Weekly Newsletter

Friday, Oct. 24, 2025

Thank you for subscribing to Suncoast Searchlight's newsletter.

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.

Enjoying this newsletter thanks to a friend? Subscribe here to get it in your inbox. 📬

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

INSIDE THE MANATEE CASINO CASE THAT NAMED 1-800-ASK-GARY FOUNDER AND WENT NOWHERE

When Manatee County Sheriff’s deputies raided the Spin Fun Arcade two years ago this month, they believed they were shutting down one of the county’s more blatant illegal gambling dens.

Perched along U.S. 41 in a busy Bradenton strip mall, the arcade’s darkened windows were wrapped with images of floating dollar bills, mounds of gold and the word “jackpot” in bold letters — advertising that left little mystery about what awaited inside.

Deputies hauled away nearly a hundred slot-style machines, many stamped with the Bally logo used in licensed casinos, and seized tens of thousands of dollars in cash. The investigation file included surveillance video, payout tickets and a sworn statement describing cash prizes exchanged openly at the counter.

The man they alleged was behind it all wasn’t an obscure operator but Gary Kompothecras — the well-known Sarasota businessman behind the 1-800-ASK-GARY lawyer referral network, political donor to governors and state attorneys alike, and financier of the MTV reality show Siesta Key.

Deputies said Kompothecras owned the building, controlled the cash flow and profited from the arcade’s illegal operation, according to pages of investigative documents obtained by Suncoast Searchlight and Bradenton Herald. Yet within months of the bust, the same storefront was back open for business.

No one, including Kompothecras, was ever arrested or charged.

The Spin Fun case highlights the challenges local authorities face in enforcing Florida’s gambling laws. Even when investigators conduct raids and document what they believe to be illegal gaming activity, prosecutions may not follow, and businesses can resume operations, often in the same location as before.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

CHARTER FILING AT SARASOTA'S OAK PARK RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT SPECIAL-NEEDS SERVICES

When one of Florida’s largest charter school networks set its sights on Oak Park School — Sarasota County’s only K-12 campus dedicated to students with disabilities — it brought the state’s charter-school push into one of public education’s most sensitive spaces.

Miami-based Mater Academy filed notices this month to open new charter schools on several of Sarasota County Schools’ underused public campuses — including Oak Park, Emma E. Booker Elementary and Brookside Middle — under Florida’s newly expanded and controversial “Schools of Hope” law.

The filings do not mean Oak Park’s existing students would be displaced. But they raise a pressing question for families and educators alike about how a charter operating alongside a school that serves children with complex needs would handle its own obligations to such students. And whether charters are equipped, or even willing, to meet the same legal obligations as traditional public schools.

This is the question that cuts to the heart of equity in public education, said Jennifer Coco, interim executive director of the Center for Learner Equity. 

“Charter schools are public schools, and public schools have to educate kids with disabilities, they have to be prepared to meet the full array of needs for kids with disabilities,” she said. “Kids with disabilities have a highly individualized right to educational services that would provide them a free, appropriate public education — that's just non-negotiable — and all charters need to be prepared to do that.” 

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

SARASOTA SHERIFF CASHES IN ON ICE CRACKDOWN

As the federal government intensifies its immigration crackdown, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has emerged as one of the Suncoast’s most active partners with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In recent months, Sheriff Kurt Hoffman’s deputies have patrolled the Everglades immigration jail known as “Alligator Alcatraz” and shuttled immigrants between detention facilities in Florida, earning more than $280,000 in state funding for the work. Meanwhile, the number of ICE detainers — which keep people up to 48 hours past their release date for possible detention and deportation — have quadrupled this past year inside the already crowded county jail.

Sarasota County’s ICE activity stands in sharp contrast to neighboring agencies. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has not sent deputies to Alligator Alcatraz or transported immigrants for ICE, according to a spokesperson. And while North Port sought state reimbursements, its request was only a third the size of Sarasota’s.

The county’s growing role comes as Florida positions itself as a testing ground for aggressive, state-backed immigration enforcement — with cash incentives for local agencies and expanded powers under a federal program called 287(g).

The initiative, named for a section of federal immigration law, authorizes local police and sheriff’s deputies to perform duties typically reserved for ICE agents, including making civil immigration arrests on the streets and holding people inside jails in coordination with the federal agency.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT KICKS OFF SERIES WITH FORMER NEW YORK TIMES CHIEF DEAN BAQUET

Suncoast Searchlight is launching a new series of community engagement events aimed at deepening public understanding of the media industry and connecting residents with the journalists who serve them.

The series, called The Searchlight Series, is presented in collaboration with Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

The inaugural event will take place Nov. 13 at the Sarasota Garden Club with one of journalism’s most respected figures at the helm — Dean Baquet, former executive editor of The New York Times and now head of the Times’ Local Investigative Fellowship program. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m., and the program will begin promptly at 11. The event is free to attend, but seating is limited and registration is required.

Baquet will be interviewed by Emily Le Coz, executive editor-in-chief of Suncoast Searchlight, about the shifting media landscape, the rise of nonprofit newsrooms and how national efforts — including the Times’ fellowship program — are helping to rebuild local investigative reporting.

“It is important to the news industry — and to the country — that local newsrooms survive and thrive,” Baquet said. “Deep, local, independent investigative reporting about government and business is the most important journalism.”



Reserve a seat here

HERE'S WHAT ELSE WE RECOMMEND READING THIS WEEK

DUELING NARRATIVES ABOUT NEW COLLEGE STATS IN THE SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE OPINION PAGES

• NEW COLLEGE OF FLORIDA ISN'T SURGING. IT'S SINKING: New College of Florida's recent claims about “surging programs” is an illustration of modern political communications: the words aren’t false, but the story isn’t true. - Nathan Allen is a New College of Florida alumnus. He served as New College's vice president of strategy and special projects in 2023 and 2024. READ THE OPINION PIECE HERE

• NEW COLLEGE OF FLORIDA MOVING ONWARD AND UPWARD: The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan liked to quip that “everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own facts.” - David Allen Harvey is a history professor and chair of the faculty at New College of Florida. READ THE OPINION PIECE HERE

BRADENTON FATHER OF TWO RETURNS HOME FROM ICE DETENTION

FROM WSLR

Eddy Macario has returned home to Bradenton after being released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention and spared an order of removal to Guatemala, reuniting with his family at a time when his wife, Benita Cantero — mother of their two children — remains seriously ill and unable to work. A Guatemalan national, Macario was arrested in May for a minor traffic infraction and transferred to ICE custody. At his final hearing on Oct. 1, the judge considered Benita’s grave health crisis — she needs a liver transplant and lost her income — and signed a one-page release order shortly thereafter, allowing Macario’s return.

READ THE STORY HERE

SARASOTA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DENY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT NEAR CELERY FIELDS

FROM ABC7

Sarasota County commissioners rejected a proposal from developer D.R. Horton to build 85 homes on the Smith Farm property next to the Celery Fields and its renowned bird sanctuary, citing flooding risks, environmental concerns and a desire to preserve the area’s wildlife. The plan — a scaled-down version of a previously denied 126-home project — would have set aside more than 45% of the land as open space, but residents filled the meeting to urge commissioners to vote no, arguing the development conflicted with promises of “responsible growth” and threatened the natural habitat that draws thousands of bird-watchers each year.

READ/VIEW THE STORY HERE

RECORD-BREAKING SEA TURTLE NESTING SEASON ON ANNA MARIA ISLAND

FROM PULSE OF MANATEE

As turtle nesting season winds down, local conservationists are celebrating a record-breaking year for green sea turtles and another strong showing for loggerheads along Anna Maria Island’s beaches. According to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, 2025 marked the highest number of green sea turtle nests ever recorded on the island. Sixteen nests were documented this season—up from the previous record of twelve—representing roughly a 33% increase. All but one of those nests successfully hatched, producing an estimated 1,225 baby green turtles that made their way to the Gulf of Mexico.

READ THE STORY HERE

GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE WILL REMAIN THE NAME OF LONGBOAT'S MAIN ROAD

FROM LONGBOAT OBSERVER

On Longboat Key, the Town Commission voted unanimously to keep the name Gulf of Mexico Drive, rejecting a proposal to rename it after the state’s controversial decision to rebrand the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” More than 500 residents signed a petition opposing the change, and about 80% of those surveyed said they wanted to keep the current name. Town officials said renaming the road would cause confusion and expense, and their attorney clarified that the state law applies only to water bodies, not roads.

READ THE STORY HERE

STUDY LINKS TOXIC ALGAE IN INDIAN RIVER LAGOON TO DEMENTIA IN DOLPHIN BRAINS

FROM WUSF

A recent study found that dolphins stranded in the Indian River Lagoon during warmer months had neurotoxin levels nearly 3,000 times higher in their brains compared with those stranded in non-bloom season, and those elevated toxin levels were linked to Alzheimer’s-like brain changes. Researchers point to harmful algal blooms — fueled by warm water and excess nutrients — as a possible factor accelerating neurodegeneration in these marine mammals. While the study shows a strong correlation, it does not establish that the toxin causes the brain changes, and scientists say it’s too early to draw direct implications for human health.

READ THE STORY HERE

ANGER IN SARASOTA AS DISTRICT UNVEILS PLANS TO MERGE SCHOOLS

FROM WUSF

Sarasota County Schools’ newly revealed plan to merge Suncoast Polytechnical High School into the under-utilised Brookside Middle School campus (currently at 45% capacity) as a strategy to stave off state-mandated charter school “Schools of Hope” takeovers has ignited fierce backlash — with hundreds of parents and students packed into a Monday meeting shouting “No!”, arguing the move threatens Suncoast’s specialized programs and identity while failing to truly solve Brookside’s challenges. U.S. News and World Report ranks Suncoast Poly as the No. 2 high school in Sarasota County, after Pine View, and No. 31 in Florida.

READ THE STORY HERE

'CRITICALLY HAZARDOUS FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS': RESIDENTS AIM TO END EARLY BOARD MEETINGS

FROM VENICE GONDOLIER

Residents packed the Sarasota County School Board meeting Tuesday to protest a controversial decision to move future meetings to 10 a.m. — a change critics say shuts out working parents, teachers and students from participating in public discussions. The new schedule, approved by a board majority last month, drew a standing-room-only crowd, with some attendees forced to wait outside in the heat for their turn to speak. Frustrations mounted further when the meeting was paused midday for a private session, prompting chants from the audience. Students and parents denounced the time change as “tone-deaf” and “critically hazardous” to public engagement, while dissenting board members called for policies to make it easier for students and educators to attend.

READ THE STORY HERE

TOP NATIONAL AND STATE OFFICIALS VISIT THE SUNCOAST THIS WEEK

• HOMELAND SECURITY'S KRISTI NOEM HIGHLIGHT'S ICE ARRETS DURING BRADENTON VISIT: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem used a visit to Bradenton on Monday to highlight recent arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to praise Florida law enforcement for cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts. READ THE STORY HERE

• DESANTIS ANNOUNCES $300 AUTO REBATE DURING SARASOTA VISIT: Gov. Ron DeSantis made a quick appearance in Sarasota Wednesday morning to announce nearly $1 billion in rebate credits for customers of Progressive Auto Insurance in Florida. READ THE STORY HERE

DID YOU MISS OUR PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER?

HERE'S WHAT WE SHARED:

MOST SUNCOAST LAWMAKERS QUIET AS CHARTER SCHOOL EXPANSION FUELS LOCAL UPHEAVAL

The same Suncoast lawmakers who voted earlier this year to let charter schools move into underused public campuses have stayed quiet as a Miami-based charter operator’s early push to occupy local schools set off confusion and concern among parents and educators.

Mater Academy, one of Florida’s largest charter school networks, filed notices last week to co-locate inside five Sarasota and Manatee county schools — part of a broader wave of early filings across the state that districts say were submitted prematurely. According to officials, charter operators must wait until Nov. 11 to submit a notice.

The filings were made under Florida’s “Schools of Hope” law, which allows charter operators to move into existing public schools with unused space, regardless of academic performance. When that happens, districts must continue paying for utilities, busing, custodial services and even meals for the new charter students — all at no cost to the charter operator.

Suncoast Searchlight called, texted and emailed lawmakers and their aides for a week. But nearly all declined to answer questions about the measure or its local implications.

Those who did respond offered little clarity.

WHEN YOU GOTTA GO ... DON'T GO TO SARASOTA CITY HALL

Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now? 

If you’re inside Sarasota’s City Hall building, better hope you can hold it. 

For more than a year, the city’s first-floor bathrooms have been out of order — and for months now, every toilet in the historic building has been shut down as crews rip out and replace its crumbling plumbing. 

The $1.2 million fix has forced city employees, commissioners and visitors to make do with outdoor restroom trailers, a walk to the annex next door or a trek across the street, turning a basic human need into a daily inconvenience — and a smelly symbol of how long-overdue maintenance can hit people right where it hurts: the potties.

Last July, officials grew wary about City Hall’s aging pipes when plumbing stopped working properly, forcing the first floor bathrooms to close. When construction began on the bathrooms in August, officials worried about possible water line ruptures and closed the second floor bathrooms.

‘HOSTILE TAKEOVER': CHARTER OPERATOR FILES TO OCCUPY 3 SARASOTA SCHOOLS

Mater Academy Inc., a Miami-based charter school operator, has submitted notices to occupy three Sarasota County public school campuses, marking a sharp local escalation of the state’s newly expanded “Schools of Hope” law, which allows charters to take over public school facilities.



The notices, submitted early Wednesday, target Brookside Middle, Emma E. Booker Elementary and Oak Park School, a K-12 campus that serves students with disabilities. They are among similar notices sent to school districts statewide this week, according to Sarasota County Schools officials.

“We have significant concerns about the impact these proposals would have on students, staff, and programs currently in place at these schools,” said Sarasota County Schools Superintendent Terry Connor. “These are established district-operated campuses that serve important roles in their communities.”

GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY EXPERT DAVID CUILLIER ON ICE 'CLOAK OF SECRECY'

Masked federal agents descending on city streets. Elected officials denied access to detention centers. Scores arrested without a trace.

As President Donald Trump pursues his plan of deporting immigrants at a massive scale, the federal agency tasked with rolling out the policy — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — is limiting access to information about its extensive operations in Florida and across the country.

“We have to sound the alarm and let everybody know that this is a threat to democracy,” said David Cuillier, a scholar whose work has focused on journalism and government transparency.

A member of the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee, Cuillier has worked as a newspaper journalist and currently serves as director of the University of Florida’s Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project. He described ICE’s efforts to shield its operations from public view as an alarming trend.

“Everybody needs to voice their concern about this,” Cuillier said. Suncoast Searchlight spoke with Cuillier about government secrecy in immigration enforcement — and why it should alarm noncitizens and citizens alike.

DESOTO MEMORIAL WEIGHS OFFERS FROM MAJOR HEALTH SYSTEMS AS CHALLENGES MOUNT

Facing a challenging and uncertain financial landscape for rural hospitals, the DeSoto Memorial Hospital board voted Thursday night to hear presentations on three competing proposals for the institution’s future.

The options include a 49-year lease to Tampa General Hospital for an investment of $45 million over five years and rent of $10 per year; a sale to AdventHealth, one of the nation’s largest health care systems, for about $52 million; or a management services agreement with NorthStar Hospitals Inc., a health care management and investment company based in Andover, Massachusetts, with an undisclosed capital commitment.

All three organizations would commit to keeping the 49-bed hospital in the community and retaining staff who meet professional criteria. Presentations from the organizations will occur in a public meeting on a date to be determined by hospital administrators.

AS DEPORTATIONS RISE, SUNCOAST THEATER GIVES VOICE TO IMMIGRANT FEARS AND HOPES

Perla Avalos, 46, stood at a music stand in a small rehearsal room, practicing lines from a monologue of a local immigrant woman.

Reading through round tortoise shell glasses, Avalos took on the voice of a woman whose son had been charged with a DUI after a party and subsequently detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Since then, he’d been transferred to ICE facilities in Texas and Colorado. Despite him being a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient, the woman feared her son would be deported to Mexico.

“En este momento no tenemos esperanzas de que salga,” Avalos recited. We currently have no hope for his release.

Voces de Inmigración 2 is a production of CreArte Latino Cultural Center that features true stories of immigrants living in the Suncoast.



GOT A TIP OR STORY IDEA?

Share your tips and story ideas using our online form. Your name and contact info will be kept confidential.

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