Sarasota News Events: Sarasota’s budget keeps growing. Can the county keep up? Published On: July 4, 2025 5:00 amLast Updated: July 8, 2025 9:52 am By: Derek Gilliam | Suncoast Searchlight More staff. New equipment. Better pay. Across four budget workshops — the final two held this week — Sarasota County leaders made their cases […]
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Tom Knight County Budget up 56%
Letter from Tom Knight, Sarasota County Commissioner From a budget standpoint, Sarasota County and its non-board-controlled constitutional offices – the supervisor of elections, tax collector, property appraiser, sheriff’s office, public defender, state attorney and clerk’s office – have been living quite well for the past several years. Their budgets have been super-fueled by a combination […]
County Resignation Amid Storm Water Deficiencies
Florida Trident and Suncoast Searchlight Sarasota Assistant County Administrator Mark Cunningham resigned, becoming the highest-ranking official to step down in the wake of revelations about widespread failures in the county’s stormwater management system. County officials did not disclose the reason for Cunningham’s resignation but said in an emailed statement that County Administrator Jonathan Lewis had accepted […]
New Home Hidden Developer Fees
Power and Profit: Developers build the dream, homeowners pay the debt Published On: June 6, 2025 6:00 amLast Updated: June 6, 2025 6:03 pm By: Josh Salman and Derek Gilliam | Suncoast Searchlight Tens of thousands of Suncoast homeowners are spending more money each year to pay off bonds tied to independent special districts than […]
Protect Siesta Key Inc Summary
Protect Siesta Key Inc. Summary of Our Position regarding proposed changes to our Comprehensive Plan for Voluntary Condo Rebuilds Summary of our Position Protect Siesta Key, Inc. opposes the proposed changes to our protective policies in the Comprehensive Plan. We urge the County Commission to reject moving forward with the amendments due to legal, environmental, […]
Higher Density Proposed for Siesta Key
Proposed Siesta Key Comp Plan change threatens our community. Written by: Protect Siesta Key lourdes@protect-siesta-key.ccsend.com As mentioned in previous PSK newsletters, we firmly oppose any proposed changes or exemptions to Siesta Key’s protective policies outlined in our Comprehensive Plan. We have seen similar issues in rural Sarasota County, where numerous changes and exemptions in the […]
Motes Seagrass Initiative
Sarasota News Events: Seagrasses play a crucial role in the health and resilience of Florida’s coastal ecosystems. They provide nursery habitats for keystone species and stabilize shorelines and sediments. Seagrasses contribute significantly to environmental health by filtering excess nutrients from the water (which improves water quality and reduces harmful algal blooms), capturing and storing carbon […]
Big Waters Saving Coastal Owls
Big Waters Land Trust is delighted to announce the permanent conservation of five lots totaling 1.34 acres in the City of Cape Coral. The City received a grant from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) in partnership with the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida, Inc. to acquire these lots, and more in the […]
UF Extension Service Virtual Tour
“Virtual Tour” Highlights Conservation, Landscaping, Sustainability and More at Sarasota County Extension SARASOTA COUNTY – There’s a new way to learn about a range of landscaping approaches, conservation initiatives, solar options and more at UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County: a virtual tour. The tour consists of 19 distinct stops — with more to be added […]
NOAA predicts above-normal 2025 Atlantic hurricane season
NOAA’s outlook for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which goes from June 1 to November 30, predicts a 30% chance of a near-normal season, a 60% chance of an above-normal season, and a 10% chance of a below-normal season. The agency is forecasting a range of 13 to 19 total named storms (winds of 39 […]