Derek Gilliam | Suncoast Searchlight

About Derek Gilliam | Suncoast Searchlight

Derek Gilliam is a watchdog/investigative reporter at Suncoast Searchlight. During his career, he has covered courts and crime, mental health, real-estate, economic development and general business issues for news organizations throughout Florida. Most recently, Derek has focused on real estate and development while also covering local businesses for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, where he untangled a particularly egregious example of real estate fraud months before the police arrested the fraudster. That story attracted the attention of a local legislator who then was able to pass a state law to close a loophole identified in his story. A student of the University of Florida, Derek’s work has earned numerous statewide journalism awards. He has lived in Sarasota since 2021. Reach Derek via email at derek@suncoastsearchlight.org

Commission chair seeks to return $2.5 million to Manatee County Schools

Manatee County Commission Chairman Tal Siddique aims to resolve [...]

By |2026-07-02T17:32:47-04:00July 3, 2026 4:50 am|Manatee, Suncoast|Comments Off on Commission chair seeks to return $2.5 million to Manatee County Schools

School tax fix set to become law highlights different local approaches, outcomes

Sarasota County Schools clawed back more than $2 million [...]

By |2026-07-01T08:24:22-04:00June 30, 2026 6:00 am|Manatee, Sarasota, Suncoast, Uncategorized|Comments Off on School tax fix set to become law highlights different local approaches, outcomes

District names new Riverview High principal following school allegations

Sarasota County Schools has moved the principal of Riverview [...]

By |2026-06-25T14:46:38-04:00June 24, 2026 4:05 pm|Sarasota, Suncoast|Comments Off on District names new Riverview High principal following school allegations

DeSantis tax plan could cost Suncoast counties $380 million in 2 years

Local government officials are pushing back on a plan [...]

By |2026-06-02T11:51:21-04:00June 1, 2026 6:16 pm|DeSoto, Manatee, Sarasota, Suncoast|Comments Off on DeSantis tax plan could cost Suncoast counties $380 million in 2 years

Sarasota school tax fight reaches Tallahassee as lawmakers propose fix

The ongoing fight between Sarasota County Schools and Tax [...]

By |2026-05-26T15:24:38-04:00May 26, 2026 3:24 pm|Sarasota, Suncoast|Comments Off on Sarasota school tax fight reaches Tallahassee as lawmakers propose fix

Sarasota County vote on school tax punts long-term decision back to courtroom

Sarasota County commissioners finalized a plan this week to [...]

By |2026-05-21T13:55:13-04:00May 19, 2026 5:32 pm|Sarasota, Suncoast|Comments Off on Sarasota County vote on school tax punts long-term decision back to courtroom
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