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UNCERTAINTY REIGNS AT USF SARASOTA-MANATEE AS CAMPUS TRANSFER LOOMS
FROM WUSF
After learning the news over Memorial Day weekend that lawmakers reached an agreement to give the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus to New College of Florida, the campus' students voiced frustration confusion, worry and general anxiety about the future. Will they still be able to take classes on campus? And how, if it all belongs to New College as of July 1? The deal was made late Sunday and caps off a more than yearlong effort to enable the expansion of New College as a purveyor of conservative, classical education.
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FLORIDA HOUSE BUDGET INCLUDES $6 MILLION FOR COMPANY OF BUDGET NEGOTIATOR FIONA MCFARLAND'S HUSBAND
FROM FLORIDA TRIDENT
A California-based data integration company that employs the husband of Florida State Rep. Fiona McFarland (R-Sarasota) is poised to reap a multi-million dollar windfall as lawmakers continue to finalize a state budget. Documents released by the Florida House on May 15 show a $6 million entry suddenly added by the House Justice Budget Conference Committee as part of the negotiations between House and Senate budget conferees. McFarland’s husband, Matthew Melton, is a top executive with the company. A former naval intelligence officer, Melton was hired by Peregrine in 2024 and heads the company’s business development and partnerships.
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CITY OF ANNA MARIA INVESTIGATED TREASURER'S CREDIT CARD EXPENDITURES
FROM ANNA MARIA SUN
Public records obtained from the city clerk’s office provide more details about the credit card expenditures referenced in the lawsuit complaint former city treasurer LeAnne (Addy) Endres filed against the city of Anna Maria. At some point during or after her tenure with the city, Addy changed her last name to Endres. On Nov. 17, Mayor Mark Short terminated Addy/Endres’ employment with the city. On April 9, the attorney representing the former treasurer filed a termination-related lawsuit that named Endress as the plaintiff and the city of Anna Maria as the defendant. According to the lawsuit complaint, “On or around Dec. 19, plaintiff (Endres) received a notice of internal investigation letter from Short, via email, which falsely alleged that plaintiff improperly used city funds and account points for personal use.”
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FLORIDIANS PAY FOR CFO INGOGLIA'S RIDES, SECURITY DETAIL AT SPORTING EVENTS
FROM ORLANDO SENTINEL
Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, Florida’s fiscal watchdog, has tapped state agents to provide him transportation and security at big-ticket sporting events around the state, raising questions about why taxpayers are footing the bill for his private activities. Publicly, Ingoglia has become known for barnstorming the state to hold choreographed press conferences scolding cities and counties for wasteful spending. But Ingoglia also has found time in the last eight months to hang out in the presidential suite at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for a University of Florida football game, a skybox at Hard Rock Stadium to watch the Miami Dolphins, a suite at a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game and at a premiere boxing match in Miami.
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ADAGIO RECEIVES PARTIAL STAFF SIGN-OFF; ADJUSTMENTS STILL NEEDED
FROM SARASOTA OBSERVER
Sarasota’s first condominium tower that incorporates elements of the city’s affordable and attainable housing density bonus and the Florida Live Local Act has moved closer to administrative approval. Adagio, proposed for the intersection of Ringling Boulevard and South Pineapple Avenue achieved partial sign-off by the city’s Development Review Committee during its May 20 meeting.
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FLORIDA MAY HIRE AN AI VENDOR TO HELP DECIDE WHICH HUNGRY FAMILIES GET GROCERY ASSISTANCE
FROM SEEKING RENTS
The state of Florida may start using artificial intelligence to decide who gets grocery assistance. A last-minute provision inserted into the new state budget orders the state’s family-welfare agency to hire an outside vendor that can use machine learning to make eligibility decisions for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — the critical anti-hunger program that helps feed nearly 3 million Floridians.
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BRADENTON MUSEUM CELEBRATES HISTORY OF LATINO BASEBALL PLAYERS
FROM WSLR
Bradenton’s Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate, is proud to present the history and culture of Latinos and their impact on American culture and society through the lens of baseball. The “In the Barrios and the Big Leagues” exhibition captures the excitement of the game, from community baseball teams to the Major Leagues.
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SCHOOLS, HEALTH CARE, PUBLIC SAFETY COULD BE HIT UNDER PROPERTY TAX PLAN RELEASED BY DESANTIS
FROM FLORIDA PHOENIX
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced his plan for a homestead property tax exemption that could crimp local governments’ ability to fund schools, health care, and public safety. Simultaneously, he called for lawmakers to return to Tallahassee and address his plan in a three-day special session starting Monday. DeSantis has been discussing elimination of all property taxes for more than a year, although he eventually narrowed his plan to elimination of homestead property taxes only. Despite the lengthy build-up, he provided few details other than a one-page summary, noting he still wants to “ensure funding for core services.”
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SQUEAKY WHEEL FRINGE GIVES ARTISTS A PLATFORM TO EXPERIMENT AND PLAY
FROM ARTSBEAT
Over the last four years, founder Megan Radish and a team of volunteers has been slowly building a following for the annual Squeaky Wheel Fringe Festival, which returns June 2-7 with nine new shows created by an assortment of local and national artists. “This year seems to be a heavily theater-based year,” Radish said. “We’ve had some years that were more heavy in dance, or just a total grab bag.”
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