Weekly Newsletter

Friday, March 6, 2026

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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:

FIGHT ERUPTS OVER PLAN TO HAND SARASOTA GOLF COURSES TO DEVELOPER

A plan to lease hundreds of acres of golf courses and green space in The Meadows to Benderson Development Co. for nearly 50 years has sparked a lawsuit over the future of one of Sarasota’s oldest and largest communities.

The Meadows Community Association board voted 6-3 last month to authorize its president to sign the contract. The deal would transfer control of 500 acres — including three, 18-hole golf courses and vast expanses of open space — to a subsidiary of Benderson Development, which owns and operates the nearby Mall at University Town Center.

The lease comes after years of operating losses pushed the country club into bankruptcy and forced two of its courses to close. Under the deal, Benderson would pay off the mounting debts and work to reopen the courses.

But the agreement has divided residents.

Some homeowners say the negotiations were conducted with too little transparency and fear the deal gives the developer too much control over land long seen as the heart of the community. 

One of them, Donald Breece, filed a lawsuit arguing the contract goes far beyond a simple golf lease. Instead, his suit says, it allows long-term and potentially permanent changes to the land that defines the 3,500-home community without a vote of property owners.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

FLORIDA HOUSE APPROVES SCALED-BACK UTC DISTRICT THAT BENDERSON WOULD CONTROL

The Florida House of Representatives unanimously approved a scaled-back bill Wednesday to create a special district around the booming University Town Center area — a proposal that would still give one of the region’s largest developers significant influence over the new entity spanning more than 1,400 acres across Sarasota and Manatee counties.

If the bill becomes law, Manatee County-headquartered Benderson Development Co., which owns much of the land inside the proposed district, would hold a majority voting interest in the new government entity, according to the developer’s Tallahassee lobbyist.

Initially, the bill, which was introduced by state Rep. Bill Conerly, R-Lakewood Ranch, in January, would have allowed the district to levy property taxes and exercise broader government powers across the area.

But lawmakers narrowed its scope as it moved through subcommittees. 

Among the changes: Land owned by Sarasota Memorial Hospital was removed from the district, though Sarasota County-owned Nathan Benderson Park — which makes up about a third of the district’s footprint — remains included.

Lawmakers also stripped the district of its ability to levy property taxes on landowners. Instead, it would be limited to charging non-ad valorem assessments — fees added to property tax bills — to fund stormwater infrastructure.

HERE'S WHAT ELSE WE RECOMMEND READING THIS WEEK

DOCUMENT SHOWS CENTERSTONE OF FLORIDA KNEW HOME WAS UNLICENSED
FROM SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE

Centerstone of Florida knowingly sent mentally ill clients to an unlicensed assisted living facility operated by an 80-year-old convicted felon, an employee confirmed in a deposition tied to a double-murder case, an indication the taxpayer-funded behavioral health hospital violated state law. "We know it's unlicensed," Centerstone therapist Melinda Bissell recently said in a deposition obtained by the Herald-Tribune, a statement made prior to Jennings' house being closed down.

READ THE STORY HERE

FLORIDA HOUSE PASSES HOUSING BILL LIMITING LOCAL CONTROL OVER DEVELOPMENT
FROM WUSF

The Florida House passed a bill on Tuesday supporters say would increase housing supply and lower costs. But critics are concerned it would erode local control and open the door to unchecked growth. "This is probably the most significant step that we can take as a state of Florida to help lower the cost of housing, because you're letting supply come into a much-needed market,” said Rep. David Borrero, R-Hialeah, the bill sponsor. “When you provide more housing, when you make the cost of land less expensive, you're going to have less costs passed on to the end user." Democrats worry the legislation, HB 399, undermines local control and could lead to urban sprawl, destroying Florida forests.

READ/HEAR THE STORY HERE

USF PROFESSORS GRILL BOARD CHAIR ABOUT NEW COLLEGE HANDOVER. HE SAYS IT'S 'NOT OUR LAND'
FROM WUSF

Professors at the University of South Florida peppered their Board of Trustees chair with questions last week, asking him to stand up for the Sarasota-Manatee campus, which faces a possible takeover by New College of Florida. Will Weatherford, a former House speaker, said he prefers to work behind the scenes as the deal makes its way through the Legislature, and reminded staff that the land and assets are owned by the state of Florida, not the university.

READ/HEAR THE STORY HERE


'CONSTITUTIONAL TRAINWRECK': FLORIDA LAWMAKERS SEEK SURVEILLANCE CRACKDOWN

FROM FLORIDA TRIB

A package of bills advancing through the Florida Legislature would empower the governor and Cabinet to designate groups as “domestic terrorist organizations” based on secret evidence, and allow a new government surveillance force to investigate Floridians who express opinions the state determines are “a threat” to the interests of “this state and the United States of America.” The legislation, which has come under fierce criticism from civil rights and free speech advocates, represents another expansion of Florida’s security apparatus under Gov. Ron DeSantis.

READ THE STORY HERE

AFTER LENGTHY SEARCH, SARASOTA FINDS ITS NEW CITY MANAGER
FROM SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE

Nearly 18 months after the retirement of Marlon Brown, Sarasota seems to be on the verge of hiring a new, full-time city manager following Friday’s special meeting. Karie Friling was unanimously selected by the city commission as its sole finalist after an exhaustive and at times chaotic process that included two interim city managers, two search firms and seemingly endless meetings. Friling is the executive director of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Illinois.

READ THE STORY HERE

EFFORT TO FIX SB 180 BY HOUSE AMENDMENT FAILS ON TECHNICALITY
FROM THE BRADENTON TIMES

The Florida Senate passed SB 840, a bill that would have corrected the supposedly unintended consequences of SB 180, an emergency management bill passed last year that has handcuffed Manatee County and other communities seeking to implement sustainable growth practices. Despite admitting to understanding those supposedly unintended consequences, local Rep. Bill Conerly (R-Manatee County), who was backed by Big Development, did not file a companion bill, which would have greatly increased SB 840's chances of becoming law. Instead, it's been buried in a subcommittee that is not even scheduled to meet again before the session closes.

READ THE STORY HERE

'PROVISIONAL BUILDING' OPTION WINS INITIAL COUNTY COMMISSION APPROVAL TO HELP WITH OVERCROWDING WHILE PLANS PROCEED FOR NEW JAIL
FROM SARASOTA NEWS LEADER

The Sarasota County commissioners have directed county Capital Projects Department staff to proceed with planning for what the staff has characterized as a two-story, “provisional building” that would help ease overcrowding in the county jail before a new, eight-story correctional facility can be completed. Then that building would be used to house inmates in the West Wing of the Correctional Campus in downtown Sarasota while the jail is constructed on the West Wing site, Brad Gaubatz, a project manager in the county’s Capital Projects Department, explained to the board members during their regular meeting on Feb. 10, which was held in Venice. After the jail tower has been completed, that provisional building would remain in place for use as needed, Gaubatz added.

READ THE STORY HERE

AMISH AND MENNONITE WOMEN IN SARASOTA COMMUNITY QUESTION THE FUTURE OF QUILTING
FROM WGCU

Before telephones and cars connected rural communities, quilting bees were how isolated farm women saw one another. The stitching circles offered companionship as much as craftsmanship -- a place to share news and build community, almost like a modern-day beauty salon. Now, some Amish and Mennonite women who have kept that tradition alive are wondering how much longer it will last.

READ/WATCH THE STORY HERE

FLORIDA BANNED STREET ART. BRADENTON RESPONDS WITH A COLORFUL NEW FESTIVAL
FROM BRADENTON HERALD

When Florida officials banned all public street and sidewalk art last year, it came as a blow to Bradenton’s Village of the Arts — a place where creativity and colorful expression are a way of life. At the time, village residents like Gene Tenery felt as though the art removal “eradicated years of what people put their heart into,” he told the Bradenton Herald. But with the help of a new festival, village artists plan to paint back some of the color that was washed away. The village will host its first WonderWall Mural Fest from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday, March 7, where artists will decorate buildings throughout the neighborhood with larger-than-life scenes.

READ THE STORY HERE

ICE DETAINED A PREGNANT WOMAN. SHE WENT MONTHS WITHOUT PROPER CARE
FROM TAMPA BAY TIMES

There was no mirror in the detention center to see her baby bump form, so Amanda Cardoso placed her hands on her abdomen and imagined. Cardoso, 22, had immigrated from Cuba to Tampa in 2023. She was seeking a haven after her grandmother was killed in an act of political violence. Cardoso, who’d been studying to be an art teacher, envisioned a future in the United States free from persecution — a place to raise a family. When she learned she was pregnant in August, she longed to fill her home with baby clothes and build a crib. But weeks into her pregnancy, Cardoso was swept up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. During months of detention with few medical checkups, Cardoso didn’t even know how many weeks along she was.

READ/HEAR THE STORY HERE

SARASOTA SCHOOLS' ENROLLMENT DECLINE MEANS TOUGH CHOICES LIE AHEAD
FROM WSLR

Despite a history of A grades, Sarasota County Schools is facing a fiscal “perfect storm.” On Tuesday, Superintendent Terry Connor delivered a blunt presentation to the school board, outlining a structural deficit that could threaten the district’s independence. With federal pandemic funds gone and enrollment shrinking, the district is now looking at “strategic realignments” and spending cuts. School districts in Pinellas, Orange and Broward have announced school closures. Sarasota has so far avoided that last option, but tough choices are ahead.

READ/HEAR THE STORY HERE



DID YOU MISS OUR PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER?

HERE'S WHAT WE SHARED:

'ON EDGE': POSSIBLE CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION HAS MANATEE COUNTY NONPROFITS SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

Local nonprofits fear a provision under consideration in Manatee County to prohibit them from serving undocumented immigrants could jeopardize millions of dollars in funding, causing gaps in critical family services. 

Manatee County commissioners are expected to consider a plan to update funding agreements with nonprofits in response to a federal law that bars undocumented immigrants from receiving state and local benefits. 

Nonprofits that don’t comply would lose their county funding, which goes toward programs like early childhood development, adult shelters, dental services, sexual assault advocacy and drug addiction recovery. 

Reviving a proposal first pitched in September, commissioners contend taxpayer dollars are paying for services for those living in the country without authorization, but haven’t outlined any details about how nonprofits are expected to comply or whether they'll receive additional resources to do so.

Suncoast Searchlight and the Bradenton Herald spoke to leaders at five community nonprofits who all expressed concern and frustration with the proposal. Three asked to remain anonymous due to the political stakes.

They fear the ambiguity of the provision means that without additional support, they won’t have resources to verify the immigration status of everyone they serve – an extra step that could delay crucial help from reaching those in need.

If approved, the updated language would impact at least 86 organizations that receive more than $26 million annually from Manatee County Government.

FEELING OVERWHELMED BY MISINFORMATION ONLINE? SARASOTA PANEL SAYS SLOW DOWN

An Internet scammer posing as Taylor Swift to sell cookware sets. An audio clip of what appears to be then-President Joe Biden telling Democrats not to vote in the New Hampshire primary. Photos of President Donald Trump tussling with law enforcement during a court arraignment.  

All went viral. None were real. 

In an era of AI-generated deepfakes and algorithm-driven feeds, distinguishing fact from fiction has grown more difficult — and more important — than ever.

That reality drew dozens of residents to Selby Library last week for a community forum hosted by Suncoast Searchlight called “Asking Questions in a Noisy World.” The event focused on helping residents navigate an increasingly confusing digital information landscape.

For the first time, more Americans last year reported receiving their news from platforms like Facebook, YouTube and TikTok rather than from television broadcasts or traditional news websites. In an environment designed to capture attention and provoke emotion, half-truths often travel faster than corrections — and trust in journalism has fallen to historic lows.

“Each individual person now has the burden of saying: ‘Is that true? How do I know that’s true?’ And that’s exhausting and sometimes impossible,” said Joy Mayer, founder of Trusting News, a Sarasota-based national nonprofit organization that helps journalists earn trust with their audiences.

HOW NEW COLLEGE TURNED HOUSING DOLLARS INTO A FUND FOR ATHLETICS

At a time when New College of Florida faces a longstanding housing shortage for students, the school is planning to shift $2.5 million earmarked for dorms to instead fund a baseball field.

The move stems from a landmark National Collegiate Athletic Association settlement this summer allowing universities to pay student athletes.

After the NCAA settlement in June cleared the way for schools to begin sharing revenue directly with college athletes, universities across the country faced a new financial challenge: how to pay for it. In response, the Florida Board of Governors moved to temporarily allow universities to transfer “auxiliary” funds — money generated by student fees for operations like campus bookstores, dining and housing — into athletics. 

The rule change was designed to give schools with major athletic programs like the University of Florida, the University of South Florida and Florida State more flexibility to cover those new costs and remain nationally competitive in recruiting and retaining athletes.

Now, New College is invoking the rule change to divert money from its auxiliary housing fund to break ground on a baseball field as it seeks to build its athletics program. 

The move reflects its push to foreground athletics in its student offerings. At the same time, the school has sought to reshape itself as a conservative institution.

It also comes as the school faces an ongoing housing shortage after a 2023 mold outbreak in its historic I.M. Pei dormitories forced students into hotels, dorms on the nearby University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus and even briefly, portable trailers. 

COLD SNAP REVEALS GENEROSITY — AND GAPS — IN SARASOTA'S HOMELESSNESS SERVICES

During a recent record-breaking cold snap that saw temperatures plummet below freezing on some nights, Sarasota’s homeless population faced life-or-death decisions unheard of this far south in the Sunshine State.

Joe Reuth, executive director of local nonprofit Resurrection House, was there at 5 a.m. on those cold mornings, opening over three hours earlier than usual to ensure people were showered, fed and dressed for the cold.

“Compassion and caring is essential, especially in the cold weather,” Reuth said. “It’s the difference between life or death. When they come into our day center, they're literally cold to the bones, shaking, definitely in need of warmth and a hot beverage, and that's what we provide.”

The dangerously cold weather began in January when an Arctic air mass pushed deep into Florida, sending overnight temperatures across the Suncoast into the low 30s. Wind chills made it feel even colder — in the 20s at times — and scattered snow flurries were reported in parts of the region. 

In a place where average January and February lows hover in the mid-50s and freeze warnings are uncommon, multiple nights near or below freezing marked one of the most unusual stretches of winter in recent memory and posed acute danger for people living outdoors.

Those bone-chilling temperatures may be waning, but the struggles faced by people experiencing homelessness won’t melt away with them. 

WINDOW CLOSING TO ROLL BACK FLORIDA SB 180 HOME RULE LIMITS

The Florida Legislature has just days in the current session to kill controversial provisions in a state law limiting local jurisdictions from regulating growth. 

Senate Bill 180, which passed with nearly unanimous approval last year, limits cities and counties from advancing any measures deemed more “burdensome or restrictive” on development in the wake of major storms. The law spurred backlash from local governments that had spent months — in some cases years — crafting planning policies, only to see them struck down by the state. 

“When a local government doesn't have the ability to respond to things like hurricanes in a meaningful way, we just continue to make the same mistakes,” said Kim Dinkins, the Policy and Planning Director of 1000 Friends of Florida, an advocacy organization focusing on growth management and conservation that has sought to reverse parts of SB 180.

In Manatee County, where voters elected a slate of commissioners in 2024 who ran on a platform of curbing sprawl, SB 180 had immediate impacts. When commissioners advanced measures to restore wetlands protections and raise impact fees on developers, the Florida Department of Commerce threatened litigation. 

Citing fears that Gov. Ron DeSantis would remove them from office, commissioners backed off.

Now, the state Senate has passed a bill largely reversing that preemption on local planning. But the Florida House of Representatives has not moved on a companion bill — with the end of the legislative session looming. 

Dinkins spoke with Suncoast Searchlight this week about the group’s efforts to overturn aspects of SB 180 and how the law has impacted local governments.

SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT HIRES VETERAN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST JOHN DUNBAR

Suncoast Searchlight is pleased to announce that veteran investigative journalist John Dunbar will join the newsroom as its newest watchdog/investigative reporter.

Dunbar brings more than 25 years of experience as an investigative reporter and editor, including 15 years at the nonprofit, award-winning Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., where he ultimately served as CEO. During his tenure, the organization won numerous national honors, including a Pulitzer Prize for its work on the Panama Papers project.

Over the course of his career, Dunbar has written, edited and managed major projects on the influence of money in politics, on financial regulation and on government accountability. Most recently, Dunbar served as executive editor of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, where he led statewide investigative efforts and newsroom training initiatives.

Earlier in his career, he worked at Bloomberg Industry Group, The Associated Press in Washington, D.C., and, closer to home, The Florida Times-Union.

In a statement, Dunbar reflected on the role of nonprofit journalism in a time of political division and shrinking local newsrooms: "I don't know that there is a perfect journalism model out there, but I'm pretty certain ... the staff and the board at Suncoast Searchlight have got something special going on here, and I am incredibly honored to be a part of it."

JUDGE REJECTS CHALLENGE TO CONTROVERSIAL SIESTA KEY LAND SWAP

A judge this week rejected a last-ditch effort to unwind a controversial Siesta Key land deal, clearing the way for a home to be built on property the county once bought to preserve.

The legal challenge, filed in December by Lourdes Ramirez of the nonprofit Protect Siesta Key, sought to block a key provision in a settlement between Sarasota County and Siesta Key businessman Michael Holderness. 

Under that agreement, the county would trade its preservation parcel at 162 Beach Road — valued at $2.8 million — for Holderness’ four beachfront lots valued at less than $100,000 combined. The deal also would let Holderness build a 5,000-square-foot house on the county-owned lot despite the county having denied similar requests when the land was privately owned; that’s because it sits behind a coastal setback line. 

The agreement was made to end a federal lawsuit Holderness had filed against the county over property rights tied to his four beachfront parcels near Beach Access 3. In that case, he argued that public beach access signage near his property invited trespassers and that the county infringed on his rights as a waterfront land owner. 

By trading those parcels to the county, he said, they would become a part of the public beach. In exchange, he would get a lot on which he could build a house.

But Ramirez and other petitioners argued the county had no legal authority to give up land it bought for preservation and allow a house to be built. 

Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll ruled Tuesday that Ramirez and the other plaintiffs did not have legal standing to challenge the county’s decision.

FLORIDA BILL WOULD LET HOMEOWNERS RECALL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT BOARDS

A new bill in the Florida Senate would add more homeowner protections and oversight to the boards that control governing decisions within community development districts across the state.

The proposed reform would add provisions that allow homeowners living in these districts to organize recall elections to remove members of the governing bodies over grounds like malfeasance, neglect, incompetence, a felony conviction or the inability to perform official duties. 

But the bill does not allow these communities to recall the initial board members appointed by the real estate developer, who often maintain control over spending decisions and district governance for decades with little oversight and no homeowner input.

“I would have probably had a hard time moving it forward if we started messing around with that,” said Sen. Kristen Arrington (D-Kissimmee), who sponsored the measure.

The legislation comes in response to a group of residents upset with how their CDD has been run in Osceola County – and no current resource to oust the board members they believe are responsible for a series of alleged misdeeds, including embezzlement and public records violations.

It also follows months of ongoing reporting by Suncoast Searchlight, which published the “Power and Profit” series last year exposing how real estate developers are reshaping Florida’s housing market through the unchecked proliferation of these independent special districts.

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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