Weekly Newsletter

Friday, Jan. 23, 2026

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:

A DOWNTOWN SARASOTA CONDO PROMISED HOUSING. THEN IT WAS MARKETED LIKE A HOTEL

For more than a year, a proposed 18-story, glass-and-concrete tower in Sarasota moved through the city’s review process as a residential development that would bring nearly 300 condo units to a modest lot downtown. That’s four times more than city codes would normally allow. 

In exchange for the extra density, the developers promised 40 of those units would be below market-rate. It was a trade-off that city officials and early supporters of the project believed would add much-needed, affordable housing to the city’s urban core.

Then the marketing materials appeared.

Billing itself as “the first new luxury high-rise residences in downtown Sarasota with three-day minimum rental freedom,” Saravela promotes an onsite rental program to help owners offer their units for short-term stays — a detail that had not been disclosed to city officials during the project’s review.

For some, that came as a shock.

“Never in our wildest imagination did we think that the Saravela would be turned into some sort of hotel or Airbnb factory, which will add materially to the traffic in that part of Sarasota,” downtown resident Peter Blanton wrote to a city commissioner in early December.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT & BRADENTON HERALD:

'OUR RESPONSIBILITY.' MANATEE SUPERINTENDENT USHERS CHANGE AFTER MISCONDUCT INVESTIGATION

The Manatee County School District has implemented new teacher training and reinforced hiring practices following a Suncoast Searchlight and Bradenton Herald investigation into staff misconduct toward students.

At least a dozen incidents during the past two years have sparked arrests, costly lawsuits and outcry from parents who contend the administration did not do enough to protect students. The newsrooms’ joint investigation found the district overlooked potential red flags in job applications, either missed or ignored early warnings of inappropriate behavior and, in recent years, skipped Title IX training for proper sexual harassment reporting. 

The day before the investigation was published in December, district staff sent a mass alert to parents across the county emphasizing its work to make students safer. Once the story was published, district leaders then circulated the article to top brass in the school system, emphasizing the priority on fixes. 

During a follow-up interview with reporters in January, Superintendent Laurie Breslin said that while many of the cases outlined in the investigation occurred before she took the helm in September, she acknowledged that more could be done and vowed “immediate improvement.”

“We took a closer look after the article, and we implemented training in January required for all school and district leadership,” Breslin said. “Any time that we see anything in the press that shows a need for reflection and or a need for improvement, it’s our responsibility to take a look at that and have an important conversation on what we can do as an organization to do better.”

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

AFTER SARASOTA SCHOOLS' ICE VOTE, QUESTIONS REMAIN ABOUT ENFORCEMENT ON CAMPUSES

Throngs of students, parents and community members crowded around the School Board of Sarasota County building on Tuesday morning, forming a line so long that many could not get a seat in the meeting happening inside. 

More than 100 people signed up to speak, while hundreds more protested outside, carrying signs denouncing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Sarasota School Board Chair Bridget Ziegler, who proposed a resolution calling for full cooperation with the federal agency inside public schools. 

Despite the outcry, board members voted 3 to 2 to pass the measure, committing to “full cooperation and collaboration” with ICE and stating that the school board will not raise “additional barriers, policies or directives” that could “hinder or delay lawful law enforcement actions on school property.” 

Speakers overwhelmingly decried the resolution and shared fears of scenes from places like Minneapolis – of masked agents breaking into cars and homes – taking place in the Sarasota public schools. 

The tension surrounding the nearly 7-hour school board meeting highlights how the national immigration crackdown has sowed mistrust between local communities and federal law enforcement – even in a deep red county like Sarasota. It also introduced thorny legal questions about the role of public schools in maintaining a safe learning environment while collaborating with federal police who have ramped up deportation efforts this year.

As it stands, the school district’s current protocols for handling possible visits from ICE – or local law enforcement with immigration enforcement powers – are unclear.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

'FROM TIP TO TRUTH' DRAWS CROWD FOR INSIDE LOOK AT INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING

How do you decide if a lead is worth chasing?

What special tools or resources do you use when investigating stories?

Can you share a time you got blowback for your reporting and what you did about it?

Suncoast Searchlight journalists answered these and other questions during a one-hour event designed to take readers inside the reporting process, explain how investigative decisions are made and create space for open conversation between journalists and the communities they serve. 

“From Tip to Truth: How Investigative Reporting Takes Shape” was the third in Suncoast Searchlight’s ongoing series of community engagement events sponsored by Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The series is built around the idea that accountability journalism is better understood — and trusted — when reporters are visible and transparent about their work. 

The event, held at Manatee Community Foundation in Bradenton, drew a crowd of about 40 people. Attendees heard from journalists Josh Salman and Alice Herman, who shared examples from their reporting and walked through how stories evolve.

“I think about the stakes and I think about whether the story will be useful to people,” said Herman, an investigative/watchdog reporter in response to the question about deciding whether a lead is worth chasing.

HERE'S WHAT ELSE WE RECOMMEND READING THIS WEEK

CENTERSTONE SENT CRIMINALS TO UNLICENSED FLORIDA GROUP HOME. THE RESULT WAS MURDER

FROM SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE

Centerstone of Florida – a behavioral health hospital in Bradenton that has received over $100 million in state and local taxpayer money since 2020 – continues to send mentally ill defendants incapable of understanding the legal system to reside at an unlicensed group home despite a string of troubling incidents, including an overdose death and a suicide attempt. It is a felony to operate an unlicensed group home and a felony to knowingly send patients there.

READ THE STORY HERE

FLORIDA'S 2026 SESSION SEES 'BUMPER CROP' OF OPEN GOVERNMENT BILLS, BUT WILL THEY CLOSE MORE DOORS?

FROM FLORIDA TRIDENT

This year there are roughly 40 proposals before the Florida Legislature seeking to create exemptions to public records. Historically, the state has been considered a national leader in making its system of government accessible to its citizens — but no more. Open government advocates are dismayed by the many new attempts at whittling down the state’s transparency. “The sheer number is remarkable,” says Caroline Klancke, executive director of the Florida Ethics Institute. “This is a spectacular number of potential exemptions that – even when well-intentioned, diminish the public’s right of access that is enshrined in our Constitution.”

READ THE STORY HERE

IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IS CHILLING FLORIDA'S K-12 ENROLLMENT

FROM WUSF

The state's most recent estimate for K-12 enrollment dropped by more than 46,000 students. The report says it's most likely because of immigration policies. While enrollment overall is still growing, the report states that the lower estimate "signals that the universe of K-12 enrollment is atypically contracting" and that the most likely reason is "related to the chilling effects from recently implemented immigration policies." An explanation the report pointed to is the decrease of 17,312 students who are learning English as their second language (ESOL).

READ THE STORY HERE

ARCHITECTURE SARASOTA WINS COUNTY COMMISSION APPROVAL TO PURCHASE ITS HISTORIC HOME IN DOWNTOWN SARASOTA

FROM SARASOTA NEWS LEADER

On a 4–1 vote, the Sarasota County Commission directed staff to negotiate the sale of the county-owned historic Scott Building at 261 S. Orange Ave. to the nonprofit Architecture Sarasota, which has long occupied the property as its headquarters and offered $2.5 million in cash based on an appraisal it secured. While two other appraisals valued the downtown property higher, most commissioners said the building’s historic significance — it is listed on both the National and Sarasota County registers of historic places and is a notable example of the Sarasota School of Architecture — outweighed concerns about price, with supporters citing the nonprofit’s past $1 million investment in restoring the structure and its pledge to preserve and keep it accessible to the public.

READ THE STORY HERE

SEE A MAP OF THE COASTAL TAMPA BAY LAND THAT COULD BECOME A CRUISE PORT

FROM TAMPA BAY TIMES

A landowner and cruise company wanting to develop more than 300 acres of coastal, mangrove-covered land into a major cruise port terminal began early talks with Manatee County last week, according to records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times. It’s typical for developers to consult with county planning officials as they move through the government process, and the initial correspondence from Slip Knott’s consulting firm shed some early light on a proposal that has already attracted sweeping attention despite its lack of specifics.

READ THE STORY HERE

BILL TO RESTRUCTURE MANATEE COUNTY PORT AUTHORITY AS INDEPENDENT SPECIAL DISTRICT REACHES FIRST COMMITTEE

FROM THE BRADENTON TIMES

A bill that would revise the 2003 charter for the Manatee County Port Authority has begun moving through its assigned House committees. HB 4073, sponsored by Florida Rep. Bill Conerly (District 72), would convert the local Port Authority from a dependent special district under the oversight of the Manatee County Commission to an independent special district with most authority members appointed by the governor.

READ THE STORY HERE

THIS REVEREND WAS INSPIRED BY MLK AT 12. HE NOW REENACTS KING'S FAMOUS SPEECHES

FROM WUSF

Martin Luther King Jr. will forever be remembered as a man whose words held immense power to change the world. He was the epitome of the phrase "The pen is mightier than the sword." His fight for justice and championing racial equality made him a major leader in the Civil Rights Movement. The Georgia-born activist was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Decades later, he is still honored for his contributions and has inspired generations of people in their own life journeys. One of those is Rev. Charles McKenzie. He spends his time at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota helping bring Dr. King's teachings to life through speech reenactments.

READ/HEAR THE STORY HERE

IS GROWTH DRAINING MANATEE'S DRINKING WATER? OFFICIALS LOOK TO TAP NEW SOURCES

FROM BRADENTON HERALD

As new development and population growth increase demand on Manatee County’s drinking water supply, officials say they’ll soon have to tap new sources to keep up. At a recent meeting, staff told commissioners that Manatee County’s water demand could exceed supplies in just a decade — sooner than previously expected. Currently, potable water for unincorporated Manatee County comes from two places — the Lake Manatee Reservoir and from wells in eastern Manatee County. But as the population balloons with tens of thousands of new residents, Manatee County could go from a surplus of drinking water to a deficit by 2036, forcing officials to buy water from another source.

READ THE STORY HERE

'OUR NUMBERS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING': SUNCOAST FOOD PANTRY PREDICTS A BUSY 2026

FROM ABC7

It’s been about two months since the government shutdown ended, which impacted thousands of people, including local food drives. Now, the Sarasota food pantry, Harvest House, is gearing up for a new year and anticipating a busy year. “Last year was a different type of year. The increase of need was difficult for a lot of families and for food pantries,” said Harvest House Food Pantry Manager Eureka Webb. Webb said in 2024, Harvest House would get about 577 people, but in 2025, they were seeing close to 850 people. A significant increase she believes will continue this year.

READ/WATCH THE STORY HERE

POLITICAL POWER COUPLE BUYS SARASOTA CONDO

FROM THE OBSERVER

Political commentator and adviser James Carville and his White House staffer wife, Mary Matalin, are the new owners of a home in Sarasota, property records show. The power couple known for their views on the left (Carville) and on the right (Matalin) in early January closed on a unit in The Condominium on the Bay, along Boulevard of the Arts.

READ THE STORY HERE



DID YOU MISS OUR PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER?

HERE'S WHAT WE SHARED:

SARASOTA WOMAN DEFRAUDED AS IMMIGRATION SCAMS RISE NATIONWIDE

A year after Fabiola crossed the border into the United States, the 33-year-old asylum seeker sent a message to the man she had hired to represent her in immigration court, inquiring about the status of her case. 

In response, she received an angry voice message.

“You know very well that I assisted you in your asylum case,” the man snapped in Spanish during the March 2025 recording. “You are a person who is, let me just say, very ungrateful.” 

Fabiola, a southern Sarasota County resident who requested Suncoast Searchlight withhold her last name for fear of being targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), listened in disbelief. What kind of legal professional would berate his own client? 

As it turned out, “Benjamin Gonzales,” who claimed to specialize in immigration law and boasted of high-level contacts in the U.S. federal government, may not have been a lawyer at all. 

Amid President Donald Trump’s broad crackdown on immigration, attorneys warn that scams targeting vulnerable immigrants with promises of quick access to a secure future in the country are on the rise.

FLORIDA BILL WOULD GIVE BENDERSON DEVELOPMENT ITS OWN TAXING DISTRICT AT UTC

A new bill in the Florida House would turn the University Town Center into a special government district and give one of the region’s most influential developers the power to set specific rules and levy new taxes.

House Bill 4091, introduced last week by State Rep. Bill Conerly, R-Lakewood Ranch, would give the largest private landowner in the district — Manatee County-headquartered Benderson Development Co. — its own local government to finance and oversee future expansions of the shopping hub, largely composed of commercial retail around the mall and rowing park.

The inclusion of Nathan Benderson Park in the special district, combined with the broad powers the new district would wield in an area that spans both Sarasota and Manatee counties, has raised concerns from a former assistant county attorney and at least one county commissioner.

Sarasota Commissioner Tom Knight raised the issue at a meeting on Tuesday, saying he didn’t understand the bill or how it impacts Sarasota County.

Even as the Sarasota County Commission cannot influence the outcome of the proposed legislation, Knight noted there’s nothing in the bill’s vague language that requires the new district to coordinate with other local governments.

“Something I noticed in the bill that would be missing is the cooperation between this new body – this new area that's being designated in two counties – and how that would affect us with public safety, our Phillippi Creek drainage system, and how that all will come together," Knight said.

GRAN PARADISO'S WATER WAR ENDS, BUT FALLOUT LANDS ON FORMER DIRECTORS

A three-year legal saga between residents of Gran Paradiso and their developer-controlled government has ended — resolving a fight over irrigation water rates that divided the upscale neighborhood and exposed the power imbalance between homeowners and special-purpose districts that control essential services.

The dispute escalated last year when the West Villages Improvement District shut off irrigation to the neighborhood altogether, browning lawns and water-starving plants as the lawsuit dragged on and a trial date loomed.

But the settlement, which was approved in November, came with some stark conditions.

Under the agreement, Gran Paradiso homeowners agreed to surrender their lawsuit, waive legal protections for directors who challenged the district and silence future criticism in exchange for the district supporting restoration of water service with no guarantee Gran Paradiso will have irrigation anytime soon — terms critics describe as punitive and retaliatory.

Gran Paradiso may also have to transfer a valuable piece of property to the West Villages Improvement District or make a large monetary payment to cover some of the district's legal bills racked up in the dispute, according to written statements to residents.

Six current and former board members of the Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association are excluded from the settlement, leaving them exposed to future lawsuits from the master developer over their criticism of its handling of the negotiations.



SARASOTA MAYOR ACCUSED OF VIOLATING FIRST AMENDMENT BY CUTTING OFF SPEAKERS

The Sarasota City Commission ushered in the New Year facing complaints from residents who said the mayor violated citizens’ First Amendment rights during its first meeting of 2026.

Mayor Debbie Trice twice interrupted speakers during the public input portion of the Commission’s Jan. 5 meeting, warning them that they could not make “personal attacks” or refer to individual commissioners by name and insisting they were required to address the commission only as a body. In another exchange, she threatened to remove a speaker after he continued talking past his time limit. 

Trice, who began her one-year term as mayor in November, defended her actions in an interview with Suncoast Searchlight, saying she was trying to enforce proper decorum and exercise her own judgment about what is appropriate in public meetings. 

But First Amendment experts said that her approach could chill public participation and leave Sarasota vulnerable to costly lawsuits. 

“It’s bullshit and unconstitutional,” said Bobby Block, executive director of Florida’s First Amendment Foundation, after Searchlight shared Trice’s rationale for cutting off speakers.



THE TALLY: WHAT WE KNOW — AND DON'T KNOW — ABOUT SUNCOAST TEACHER VACANCIES

Teacher shortages have shaped classrooms across Florida in recent years, forcing districts to rely on out-of-field teachers, long-term substitutes and other stopgap measures — especially in hard-to-staff areas like special education.

State officials say the situation is improving. The Florida Department of Education announced last summer that teacher vacancies had dropped 18% from the previous school year, suggesting the worst of the staffing crunch may have passed.

But when a reporter requested detailed, district-by-district vacancy data to understand where shortages persist, the state did not provide it. Instead, the department supplied links to general reports on high-demand teaching areas, leaving key questions about local conditions unanswered.

Data compiled by Florida’s largest school employee union offer a partial picture. An analysis shows teacher vacancies across the state have declined recently, but gaps remain — and limitations in the data make it difficult to compare districts or identify where shortages are most acute and how they are affecting students and classrooms.

Even with recent declines, more than 2,800 teaching positions remained unfilled statewide this year, with needs varying widely by district, school and subject area.

Here’s what we know — and don’t know — about teacher vacancies in the Suncoast and across Florida, and what those gaps mean for students, teachers and school staff.



SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT LAUNCHES 'PUBLIC RECORDS WATCH'

Suncoast Searchlight is launching a new feature called Public Records Watch to take readers behind the scenes of an important — and often invisible — aspect of our reporting. Through this occasional series, we will highlight some of the government records we’re seeking or have obtained and explain why they matter. 

Public records are the backbone of accountability reporting. They help journalists verify facts, uncover information that sources might not otherwise readily provide and can show how decisions are made by people in power. Yet journalists often spend little time, if at all, explaining to readers the process of requesting and negotiating for public records. 

Many of Suncoast Searchlight’s most important stories begin with a public records request. Sometimes we file requests seeking records to confirm a tip we have received. Or we want to verify the accuracy of information provided to us by a source. Other times, we request records to view the underlying documents upon which government officials made decisions — or we want to see the internal communications between officials that led to the decisions being made. 

Whatever the reason for our request, access to public records is essential to our job.

Read our first two Public Records Watch entries:

• Emails show public dismay about Karen Rose school board appointment

• AG’s Office charges $7K for “Combat Violent Extremism Portal” submissions

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