Weekly Newsletter

Friday, Dec. 19, 2025

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We’re here to keep you informed on the local issues that matter most. Each week, we share our latest in-depth reporting, along with the most important stories from around the region, so you stay connected and up to date with what’s happening in your community.

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NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

SARASOTA COUNTY OFFERED OTHERS FAR LESS FOR SIESTA BEACH LOTS AS HOLDERNESS DEAL LOOMS

Katie Gerhardt remembered when her parents’ Siesta Key properties sat so close to the Gulf that one parcel was entirely underwater and the other was barely dry.

During a violent storm in the early 1980s, she recalled, waves pushed wet sand into a rental home the family owned on the dry lot, leaving Gerhardt to scoop sandy muck out of the house for days afterward.

At the time, the Gulf lapped at the property’s edge. But over the years, sand accumulated through a natural process called accretion — first slowly, then more recently by as much as 7 feet per year.

Today, hundreds of feet of white, Siesta sand stretches all the way to the water.

The family had long since sold the parcel with the rental home, but kept the one once submerged by water and now boasting nothing but beach. 

“I came back out here about 10 years ago, it was like, ‘Wow,’” she said. “‘Look what’s happening.’”

Gerhardt, a retired property appraiser, didn’t think much about the value of the family’s growing beach, calling the sandy lot her family has owned for about 50 years “basically worthless” because county development codes prevent anyone from building there.

So she was stunned — then outraged — to learn that Siesta Key businessman Michael Holderness stood to gain millions of dollars in value by swapping his adjacent beach lots that are nearly identical to hers with prime real estate owned by Sarasota County. The deal is part of a settlement of a property rights lawsuit filed by Holderness’ company, Siesta Beach Lots LLC, against the county — but is on hold after another Siesta Beach resident, Lourdes Ramirez, filed a legal challenge in circuit court to block it.

What angered Gerhardt the most, she said, is that the county is attempting to acquire her family’s beach lot — and at least two others nearby — for a fraction of what Holderness would receive. As recently as last year, the Gerhardt family was offered $30,000 for its parcel, which it rejected.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL DAVID JOLLY SPOTLIGHTS EDUCATION IN SARASOTA

Former Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly, now running a Democratic campaign for Florida governor, signaled during a Sarasota event last week that education would be a priority during his run to put a Democrat in charge of the Sunshine State for the first time this century.

The Tampa-area politician hosted about 20 public education advocates Dec. 11 at the downtown restaurant Rosemary & Thyme in a closed-door gathering attended by Suncoast Searchlight. Jolly was joined by former Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, herself a former gubernatorial candidate who had served with Jolly in Congress. 

Jolly is campaigning amid rising concerns over the expansion of school vouchers and the implementation of the controversial Schools of Hope law that allows charter operators to occupy space inside under-used public school facilities. 

His stop in Sarasota is no coincidence. 

Sarasota County Schools has emerged as a model for how districts can get out in front of the Schools of Hope law. Facing the prospect of charter operators claiming space inside their schools, district leaders last month pushed through a sweeping reclassification of classroom capacity across multiple campuses — an overhaul approved by the state Department of Education. That move gave the district leverage to deny subsequent co-location requests at Emma E. Booker Elementary and Brookside Middle. 

Sarasota County also has been a flashpoint in Florida’s education wars because of its connection to Moms for Liberty, a conservative parents’ rights organization that has gained national attention for its campaigns against what it characterizes as ideological instruction in public schools. One of the group’s founders, Bridget Ziegler, serves on the Sarasota County School Board, where the organization’s influence has shaped debates over pandemic-era policies, books and curriculum, and race and gender. 

“Sarasota, arguably, is ground zero for much of this debate,” Jolly told Suncoast Searchlight after the event.  “We saw the Moms for Liberty movement emerge in Sarasota in a way that it has in very few parts of the state, but we also then saw the response to that emerge here in Sarasota.”

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

NEW COLLEGE TUITION HIKE MAY CONTRADICT TRUMP 'COMPACT'

New College of Florida trustees voted Wednesday on a tuition hike — raising questions about whether it would still qualify for a Trump administration agreement barring such increases for the next five years.

The 15% price hike for out-of-state students, which is set to go into effect in fall 2026, could complicate the college’s plans to sign Trump’s “compact,” which offers priority funding to schools willing to adopt a range of ideologically-driven policies — and implement a tuition freeze for American students.

In response to questions from Suncoast Searchlight, a New College spokesperson said the school remains “first in line” to sign the compact and suggested the outlet ask the White House whether it still qualifies. 

The White House did not return a request for comment. 

Since Gov. Ron DeSantis overhauled the leadership of New College in 2023 and helped install former Republican Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran as president, the school — previously known for its progressive student body – has sought to remake itself into a conservative institution. New College has leaned into opportunities to bolster that image publicly, bringing on the rightwing commentator Christopher Rufo as a trustee and hosting roundtable discussions with figures like Tom Homan, Trump’s designated “border czar.” 

An Oct. 27 press release announcing New College’s intention to sign the federal agreement touted some of the changes the school has made in recent years, including disbanding its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming and eliminating Gender Studies from the college’s curriculum. 

“New College of Florida has implemented many of the principles outlined in President Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, and will happily be the first college in America to formally embrace and sign President Trump’s vision for higher education,” the college said in the press release.

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HERE'S WHAT ELSE WE RECOMMEND READING THIS WEEK

A TALE OF TWO JO(H)NS

FROM SRQ MAGAZINE

Once upon a time, in a town called Sarasota, there lived two men with the same first name — though spelled a little differently — and a shared reputation for doing good deeds. These two 60-somethings, once known as the “bad boys” of their youth, never followed the expected route. College never called to them, yet both found their way into philanthropy in 2012, after forging very different careers. One was a native Floridian who roamed the wilds of Osprey, became a passionate environmental advocate and served in public office.The other grew up in a small town in Massachusetts, joined the Marines at 17 and later made his mark in public policy. Today, these men—great storytellers, master connectors and quiet heroes—are pillars of the community. They give without hesitation, serve without seeking the spotlight and lift others in ways many will never see.

READ THE STORY HERE

MANATEE COUNTY'S RIVER CLUB HAS A PIG PROBLEM

FROM EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

Wild hogs long have been members of the East County community, but sometimes they fade into the background of the brush without anyone noticing. At other times, they root so voraciously that they tear up thousands of dollars worth of sod in yards while also destroying wiring or other infrastructure below the surface of a lawn. Over the past few weeks, residents in the Sanctuary at River Club have been experiencing the latter. One neighbor collected over $2,000 from 18 neighbors to hire a trapper. He said The River Club Homeowners Association also hired a trapper who is using dogs to track the hogs.

READ THE STORY HERE

'YOU CAN GET THROUGH IT.' SEASON OF SHARING HELPS SINGLE MOM FIND HOME

FROM SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE

Stephanie Shatusky, a single mother from Nokomis, became homeless after fleeing an abusive situation with her children and struggled to provide stability while living without permanent housing. With assistance from St. Vincent de Paul Venice and the Season of Sharing fund, she was able to secure safe housing and basic necessities, giving her family a chance to recover and begin rebuilding their lives. Shatusky says the support helped her move from crisis toward hope and independence as she works to create a safer future for her children. “They came through like an angel,” Stephanie said of the help she has received from Season of Sharing and St. Vincent de Paul.

READ THE STORY HERE

POLICE FOIL DEVELOPMENT BANK SCAM AS IT UNFOLDS

FROM SARASOTA OBSERVER

Deploying the resources of the Sarasota Police Department’s Real Time Operations Center, a 73-year-old Sarasota woman caught in an emerging scam involving ride-sharing apps and large cash withdrawals had her losses recovered. Hers was one of two cases reported this week in the city that are under investigation with similar incidents also being investigated by the Venice Police Department and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, according to a news release from the SPD.

READ THE STORY HERE

HOW MANATEE COUNTY REALLOCATED $5 MILLION MEANT FOR TALLEVAST SEWERS AND SPENT IT ON SALARIES

FROM WTSP 10 TAMPA BAY

For more than 40 years, some neighbors in the historic Black community of Tallevast have been waiting for Manatee County to fulfill its promise of connecting them to county sewers. Despite multiple, documented opportunities to make progress, residents east of the town’s train tracks still rely on septic tanks that often overflow and cause damage. The community’s history of groundwater contamination makes those concerns even more grave. Now, after a new chance to make a change, the county redirected millions it set aside in federal funds for sewer improvements. 10 Investigates found it went to government salaries.

READ THE STORY HERE

DESANTIS PROPOSES NEW COLLEGE TAKEOVER OF USF SARASOTA-MANATEE CAMPUS

FROM BRADENTON HERALD

A proposal in Gov. Ron DeSantis’s budget could force the University of South Florida to surrender its Sarasota-Manatee campus to the New College of Florida in 2026. The takeover would come as USFSM is growing its campus with multi-million-dollar investments — including its first on-campus dormitory and a $6.5 million STEM facility — while DeSantis and New College officials continue to gather new land for nearby New College. The absorption plan follows previous DeSantis initiatives to expand New College, including a recent push to take the Ringling Museum of Art from Florida State University. The new proposed bill is expected to be considered during the upcoming legislative session. 

READ THE STORY HERE

FLORIDA INMATES WERE DENIED EYE SURGERY FOR YEARS. SOME WERE LEFT BLIND

FROM TAMPA BAY TIMES

Around 90% of people over 65 have some level of cataracts, the most common cause of vision loss worldwide. Florida’s prison population of almost 90,000 is no exception. But inmates recommended for eye surgeries have been forced to wait years for procedures, state records show. Some procedures were delayed for so long that inmates ended up permanently blind. One died from other health issues after waiting more than six years for surgery on his corneas. More than 1,000 were on a wait list for surgery in 2024, state records show.

READ THE STORY HERE

FLORIDA IS TRYING TO HALT CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES TO A GROWTH LAW

FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA (VIA WUSF)

The state is trying to short-circuit constitutional challenges to a new law that blocks cities and counties from approving "more restrictive or burdensome" changes to growth plans. Attorneys for state officials argued in two motions last week that Leon County Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey should dismiss challenges filed by 25 cities and counties, the growth-management group 1000 Friends of Florida and an Orange County resident. The prohibition on growth-plan changes was included this spring in a wide-ranging bill (SB 180) that lawmakers said would help the state recover from the 2024 hurricanes. The law, signed in June by Gov. Ron DeSantis, effectively freezes local land-development regulations and comprehensive plans through Oct. 1, 2027, and was made retroactive to Aug. 1, 2024.

READ THE STORY HERE

'A PARALLEL SYSTEM': MIAMI-DADE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO BE CUT OUT OF DECISIONS ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS

FROM WLRN (VIA WUSF)

Every charter school in Florida is authorized and managed by the elected members of the local school district. But in the coming months this longstanding dynamic is set to undergo a tectonic shift, starting in Miami. As soon as next March, Miami Dade College will begin to authorize new charter schools, according to a presentation given to prospective charter schools that WLRN reviewed. The move, for all intents and purposes, cuts the authority of Miami-Dade Public Schools to oversee charter schools in the nation's third-largest school district.

READ/HEAR THE STORY HERE

DESANTIS ADMIN DIVERTED CHILD WELFARE AND MEDICAL FUNDS FOR CONSULTANTS, ADS

FROM TAMPA BAY TIMES

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration diverted more than $35 million in taxpayer funds — an amount far greater than previously known — as part of a brazen agenda last year to defeat two ballot amendments he staunchly opposed, a Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald investigation has found. Much of the state money was intended to assist needy Floridians, including children. Instead, it paid for political consultants, lawyers and thousands of advertisements that helped DeSantis and his supporters win at the ballot box.

READ THE STORY HERE

DID YOU MISS OUR PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER?

HERE'S WHAT WE SHARED:

SERIES OF MISCONDUCT CASES SIGNALS SYSTEMIC BREAKDOWN IN MANATEE COUNTY SCHOOLS

An elementary school resource teacher arrested for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse materials and footage of sexual activity with an animal. 

A middle school teacher arrested after allegedly sending a student explicit images on social media.

A high school teacher and football coach arrested twice in one week for allegedly making sexual advances toward teenage students.

In the past two years, the School District of Manatee County has faced a drumbeat of allegations that teachers and staff physically or sexually mistreated students as young as 7 years old. 

At least a dozen incidents have sparked headline-making arrests, costly lawsuits against the district and outcry from parents who contend the administration did not do enough to protect kids.

The district is supposed to vet potential hires through background checks, reference checks and screening questionnaires, weeding out problematic candidates before they reach students. Should warning signs emerge after hiring, the district's policies are supposed to protect kids by requiring staff to report any potential boundary violations — from spending unusual time alone with a student to sending students private letters — to district and state authorities.

But in multiple cases, the district’s safeguards didn’t work as intended. Missed warnings and weak follow-through left students vulnerable, according to a joint-investigation by Suncoast Searchlight and the Bradenton Herald.

SARASOTA, MANATEE DENY CHARTER CO-LOCATIONS BIDS, POTENTIALLY LEAVING FATE TO STATE

Sarasota and Manatee counties’ school districts have shut the door on Schools of Hope charter operators seeking space inside public campuses — for now.

Both districts denied the Nov. 11 requests made by Mater Academy and Somerset Academy to co-locate inside four schools: Emma E. Booker Elementary and Brookside Middle in Sarasota and the Sara Scott Harllee Center and Lincoln Memorial Middle in Manatee.

The requests were among nearly 700 filed statewide since last month by charter operators under the state’s newly expanded Schools of Hope law, according to the Florida Policy Institute.

In their denial letters, obtained through a public records request by Suncoast Searchlight, the districts argued the plans were impractical, citing a variety of reasons for this, including lack of available space to accommodate charter students, lack of required infrastructure needed to support certain student populations and the operators’ failure to meet state requirements about how they would serve students from persistently low-performing schools. 

Sarasota County additionally noted in its denials the recently approved repurposing of several campus buildings that allowed it to reduce those schools’ student capacities, leaving no room for charters. 



SARASOTA COUNTY FACES LAWSUIT OVER CONTROVERSIAL SIESTA KEY LAND SWAP

Sarasota County last month signed off on the final step of a land swap meant to end a years-long court battle over a stretch of sand on Siesta Key — only to find itself facing another lawsuit.

A year ago, county commissioners agreed to trade a piece of Siesta Key real estate to businessman Michael Holderness in exchange for four sandy lots he owns next to Beach Access 3. The settlement was intended to resolve Holderness’ latest lawsuit accusing the county of turning his private land into a public beach. 

For the deal to go through, Holderness required the county to grant him permission to build a 5,000-square-foot house on the property he was set to receive in the swap — about a quarter acre near his beachfront lots. Commissioners granted that approval on Nov. 5, clearing what was expected to be the final hurdle. 

But, the deal proved controversial. 

The land the county is giving up — purchased in 2017 for $1.4 million through a park acquisition program — is now valued at nearly $2.8 million by the county property appraiser. The land it gets in return, by comparison, is valued at less than $100,000. And the variance marked a major reversal. The county had denied similar requests four times over the past three decades.

Now a Siesta Key resident, Lourdes Ramirez, intends to sue the county to unwind the entire agreement. She argued it has no legal authority to dispose of parkland bought with dedicated tax dollars and that it ignored its own development codes to push the deal through. 



OFFICIALS, CIVIC LEADERS WARN PUBLIC HAS LOST CONTROL OVER DEVELOPMENT

Elected officials and civic leaders offered a dire assessment during a panel discussion Wednesday about the forces shaping the Suncoast region: Local control over rapid development has essentially crumbled.

“The state legislature has been held entirely non-accountable for the deterioration of home rule and their empowerment of developers,” said former Sarasota County Commissioner Jon Thaxton. “Hold them responsible,” he added, to applause.

Thaxton and four other panelists spoke before a crowd of nearly 100 people at Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library in Venice as part of Suncoast Searchlight’s community engagement series in partnership with Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The event — the second in the series — was titled “Power and Profit: How development is shaping the Suncoast,” after the media organization’s coverage of the proliferation of special improvement districts. 

Speakers urged the public to elect local officials and state lawmakers willing to push back against developer interests. They also lamented the implementation of legislation, including Senate Bill 180, that has preempted local control over growth. 

SB 180, in particular, drew scorn. The new law limits local governments’ ability to regulate development and has hampered environmental protection efforts. In response to a question about how the county can support rapid growth without sacrificing the environment, Thaxton again spoke forcefully. 

“There is no balance between development and protecting Sarasota’s natural environment,” he said.

FLORIDA ELECTION SKEPTICS LOSE POWER IN TALLAHASSEE, BUT THEIR MESSAGE STILL SPREADS

The mood was grim on Defend Florida’s mid-November Zoom call.

Members of the Sarasota-founded election conspiracy theory group traded frustrations over Florida Republicans who no longer seemed interested in their proposals to tighten Florida’s voting rules.

“We’re getting heavy resistance,” said Deborah Monks, a volunteer member, during the call.

It was a far cry from their rise in the years after the 2020 election, when Defend Florida had cultivated relationships with Gov. Ron DeSantis' office, meeting regularly with his staff while they crafted Florida’s controversial Office of Election Crimes and Security. But its influence in Tallahassee has faded: Republican lawmakers have pushed the group aside, calling its brand tarnished. 

“I guess that's the definition of losing political clout,” said committee chair Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Crestview. “In politics, winners win and losers lose.”

But while its clout in Tallahassee has faded, the group itself has not. 

Defend Florida has transformed from a state-focused pressure group into a national effort. It has routinely hosted calls drawing thousands of listeners and featuring high-profile election deniers like MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and recently pardoned Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio.

The message political operators like these spread — that elections are corrupt — still threatens public trust, election officials warn.

NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR VISITS SARASOTA TO DISCUSS STATE OF LOCAL JOURNALISM

The future of local journalism is uncertain, but not doomed, according to a former executive editor of The New York Times.

Dean Baquet, who led the Times from 2014 to 2022, visited Sarasota Thursday for a community conversation on the challenges and opportunities in local journalism, hosted by Suncoast Searchlight. Dozens attended the event, which was the first in the Searchlight Series that aims to deepen public understanding of the media industry and connect residents with the journalists who serve them.

“The good news is the nonprofit news industry, if you will, which didn’t even exist when I started … it will be, certainly, at least be a giant part of the future of journalism,” said Baquet, who now runs the Times’ Local Investigations Fellowship, a program that supports journalists at regional outlets in producing major investigations.

“In my fantasy, you get to the point where the local news organization becomes like the library or the museum,” he continued. “You want to have somebody who covers your community, and you contribute to it – and it’s not just five zillionaires or five giant philanthropies – that people actually subscribe, pay for it.”

Baquet’s remarks come at a time when news deserts – areas with limited local news coverage – are growing, and Americans’ trust in news has reached a new low.

Speaking at the Sarasota Garden Club, Baquet answered questions submitted in advance from attendees and from Suncoast Searchlight Executive Editor-in-Chief Emily Le Coz.

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Suncoast Searchlight is a 501c3 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