Herald-Tribune
$80M boathouse to be ready in 2028
Sarasota’s controversial $80 million Nathan Benderson Park boathouse project is now racing toward a firm 2028 deadline. Conservancy COO Bruce Patneaude assured Sarasota County commissioners Aug. 25 that the boathouse and multisport complex would be...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Grown with love
How a fruit stand in Sarasota grew into the Detwiler grocery legacy
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Judge dismisses parts of Sarasota flood victims’ suit
Residents seeking compensation from Sarasota County for flooding from Tropical Storm Debby in 2024 received a setback Aug. 12 when 12th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Dana Moss granted most of Sarasota County’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The lawsuit...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sarasota County opens its new administration center
Sarasota County’s new $100 million administration center hosted its first County Commission meeting Tuesday, Aug. 25, after a brief ceremony and ribbon-cutting. The new 121,160-square-foot facility is at 1 Apex Road in Fruitville Farms, a fast-growing...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Queen of Country’ Dolly Parton dies
Dolly Parton, the “Queen of Country” singing and songwriting icon with a personality as bold as her signature blond coif and rhinestone-encrusted outfits, has died. She was 80. Parton’s death was announced by her family on her social media pages and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump gets win in mail ballot dispute
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court said lower courts moved too soon when they partly paused President Donald Trump’s executive order cracking down on mail-in ballots before the midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. The court on Aug. 24...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Prosecutions pursued more aggressively under Trump
Christian Garcia admits that he threw a water bottle toward officers guarding a federal building near Los Angeles during an immigration protest last summer. The plastic bottle was empty, he said, and hit no one but Garcia himself – the wind blew it...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FL real estate market is hot, but are sellers being greedy?
There’s encouraging news for those looking to sell homes in Florida — provided they keep things in perspective. For the 11th month in a row, Florida Realtors in July sold more homes than they did a year ago. On the whole, those homes also sold for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Fellsmere, In women didn’t the wait for Amendment. 19th They were voting! already
In this small Florida town, women cast ballots five years before nationwide suffrage was secured.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Florida’s top cop becomes ultimate ‘culture warrior’
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier had no qualms defying a federal judge’s order. The state’s chief legal officer said he even would be willing to go to jail. The showdown occurred in 2025 when U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FLORIDA RANKS HIGH IN GROCERY COSTS
As grocery prices keep climbing, a new national report has ranked Florida tied with two other states as having the country’s sixth-highest average weekly grocery costs. The ranking by WorldPopulationReview.com coincides with the issuing of the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Dems to edge out GOP on Sarasota school board
When three sitting Republican members of the Sarasota County School Board opted not to seek reelection in 2026, it guaranteed that Sarasota voters would usher in a new era on Aug. 18. Regardless of the outcome of a Nov. 3 runoff between Democrat Jimmy...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Amendment 3 may bring titanic shift
With the August primaries behind them, Florida voters can turn their attention to a robust fall lineup topped by a governor’s race, U.S. Senate contest and what outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis once envisioned as “the Big Kahuna.” The ballot measure, known...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PRIMARY SETS STAGE FOR FALL
With Florida’s 2026 primary election upon us, it’s all over but the voting. For those who have not cast a ballot by mail or in early voting, h Aug. 18 is the last chance for their voice to be heard. h Statewide races include governor, two of three...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
What happens if you can’t pay your HOA?
Liens filings by homeowners associations, including condominium associations, are on the rise both nationally as well as in Florida, according to a new report. The Sunshine State accounted for more than 1 in 6 of all filings in the United States in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
THE FLORIDA HIGHWAYMEN
In the 1950s, they hit the road to sell their paintings of Florida landscapes for as little as $25 each. h Today, their artwork is worth tens of thousands of dollars or more. They have their own museum in Fort Pierce – the only museum in the world...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Flock scandals in Florida prompt changes
Flock Safety, the company behind the controversial license plate cameras that have spread rapidly across Florida and the United States, announced Aug. 13 new security and privacy safeguards. The move comes as reports pile up of police officers abusing...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Ranking: Region’s counties among most at storm risk
Pummeled by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024 — as well as Tropical Storm Debby — Sarasota County ranks among the 10 most hurricanevulnerable counties in the nation, according to a new analysis released as Florida approaches the traditional peak of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Snook Haven transformation advances; fall opening eyed
For many Sarasota County residents and visitors, Snook Haven was best known as a rustic riverside joint for barbecue, cold beer and live music along the Myakka River. Now, the longtime Venice landmark is being transformed into the centerpiece of an...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Publix grocery chain shows no signs of slowing down
Publix is Florida’s biggest grocery chain by a wide margin with nearly 900 stores throughout the state — far more than its two biggest rivals combined: Walmart (387) and Aldi (334). Despite its dominant market share, Lakeland-based Publix Super...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Democratic socialism: What it is, what it isn’t
Ahead of a challenging midterm election, Republicans have seized an opportunity to castigate their opponents as extremists after democratic socialists won Democratic congressional primaries in New York City, Colorado and Washington, DC. • GOP leaders...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tax measure could hurt Florida renters
Camilo Mejía, director of policy and advocacy at the nonprofit Catalyst Miami, knows many Florida homeowners see Amendment 3 as a lifeline, a property tax break in a state that is becoming more unaffordable every day. “There’s a lot of people who are...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
VYING FOR A SPOT
P resident Donald Trump has called the affordability crisis a hoax, but the anointed candidates for Florida governor are putting the issue center stage. ● The question remains which candidate will own the issue by Election Day. ● Money, or the lack...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
For sale: Rare property in downtown Sarasota
A downtown Sarasota property valued at more than $15 million has hit the market. Sarasota Military Academy’s fiveacre Orange Avenue campus is being marketed by Michael Saunders & Company Commercial Real Estate as a redevelopment option under the Live...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
After life-altering shooting, Battie earns Auburn degree
Brian Battie didn’t entertain the conversation at first. He was too focused on healing, mentally and physically, and grieving what was lost. On May 18, 2024, Battie was shot at Tallywood Centre Plaza in Sarasota, where he was taken to Sarasota...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘The people have spoken’: City ends paid parking plan
The Sarasota City Commission responded to public comments and rolled back its paid parking plan Monday, Aug. 3, on a unanimous vote. That means parking is free again in downtown Sarasota and on St. Armands Circle before 10 a.m., after 8 p.m. and on...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sarasota remains popular for new Florida residents
After a recent report showed Sarasota apartment vacancies rising and rents falling, new driver’s license data suggests thousands of people are still moving to Sarasota County. More than 6,600 people transferred driver’s licenses from other states to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Downtown Sarasota condo project to get third review
Developers will again seek approval for a downtown Sarasota condominium tower at the entrance to the historic Laurel Park neighborhood. The administrative site plan for 1776 Ringling Condominium — a 10-story, 52-unit building at the intersection of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
All ready for its first day of school
When Wellen Park High School opens Aug. 10 with more than 1,000 students in grades 9-12, it will be the first new high school in Sarasota County in 25 years. Between 80 and 90 of those students will be part of the first graduating class for the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ARTS
Top Sarasota art events this week and Jay Handelman reviews “The Last Romance” at Florida Studio Theatre.
Read Full Story (Page 2)
Medicare drug plan premiums may rise for seniors
Medicare seniors aren’t going to be happy: changes are coming to their medications’ coverage that is expected to cost them more next year. Specifically the federal agency over Medicare is ending a subsidy program to insurance companies for their...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Hall of Famer helps the hungry
Former New York Yankees shortstop and Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, his sister, Sharlee, and their father, Charles, joined scores of high school students at IMG Academy July 29 in Bradenton. They were there to help the hungry. Story,
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sarasota leads the nation in millennial homebuyer growth
The Sarasota area leads the nation for millennial homeownership growth, according to a new study of 107 major U.S. metropolitan areas by RentCafe, a national apartment listing website and rental housing research platform. The findings reflect the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sarasota rent prices fall as apartment vacancies surge
Downtown Sarasota apartment deals appear to be the new norm. “Two-bedroom living for the price of a one-bedroom through December,” advertises CitySide at 700 Cocoanut Ave. in downtown Sarasota’s Rosemary District. Nearby, ARCOS Apartments at 320...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
What finally breaks a cold case open?
For more than 40 years, John Warren’s family had no answers about who killed him. For the loved ones of Nuria Columbina Rodriguez, a young Bronx mother who disappeared in the early 1990s, it took more than three decades to learn what happened to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
GOP on alert over midterms
When Ashton Reed voted for President Donald Trump in 2024, he was drawn by Trump’s vow to recharge the economy and curb the inflation that many around his hometown of Jackson, Missouri, blamed on then-President Joe Biden. h Reed, 22, who has worked at...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
'Whatever we don't preserve will be lost.'
As a mischievous teen, Jon Thaxton and a friend, Dave Campbell would visit Red Bug Slough and frequently get in trouble. • Decades later, when Thaxton was a member of the Sarasota County Commission, developers eyed the land near Beneva Road as the site...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Daylight saving bill could run out of time
WASHINGTON – Time may be running out for a bill to stop changing the clocks. President Donald Trump has advocated for years to make daylight saving time permanent, ending the twice-yearly practice that forces people in much of the country to lose an...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
House passes stopgap government funding bill
President Donald Trump said July 22 that the government is headed for a shutdown Sept. 30, when current funding lapses. The comment came after the House of Representatives passed a stopgap funding resolution that would keep the government open through...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘People still want to buy homes in Florida’
Florida’s housing market picked up steam in June as Realtors for the 10th straight month sold more homes than the year before. The median sale price rose to $432,000, a new record high. “It’s not often that you have more closed sales in June than in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tropical Storm Bertha moves along Gulf Coast Concerns of heavy rainfall not shared by all forecasters
Tropical Storm Bertha continued its slog toward the Gulf Coast on the morning of July 21, according to forecasters from the National Hurricane Center. Bertha, the second storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, remained on track to bring the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Social media shaping kids’ career dreams
A second grader in Norway drew a YouTube logo when my colleagues and I asked what they wanted to be when they grow up. When we asked why, the child explained that YouTubers are famous and make lots of money. When we asked second graders in Wisconsin...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Quartz countertops driving health crisis
If you walk into a Costco, Home Depot or Lowe’s and order a countertop for your kitchen renovation, the store will likely contract with a local fabrication shop, instructing them to make one from a material called engineered stone. h Often marketed as...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A historical figure
In the early years of Florida’s judicial system, judges didn’t just don the black robes many associate with judgeships today. h They dusted off their boots, saddled their horses and took to the dirt roads carving through the swamplands of the state –...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Smoky air lingers in Midwest, Northeast
Smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada, along with fires in northern Minnesota, kept air quality at unhealthy levels across parts of the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast on July 17, shrouding cities in haze and prompting warnings that the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Acting AG Blanche grilled at confirmation hearing
Todd Blanche faced a tough grilling from Democrats at his Senate confirmation hearing for attorney general, but it’s not clear they have the votes to block his nomination. The former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump was hit with accusations...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Commissioners to revisit decision on paid parking
Sarasota’s controversial decision to expand paid parking hours, which only went into effect June 29, may soon be modified for the second time, after city business leaders took their concerns to the Sarasota City Commission on July 6. Ronnie Shugar...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Why the roadside giant demands attention
Besides the “World’s Most Famous Beach” itself, what Daytona Beach attraction draws the most visitors each year? If you guessed Daytona International Speedway, you’d be wrong. The correct answer is Buc-ee’s, the mega gas station/travel convenience...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The result: Freedom and time to focus on their art
Though artificial intelligence is making it easier than ever to produce images, music and text, the technology is also making it harder for the people who have traditionally produced this work to earn a living. A photographer who once was commissioned...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Water, power use inspire ‘hard no’ on facilities
The Sarasota County Commission directed staff to implement a one-year moratorium on accepting any application Inside Byron Donalds on AI data center hot seat in Florida Gov. race. 1C for large-scale data centers while updating county codes to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Floods trap hundreds of people in rural Missouri
Flash flooding unleashed by torrential downpours from a wave of thunderstorms struck the Ozark Mountains in rural southeastern Missouri on July 10, trapping hundreds of people in high water along the rain-swollen Black River, officials said. National...
Read Full Story (Page 5)
Heat waves turn homes dangerous for all ages
Most people know that heat waves can be dangerous. What they may not realize is that the heat indoors can be much worse than outdoors. When the power goes out and air conditioning stops, a house starts to function like a greenhouse. Heat enters...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Extinct’ colorful Florida butterfly is reborn
A Florida butterfly, notable for a brocade of blue on midnight dark wings and a firework red abdomen, was dragged from the abyss of extinction by cunning naturalists who rediscovered the ecological treasure in the late 1970s. It was a rare triumph...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Florida is growing slower, so why all the new homes?
Florida’s population growth slowed significantly in 2025 and is forecast to continue slowing in the coming years. So why are so many new homes and luxury apartments still going up? Driving through a large new residential subdivision in Southwest...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Heat wave continues in Western states
The heat wave that swept across much of the eastern and central United States in the first week of July has killed more than 25 people, according to local officials – and more dangerously hot conditions are expected to soon hit the West. Record-high...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
America puts aside divisions for July 4
Fireworks burst above marbled monuments honoring America’s forefathers for roughly 40 minutes as sun-drenched and rain-soaked Americans watched. The past-midnight display sparkled above the National Mall and on screens across the United States, marking...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
OF THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ The 56 steps, cut from pink granite, ascend to a neoclassical temple that seems plucked from ancient Greece and deposited on a Kentucky hilltop. One for each year of President Abraham Lincoln’s life. ● If the first eight steps, rising...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
1HÜHß·êH ßb ··¬ß qê oõ"Ð YHb« Ü·¯ êHī b·¬¬qbê·Ü
0GÛGÞ¶éG ¶÷±éī 0a¶¶«Þ a«Gĥpj XGaª ®¶Ûp éG± nô ®¡««¡¶± éGé ép a¶÷±éī éGĪ a¶««paé¶Û ĥ¡ép«j GÞ ~ppÞ ~¶Û a¶««pa顱 G Ĥ¶épÛ GAEAEÛ¶Ĥpj Þa¶¶« éGĪË ÷é ¶épÛ Þa¶¶« j¡ÞéÛ¡aéÞh ¡±a«÷j¡± 0GÛGÞ¶éGØÞ ±p¡X¶Û é¶ ép ±¶Ûéh GĤp éGªp± G j¡~~pÛp±é...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Floridians stole billions in health care funding
When it comes to trying to rip off the government, the latest U.S. Department of Justice crackdown accuses Floridians and their conspirators for going bigger than most. Officials are calling the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown announced...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Sounds of the season
As he neared the end of his first season as music director of the Sarasota Orchestra, Giancarlo Guerrero was quickly feeling part of a large community of music lovers. Even as he spends most of his time flying around the world for other engagements, he...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Future of Alligator Alcatraz unclear as detainees moved
Alligator Alcatraz vendors are being told to wind down operations at the immigrant detention center in the Everglades, a Florida congresswoman confirmed. “While my office can confirm that contractors are being told to wind down operations, shuttering...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘IT WAS A HARD YEAR’
Tomatoes have become the new poster child for rising grocery prices. Some economists are calling it “Tomatoflation” because the savory fruit has had the biggest percentage price gains among all food items in recent months. Florida is one of the reasons...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Solution or false hope?
Most doctors will tell you that no one has survived an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but Florida is becoming ground zero for turning that contention on its head, or at least trying, for patients who have the money. • The Alzheimer’s Survivors Foundation was...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A Q&A with Chris Anderson on Bradenton murders
Herald-Tribune staff reporter Chris Anderson’s Sunday June 7 cover story “Blame for Bradenton double murder extends far beyond killer’s hands,” retraces the path that led Thomas Matejcek – a Bradenton man with a history of mental illness, substance...
Read Full Story (Page 3)
What Juneteenth taught me about heritage, community
For as far back as I can remember, my whole life, Juneteenth had an address: Vernon Dahmer Park, 1000 Country Club Road, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Vernon Dahmer Park is much more than an address or a city park. It is, what I like to call, a portal....
Read Full Story (Page 1)