the 46 candy products tested from 10 different companies, arsenic was detected in 28 [...]
Can you hunt and eat sandhill cranes in Florida?
No. It’s illegal to hunt and eat sandhill cranes in the Sunshine State. Sandhill cranes are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, meaning you cannot kill, capture, sell, trade or transport them. [...]
Does Florida have the highest starting teacher pay in the Southeast?
No. Florida ranks second behind Virginia in highest starting teacher salaries in the Southeast, but it’s close. The Sunshine State had an average starting teacher salary of $48,639 in 2025, just a hair below the [...]
Is the Sarasota County School Board required to hold a public comment session?
Yes. The Sarasota County School Board must hear public comment before taking action on a proposition, as outlined in Florida Statute 286.0114. A vote on a proposition doesn’t have to occur in the same meeting [...]
Curiosity in chaos: How local nonprofit takes on deep political division
Don’t say the word “debate” around Bill Woodson. He’ll politely clarify that a debate implies two sides disagreeing. At Woodson’s Sarasota-based nonprofit, Conversations Across the Aisle (CATA), there aren’t any winners or losers — [...]
Is there a confirmed measles case in Manatee County?
Yes. Manatee and Hillsborough counties each have reported a measles case as of Jan. 17. Measles is a highly contagious virus with symptoms including high fever, rash, runny nose, cough and red and watery eyes. [...]
Does a Sarasota School Board resolution penalize employees for interfering with ICE?
Yes. The Sarasota County School Board passed a resolution with a 3-2 vote that threatens disciplinary action against employees who interfere with any law enforcement agency, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The [...]
Are you still a felon if you receive a presidential pardon?
Yes. A presidential pardon excuses the punishments of a felony, but the crime isn’t automatically overturned or erased from one’s record. Adam Johnson, photographed with Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, announced [...]
Did Biden “allow” millions of illegal immigrants into the U.S. during his presidency?
No. Former President Joe Biden did not implement anything resembling an open border policy that would have allowed millions of undocumented residents into the country. A Sarasota Herald-Tribune letter to the editor claims that the [...]
Was Nicolás Maduro actually indicted by the United States six years ago?
Yes. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice in March 2020, alongside other senior Venezuelan officials, in line with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement at a January news [...]
Was there a fire on Snead Island in early January?
Yes. A prescribed burn took place on Jan. 9 on Snead Island — a small, mostly residential island off just west of Palmetto in Manatee County. The Florida Forest Service authorized the burn, which the [...]
Can people experiencing homelessness remain in public spaces in Sarasota?
No. Camping or sleeping on public property without authorization was prohibited under a 2024 Florida law. HB 1365 states that counties and municipalities must get approval by the Department of Children and Families before designating [...]
