About the Author: Josh Salman | Suncoast Searchlight
Power and profit: Developers gained government status, then got bonds to build big
A Naples developer had big plans in 2022 to bring more than 850 homes to a rural area of DeSoto County, betting the region’s unprecedented housing demand would continue stretching further east into Arcadia. [...]
Developers aren’t alone. Greenbelt loophole tapped by Sarasota Orchestra, Mosaic and more
Real estate developers are not the only ones in Sarasota and Manatee counties to score major tax breaks through a decades-old law meant to preserve Florida farmland. Across the Suncoast, landowners tapping the Greenbelt [...]
A history of Phillippi Creek flooding casts shadow over Sarasota’s current stormwater woes
More than three decades ago, residents who lived along Phillippi Creek donned matching T-shirts that read “I survived the Sarasota flood of ‘92” as they packed themselves into the Sarasota County Commission chambers. They [...]
Sarasota, Bradenton developers score big tax breaks with “Rent-A-Cow” loophole
A state loophole is costing Sarasota and Manatee counties millions in lost revenue by allowing developers to tap a decades-old law meant to preserve agriculture and shrink the taxes on pastures they intend to pave [...]
The historic hurricane season flexed its muscles. A Suncoast sewage crisis followed
When three named storms slammed into the Suncoast this past hurricane season, they did more than just flood neighborhoods and topple power lines – they also forced millions of gallons of sewage into local [...]
After devastation, Suncoast now grapples Cat. 5 economic storm
Ed Chiles ran waterfront restaurants on the shores of Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key for nearly half a century. His three popular restaurants, which specialized in sustainable seafood and farm-fresh produce, survived storms, [...]
