About the Author: Derek Gilliam | Suncoast Searchlight
Sarasota County official who led troubled stormwater division during Debby resigns
After floods from Tropical Storm Debby overwhelmed public infrastructure in 2024, residents packed meetings to demand answers to what went wrong. Those questions often fell to Spencer Anderson, the Sarasota County official in charge [...]
Manatee County School Board sues two charter schools over tax share
The School Board of Manatee County filed a lawsuit this month that could settle a year-long dispute between the district and a charter school operator demanding a share of sales tax revenue meant to [...]
Ben Quartermaine was hired to fix Sarasota stormwater. A year later, problems persist
Two years ago, water rose as high as door knobs in Sarasota’s South Gate neighborhood. Rescuers in boats ferried families from the Laurel Meadows subdivision to safety. Residents of the Amish-Mennonite community of Pinecraft [...]
Florida AG letter undercuts Sarasota County in Live Local legal fight
Sarasota County has spent months arguing that Florida’s Live Local Act does not allow developers to build large apartment complexes on land zoned primarily for rural uses. Now, Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office says [...]
Amendment 3 promises property tax relief. What would it cost the Suncoast?
If Florida voters approve Amendment 3 in November, cities and counties across the state could lose roughly $12 billion a year in property tax revenue — forcing local officials to cut spending, find other [...]
Florida’s Live Local Act promises affordable rent. For many in Sarasota, it’s still out of reach
Sean Patton would love to live in one of the new apartment complexes multiplying across Sarasota County. But despite a college degree, a steady income and his own business, the rents remain out of [...]
Sarasota school board member called report leak a crime. Experts disagree
When Sarasota County School Board member Tom Edwards called for a criminal investigation last month into the leak of an explosive district report, he said the person who released it violated state law. But [...]
Lights may dim on casinos in Manatee after county finalizes ordinance
Manatee County commissioners have finalized the details of an ordinance to crack down on illegal gambling dens a little more than a year after Suncoast Searchlight and the Bradenton Herald published an investigation that [...]
Sarasota, Manatee voters deal a blow to grassroots candidates in primary
Voters across the Suncoast dealt a blow to grassroots challengers Tuesday night, while rewarding the establishment-backed candidates — including some who campaigned as outsiders themselves. With few exceptions, the results marked a staggering reversal [...]
Can Manatee County’s anti-development wave strike again?
Two years ago, Manatee County voters did something rare in modern politics when they rejected the candidates who spent the most money. That included races for school board, supervisor of elections and most notably [...]
Manatee County approves return of $2.5 million to schools after tax dispute
The School District of Manatee County will receive all of the funds collected from a voter-approved property tax after county commissioners agreed Tuesday to reimburse local schools more than $2.5 million that had been [...]
Lawyer fights Live Local bid to hold Sarasota commissioners personally liable
A developer has filed additional claims in a civil lawsuit against Sarasota County, now attempting to hold county commissioners personally liable for blocking an apartment project proposed under Florida’s Live Local Law. The decision [...]
