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Friday, Oct. 2, 2026

THIS WEEK IN SUNCOAST HISTORY

Oct. 3, 1955: About 100 Black Sarasotans entered the water at Lido Beach in protest of Jim Crow segregation. It was part of an ongoing "beach caravan" campaign by Newtown residents challenging the exclusion of Black people from local beaches.

Featured in this week's newsletter:

• STORY: Ben Quartermaine was hired to fix Sarasota stormwater. A year later, problems persist

• STORY: DeSantis railed against 'Defund the police.' Amendment 3 could do just that

• STORY: DeSantis appointee’s family complained about a teacher. Uthmeier called for her firing

• STORY: Sarasota Schools responds to Uthmeier, describes complaints against Pine View teacher

• FACT BRIEF: Are self-driving cars legal in Sarasota?

• FACT BRIEF: Did David Jolly vote to defund Planned Parenthood in 2015?

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NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT & FLORIDA TRIDENT:

BEN QUARTERMAINE WAS HIRED TO FIX SARASOTA STORMWATER. A YEAR LATER, PROBLEMS PERSIST

After catastrophic flooding exposed deep problems in Sarasota County’s stormwater operation, the county has a new department, a new director and more workers. Residents and commissioners credit Ben Quartermaine with improving communication and tackling long-neglected maintenance.

But a year into the turnaround, stubborn problems remain: Staffing vacancies have barely budged, the maintenance backlog is growing again and major dredging projects remain years from completion. For residents still living with painful memories of flooding — and ongoing drainage problems — patience is wearing thin.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

DESANTIS RAILED AGAINST 'DEFUND THE POLICE.' AMENDMENT 3 COULD DO JUST THAT

Gov. Ron DeSantis has spent years railing against the “defund the police” movement. Now, a property tax measure he championed could force Florida law enforcement agencies to contemplate substantial budget cuts — a result the president of the Florida Sheriffs Association said could be interpreted as “a hidden way of defunding the police.”

On the Suncoast, the Sarasota County’s Sheriff's Office could lose an estimated $54.2 million over two years, while Manatee’s sheriff is considering a hiring freeze and Venice’s police chief warns of cuts reminiscent of the Great Recession. DeSantis has dismissed warnings about public safety cuts as “fear-mongering” and said state grants could help fill some gaps. But law enforcement leaders across the state are sounding the alarm.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

DESANTIS APPOINTEE'S FAMILY COMPLAINED ABOUT A TEACHER. UTHMEIER CALLED FOR HER FIRING

The grandchild of a DeSantis appointee is at the center of complaints against Pine View history teacher Elizabeth Ballard, whom Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier accused of trying to “cancel” an eighth-grade boy over his political views. “If true,” Uthmeier wrote, the allegations warranted firing Ballard and revoking her teaching certificate.

It was an unusual intervention by the state’s top legal authority into a local school personnel matter — raising questions about how a classroom dispute reached the attorney general’s attention. Although Uthmeier did not name the complainants, government records identify the family that appears to be at the center of the allegations.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

SARASOTA SCHOOLS RESPONDS TO UTHMEIER, DESCRIBES COMPLAINTS AGAINST PINE VIEW TEACHER

Now, Sarasota County Schools has responded. In a letter to Attorney General James Uthmeier this week, the district outlined four complaints involving Pine View history teacher Elizabeth Ballard — three from the family at the center of the dispute, including one filed as recently as Sept. 11.

Ballard, meanwhile, has written in a district HR report that she feels she is “being targeted by this family.” She also told Suncoast Searchlight she has received an “outpouring of support” after Uthmeier publicly called her out. The district’s response sheds new light on an ongoing saga that has continued long after the student left Ballard’s class nearly two years ago.

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UPCOMING SEARCHLIGHT EVENTS

OCT. 7 > VIRTUAL

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026 | 5:30–6:30 p.m. | Virtual

Candidates Flo Entler, John Harshman and Jen Ahearn-Koch have been invited to participate and answer questions about the issues facing Sarasota and their priorities for the city. The event is free and open to everyone. No registration is required.

HERE'S WHAT ELSE WE RECOMMEND READING THIS WEEK

SARASOTA COUNTY LAUNCHES $25M ALLIGATOR CREEK RESTORATION PROJECT

FROM ABC7

Sarasota County has announced a $25 million project to restore Alligator Creek in Venice will break ground today (Friday, Oct. 2). This is an effort officials said will improve water quality, protect wildlife habitat and boost coastal resilience in the years ahead. The Alligator Creek Stream Restoration Project will reshape roughly 2.3 miles of the creek corridor, transform what is now a straightened canal into a more natural, winding stream designed to better support the surrounding ecosystem.

READ THE STORY HERE

COYOTES ON LONGBOAT LEAD TO HOWLS FROM RESIDENTS

FROM LONG BOAT OBSERVER

On Longboat Key, a pack of coyotes in the middle of the island is raising concerns. There have been 13 documented sightings in 2026 so far, according to a spreadsheet shared by LKPD, up from four total in 2025. It started this year with a sighting on New Year's Day on the 4000 block of Gulf of Mexico Drive. Another sighting was reported early in the morning in March on Mistletoe Lane, then on Grand Bay Boulevard later that month.

READ THE STORY HERE

UNLEASHED BY FLORIDA LAWMAKERS, LANDOWNERS MOVE TO CONVERT FARMS INTO SUBDIVISIONS

FROM FLORIDA TRIB

Florida developers are racing to take advantage of a fast-track approval process for turning rural land into subdivisions, a process that state lawmakers expanded this year in their latest move to shift control over Florida’s sprawling growth from local governments to Tallahassee.

READ THE STORY HERE

HUMANE SOCIETY CAPYBARAS 'HELP PEOPLE APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD'

FROM ENGLEWOOD SUN

There are few things that will make people appreciate the world they live in more than a 100-pound rodent that will eat out of the palm of a complete stranger’s hand. That’s why the Suncoast Humane Society, a nonprofit whose mission is to “encourage, honor, and support the human-animal bond,” brought in the big guns: three hungry, sociable capybaras. The capybaras, all girls from a North Carolina wildlife rescue, are “ambassadors.” They are the only animals that are not up for adoption in the shelter.

READ THE STORY HERE

FLORIDA'S MINIMUM WAGE HITS $15 THIS WEEK; ORGANIZERS REFLECT ON THE FIGHT

FROM ORLANDO WEEKLY

Florida’s minimum wage is about to hit $15 — and that didn’t come by chance, or the political will of politicians, but by the tenacity and determination of Floridians themselves. The 2020 ballot measure establishing a $15 minimum wage received more votes in Florida than either Donald Trump or Joe Biden, receiving bipartisan support from voters across party lines.

READ THE STORY HERE

IF FLORIDA ENDS SCHOOL VACCINES, A STUDY PREDICTS A WAVE OF MEASLES

FROM WUSF

A year ago, Florida's surgeon general said he would spearhead an effort to end all vaccine mandates in schools. A new study predicts that policy, if enacted in the Sunshine State, could unleash a wave of measles nationwide on a level not seen in the last 50 years, according to the projections published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer-reviewed journal.

READ THE STORY HERE

MANATEE IS SITTING ON $1.1 BILLION IN RESERVES. COMMISSIONERS FOCUS ON REDUCING IT

FROM EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

Manatee County is sitting on $1.1 billion in reserves — more than double what it held five years ago — and commissioners are questioning whether some of that money should instead be spent on roads, storm drainage and other needs. Much of the money is earmarked or needed to cover operating expenses, but commissioners are considering changes to a reserve policy that hasn’t been revisited since 2010. A December workshop will examine how much the county actually needs to keep on hand.

READ THE STORY HERE

GOVERNOR'S OFFICE PAID SECOND LAW FIRM $111K AS HOPE FLORIDA REPORT WAS FOUGHT IN SECRET

FROM FLORIDA TRIDENT

Florida taxpayers have paid more than $307,000 to two law firms representing DeSantis administration figures amid a grand jury investigation into $10 million diverted from the public treasury to Hope Florida and ultimately to political committees. Newly obtained invoices show $111,387.50 went to Continental PLLC to represent an unidentified person in the governor’s office, including work related to efforts to keep the grand jury report sealed, while nearly $200,000 went to lawyers defending former DeSantis deputy chief of staff Katie Strickland, whom grand jurors found not credible.

READ THE STORY HERE

'LA SEPTIMA' DOCUMENTS THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE IN YBOR CITY

FROM ARTSBEAT

Sixteen years after Venezuelan immigrant Paula Nuñez settled in Tampa, walking the streets of Ybor City left the former ballerina feeling deeply connected to the immigrants who had built the community generations earlier. That experience inspired “La Septima,” a six-year labor of love from her Tampa City Ballet that uses dance, music, film and storytelling to bring a century of Ybor City’s immigrant history to life.

READ THE STORY HERE

PINELLAS DEPUTY CHARGED AFTER 300 LICENSE-PLATE SEARCHES FOR WOMAN HE ARRESTED

FROM CREATIVE LOAFING

Like the Sarasota Police Department, which fired an officer in August for similar unauthorized searches, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office did not know about the searches until a TCPalm reporter sent a query asking about an anomaly in the database as part of a USA TODAY investigation.

READ THE STORY HERE

DID YOU MISS OUR PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER?

HERE'S WHAT WE SHARED:

HEAD START OVERHAUL COULD RESHAPE SERVICES FOR SARASOTA FAMILIES

A sweeping federal proposal could reshape Head Start for Sarasota families, eliminating most federal regulations, including requirements for health screenings, staff qualifications and teacher-to-student ratios. Local leaders say they plan to maintain their current level of care but worry the changes could eventually mean less federal funding — making it harder to provide the education, health services and support families rely on.

AMENDMENT 3 PROMISES PROPERTY TAX RELIEF. WHAT WOULD IT COST THE SUNCOAST?

Florida homeowners could save about $1,000 on a typical property tax bill under Amendment 3. But cities and counties could eventually lose billions in property tax revenue — potentially affecting police, fire departments, parks, libraries and other local services. At a Suncoast Searchlight and League of Women Voters panel, local leaders and policy experts dug into what the sweeping proposal could mean for taxpayers, local governments and the services residents rely on.

NEWTOWN REVITALIZATION PITCHES COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS. SOME FEAR GENTRIFICATION

Jetson Grimes, owner of Jetson’s Creative Trends hair salon since 1982, has seen Newtown persevere through decades of underinvestment and neglect. Now, as resources dwindle and young people find fewer opportunities, residents are weighing plans for new shops, restaurants, events and cultural hubs with both enthusiasm and skepticism.

THE SUNCOAST IS LOSING REPORTERS. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING?

Earlier this month, McClatchy Media Co., the national newspaper chain that owns the Bradenton Herald, laid off journalists across the country. The Herald, already operating with a skeleton crew, lost half its newsroom. Six journalists became three: one editor and two reporters. The newspaper infrastructure that supported much of the Suncoast’s local reporting for generations is being dismantled, even as nearly 1 million residents across Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties depend on journalists to keep watch over public officials.

FLORIDA AG LETTER UNDERCUTS SARASOTA COUNTY IN LIVE LOCAL LEGAL FIGHT

A new letter from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office says Sarasota County has it wrong in its fight to keep Live Local developments off rural land. It could give ammunition to developers suing the county in six ongoing cases — and potentially clear a path for more than 7,500 housing units that have been put on pause. A judge will ultimately decide whose interpretation is correct, but legal experts say the Attorney General’s position could carry weight in court.

SARASOTA CREATES NEW SOUND ENFORCEMENT TEAM AFTER NOISE POLLUTION STUDY

For years, Sarasota’s noise debate has focused heavily on downtown bars and restaurants. But a new city study found another persistent concern: cars. Survey respondents cited revving engines, car stereos and traffic as the sounds they found most burdensome, while bars and restaurants emerged as a secondary concern. Now the city is creating a new sound enforcement team as it considers another rewrite of its noise rules.

WHERE CAN SARASOTA'S HOMELESS SHOWER AND DO LAUNDRY? OPTIONS ARE DWINDLING

When Kevin Jackowicz became homeless for the second time, he knew he could turn to Remnant Cafe for a shower, laundry, a hot meal and sanctuary from the outside. But Remnant Church has been forced to cut back its homelessness services after Sarasota County said the property is not zoned for a full-scale social service operation, leaving more than 100 people without a place they relied on to shower, wash clothes and escape the heat.

CANDIDATE FORUMS GIVE SARASOTA, MANATEE VOTERS CHANCE TO HEAR CANDIDATES

Voters across the Suncoast will have several chances in the coming days to hear directly from candidates seeking to represent them in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. Local chapters of the League of Women Voters are hosting a series of nonpartisan candidate forums ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, beginning with candidates for Florida House District 72. The forums give candidates equal time to answer the same questions, allowing voters to hear from them outside of campaign advertising and other partisan messaging.

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Suncoast Searchlight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization whose mission is to produce investigative and explanatory journalism that serves and empowers the residents of Florida’s Suncoast region (Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties). We shine a light on critical issues affecting our community. Through independent reporting and collaboration with diverse media partners, we foster transparency, accountability and an informed citizenry, ensuring that all voices are heard and that the public has access to the information they need to drive meaningful change.

CONTACT US:

Suncoast Searchlight

PO Box 99 Sarasota, FL 34230

(941) 724-4450