Less sunshine, more secrecy as Florida limits public records access By Alice Herman and Derek Gilliam, Suncoast Searchlight 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 transparency. Lawmakers proposed […]

Sarasota erased downtown art without public notice, artists now seek damages By Derek Gilliam, Suncoast Searchlight, and Carrie Seidman, ArtsBeat Photo: Sarasota Chalk Festival 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 […]

March 12, 2026 Special News Update March 24 Vote: Tell Commissioners to Protect our Parkland! Protect Siesta Key Needs Your Help Again! We have an important update — and a second chance to stop a bad deal for the public. On March 24, the Sarasota County Commission will hold a public hearing to approve the […]

How Mark Vengroff became a major force in affordable housing on the Suncoast By Kelly Kirschner This story was produced by Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom of the Community News Collaborative serving Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org.   A few years ago, Sarasota affordable housing developer Mark Vengroff tried to buy […]

Multi-agency team advances scientific study of Midnight Pass On March 1-2, county staff assisted Dr. Nina Stark, director of the Center for Coastal Solutions at the University of Florida, with access to Palmer Point Park for data collection. Research vessels also launched from Blackburn Point Park. Researchers from several Florida universities worked alongside the U.S. […]

Sarasota newspaper, magazine, news events   Sarasota Memorial Again Earns Spot on Newsweek’s “World’s Best Hospitals” List   Sarasota Memorial Hospital has once again been named among the world’s top medical centers in Newsweek’s 8th annual World’s Best Hospitals rankings. SMH remains the only health system in southwest Florida ever to earn a place on […]

Sarasota newspaper, magazine, news events: In February 2026, residents of Lakewood Ranch, Florida , were warned of a widespread “check washing” scheme targeting the community’s mail. Thieves have been stealing checks from mailboxes, using chemicals to erase the ink, and rewriting them for significantly higher amounts or to new payees.  Key Details of the Scheme The Method: Criminals […]