Weekly Newsletter

She paid his bond. ICE took him. Bradenton family’s saga shows how Florida jails fuel deportations



This story by Kara Newhouse and Alice Herman stayed with me because of how gripping and human it is. Through careful reporting and just the right use of narrative, it shows what local families are forced to navigate amid immigration enforcement and ICE cooperation — not in the abstract, but in real life, with real consequences.

It’s a powerful example of how local policies intersect with federal enforcement, and I appreciated that we also published the story in Spanish to reach the communities most affected.

Meet the Sarasota pastor rallying for a spiritual war against America’s ‘enemies’



This narrative profile by Alice Herman takes a close, deeply reported look at a local pastor whose controversial views have largely flown under the radar, even as his influence within conservative Christian circles has grown. As a Christian believer myself, I found the reporting both alarming and important — not because it sensationalizes extreme beliefs, but because it carefully documents them while remaining fair and respectful of Christians who do not share those views. It’s the kind of accountability journalism that helps readers understand power, ideology, and influence in their own community."

Sarasota County officials downplayed flood risk. Tropical Storm Debby exposed their failures

In a meticulous and authoritative investigation, Derek Gilliam partnered with Michael Barfield of the Florida Trident to uncover how officials neglected to address glaring problems in the county’s stormwater system — neglect that left communities vulnerable when Tropical Storm Debby hit in August 2024.

It’s a gripping and deeply sobering story, and one with real-world impact. The investigation helped prompt the county to overhaul its stormwater department, a step that could better protect residents and neighborhoods as storms grow more intense and frequent.



Developers gained government status, then got bonds to build big

This is a fascinating read by Josh Salman and Derek Gilliam about a little-known but powerful tool developers use to build new communities throughout the region — creating special districts they govern themselves, often at residents’ expense. I had heard of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District — the famous Disney World example, formerly known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District — but had no idea how common such districts are on the Suncoast.

At its core, this is a story about corporate power and democracy and worth reading even if you don’t live in a developer-controlled community. 

HOA or Big Brother? Suncoast Neighborhoods use controversial technology to fine speeders.  

This story by Josh Salman and contributor Aaron Mammah takes on a fast-growing national issue — the rapid expansion of surveillance cameras across the U.S. and the question of who controls and has access to that technology — and grounds it firmly in our region.

It carefully documents how private communities, like Laurel Oak Estates and Country Club are using surveillance tools locally to catch speeders, raising serious privacy concerns in the absence of clear national or local safeguards. The reporting strikes an effective balance between explanation and restraint, helping readers understand why this issue matters now without getting lost in technical details or legal jargon.

Want a new home on the Suncoast? It likely comes with developer debt

Without Kara Newhouse and her data expertise, this story would have been out of reach for Josh Salman and me. She was able to take a general idea from one brainstorming session and pull out the data to make it a reality.

There are about 300,000 parcels in the county’s property tax rolls. To figure out the data for this story, Kara was able to sift through those records, finding only the homes located in special districts and then categorize them by the year when they were built.

With that data, we could show that 3 out of every 5 new homes in Sarasota and Manatee counties are located inside a special taxing district governed by developers — and they come with developer debt.



Priced out: Suncoast renters now must earn $35 an hour to afford a two-bedroom

The affordability crisis in this region is a frequent discussion topic in our newsroom, and this story by Derek Gilliam and Josh Salman dove into it with both facts and humanity.

Drawing on the findings of a detailed report, Derek and Josh broke down how much renters actually need to earn to live here — and then went further. Through shoe-leather reporting, they spoke with people navigating those realities every day, putting faces and lived experience behind the data and showing what the affordability gap really means for working residents across our region.

Sarasota Sheriff cashes in on ICE crackdown

Immigration enforcement has dominated national news this year, but I’ve spoken to many people in the Suncoast and in other states who aren’t aware of how widespread Florida law enforcement’s partnership with ICE has been.

Alice Herman employed classic watchdog tactics of sifting through seemingly dry public records and following the money to illuminate the role Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies are playing in immigration enforcement, how it’s benefitting the department and how that compares to other local agencies.

Sarasota County stormwater crisis sparks major shakeup after public trust erodes

I picked this story by Derek Gilliam and collaborator Michael Barfield of the Florida Trident because it shows what strong local reporting can actually do when it puts people first and holds leadership accountable.

This story dug into how years of mismanagement and ignored warning signs made the damage from Tropical Storm Debby far worse for residents. What stood out to me is how quickly the reporting led to action.

Within days, county leaders voted to break stormwater out of Public Works and create a separate department with new leadership. The story centers on the residents who lost homes and trust. By naming specific failures it empowered residents to force real change.

As LGBTQ+ rights face setbacks, Suncoast elders reflect on pride and perseverance

I chose this story by Alice Herman, Derek Gilliam and Kara Newhouse because it pays attention to neighbors who have lived through decades of progress and backlash and are now watching history feel uncomfortably familiar.

I love how the reporting weaves together personal moments with the very real political shifts happening in our community. These are not abstract policy debates. They shape how people dress, where they worship, whether they feel safe aging in place and how much of themselves they are willing to risk sharing. I appreciated how the story recognizes the fear while still emphasizing hope and resilience, because alongside the anxiety and exhaustion, there is humor, faith, community and joy. It reminds me that Pride is not just a celebration. It is also about memory and perseverance.

Series of misconduct cases signals systemic breakdown in Manatee County schools

This story exemplifies what I love about Suncoast Searchlight — our ability to partner with other newsrooms to tackle tough topics in a way that neither of us might be able to do on our own. By collaborating with Carter Weinhofer of the Bradenton Herald, Kara Newhouse and Josh Salman were able to dig into a disturbing trend we all had watched unfold over the past year or so — a drumbeat of steady misconduct cases involving teachers and staff at the Manatee County School District.

The team spent four months combing through personnel files, civil lawsuits, police reports and school guidelines and interviewed parents, experts and school officials about lapses in the system. They found that, in multiple cases, the district’s safeguards didn’t work as intended. Missed warnings and weak follow-through left students vulnerable.

Sarasota kindergarten vaccine rates plummet — and doctors fear speaking out

This is one of those stories that I remember thinking would be a relatively easy one and turned out being not only harder but more interesting than I could have imagined.

Alice Herman and Kara Newhouse had found data showing Sarasota County's kindergarten vaccination rate was falling and now among the lowest in the state. To make sense of the trend and get a reaction from stakeholders, they started calling pediatricians. We all assumed this would be the easy part and that physicians would readily express alarm and recommend all healthy children get vaccinated. Instead, the reporters faced repeated interview rejections from doctors citing their fear of speaking on a topic that had become controversial and political. Even Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s physician group declined to state outright that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and effective.