About the Author: Derek Gilliam | Suncoast Searchlight
Sarasota County Schools sue tax collector over multi-million-dollar funding dispute
The Sarasota County School Board and two county taxpayers have filed a lawsuit against Tax Collector Mike Moran and the constitutional office he controls alleging “unlawful diversion” of taxpayer funds that were supposed to [...]
Massive Tatum Ridge apartment proposal underscores Live Local concerns
Dozens of residents gathered inside a quiet, gated subdivision off Tatum Road last week, many dressed in yellow golf shirts, to protest a plan they fear could transform their rural corner of east Sarasota [...]
Scientists to discuss Suncoast environmental threats at free Sarasota panel
One researches dolphin pods in Sarasota Bay. Another studies the impacts of pollution in area waterways. A third leads a consortium that strives to bring awareness to the work of local scientists. Those experts, [...]
Sarasota County blocks ‘Live Local’ law, risking clash with developers
In a unanimous vote that could set up a major legal showdown, Sarasota County commissioners this week moved to block developers from building large apartment complexes next to rural homes and farmland, rejecting applications [...]
Giving Challenge returns with 24-hour push for Suncoast nonprofits
For 24 hours every two years, local nonprofits get a chance to supercharge their fundraising, tapping into millions of dollars in donations on a single day. The surge comes from the Giving Challenge, a [...]
Golf deal fallout deepens divisions in The Meadows
Weeks after a controversial decision to lease its golf courses to Benderson Development Co., The Meadows is still grappling with the fallout. The dispute inside one of Sarasota County’s oldest and largest planned communities [...]
Sarasota erased downtown art without public notice, artists now seek damages
David Blanch labored for hours in the spring of 2024 painting a Sarasota sunset that transformed two sidewalk panels on Pineapple Avenue into a burst of pink, blue and yellow. It wasn’t a big [...]
Less sunshine, more secrecy as Florida limits public records access
After state lawmakers introduced dozens of measures this year restricting access to government records, only a few cleared the Florida Legislature. But open government advocates warn the ones that did pass could substantially limit [...]
Fight erupts over plan to hand Sarasota golf courses to developer
A plan to lease hundreds of acres of golf courses and green space in The Meadows to Benderson Development Co. for nearly 50 years has sparked a lawsuit over the future of one of [...]
Florida House approves scaled-back UTC District that Benderson would control
The Florida House of Representatives unanimously approved a scaled-back bill Wednesday to create a special district around the booming University Town Center area — a proposal that would still give one of the region’s largest [...]
Feeling overwhelmed by misinformation online? Sarasota panel says slow down
An Internet scammer posing as Taylor Swift to sell cookware sets. An audio clip of what appears to be then-President Joe Biden telling Democrats not to vote in the New Hampshire primary. Photos of [...]
Judge rejects challenge to controversial Siesta Key land swap
A judge this week rejected a last-ditch effort to unwind a controversial Siesta Key land deal, clearing the way for a home to be built on property the county once bought to preserve. The [...]
