Weekly Newsletter

Friday, Sept. 5, 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:

PRIVATIZATION PUSH EMERGES AT NEW COLLEGE AS EX-INSIDER BREAKS WITH DESANTIS ALLIES

A former senior member of New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran’s administration is leading a push to privatize the institution — a dramatic turn for a conservative insider once tapped to help carry out Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ideological overhaul of the Sarasota-based school. 

Nathan Allen, a New College alumnus who served as Corcoran’s vice president of strategy and special projects in 2023 and 2024, said his experience inside the project left him disillusioned and convinced that the college’s future is not secure under the current administration or state control.

Allen has laid out a multimillion-dollar proposal to wean New College off taxpayer dollars over the next decade, arguing that the surge of state funding that fueled the school’s conservative makeover has been misdirected and cannot be relied on to last. His plan, if realized, would require a tuition hike and bring about the college’s second radical transformation in as many years.

“This college has one fickle benefactor, and that’s Tallahassee,” Allen told Suncoast Searchlight during an interview. “The minute that that benefactor decides that it doesn’t want to spend this kind of money on the college, what does the college do?”

Allen has so far campaigned quietly, speaking one-on-one with alumni, faculty and community members, but his pitch has already gained traction with prominent figures. 

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

STREETS OF PARADISE CO-FOUNDER'S FIRING SPARKS TURMOIL AT SARASOTA HOMELESS NONPROFIT



In 2016, Greg Cruz, a former gang member, felon and single father of four, began making a dozen sandwiches at a time on his kitchen counter and taking them to Sarasota’s City Hall to hand out to homeless individuals.

That simple act became part of the origin story of Streets of Paradise, a local nonprofit that has provided meals, home furnishings and resiliency services to Sarasota’s unhoused community for nearly a decade, operating almost entirely with the devoted support of volunteers dedicated to its “Love-Act-Repeat” philosophy.

Though Cruz did not found the organization alone, his personal history and visibility made him inseparable from the group’s identity.

That’s why his abrupt firing last week stunned supporters and unleashed a wave of anger online.

Streets of Paradise’s board of directors abruptly dismissed Cruz “without cause” at a brief board meeting, leaving his longtime partner and co-CEO Cathy Bryant as sole leader. It offered him two weeks' severance pay while dictating confidentiality, non-compete and donor solicitation restrictions for the next 12 months.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

SARASOTA COUNTY SEEKS STORMWATER RATE INCREASE. BUT AUDIT FINDS MILLIONS AVAILABLE

Sarasota County administrators are stiff-arming recommendations from a stormwater consultant and plan to push another rate hike on residents despite a new audit showing the utility could have more than $70 million over the next five years without raising rates.

Just two years after a substantial increase in stormwater environmental utility rates, Sarasota County staff is once again asking taxpayers to open their wallets to bolster water quality and flood protections ahead of future storms. The proposed tax increase comes as county leaders scramble to fill gaps in the stormwater system that last year left thousands of homes flooded in unsuspecting neighborhoods miles from the coast.

A joint investigation by the Florida Trident and Suncoast Searchlight into the failures found the county ignored sediment buildup in Phillippi Creek, left key stormwater positions sitting vacant while work orders piled up and overlooked glaring system vulnerabilities noted by consultants years earlier. All contributed to a stormwater utility operating in disarray.

In response, the county hired new Stormwater Director Ben Quartermaine, who has proposed raising annual rates by more than one-fourth on average to fund the department’s turnaround.

But the recommendation contradicts a newly released audit by Steve Suau — a retired department head who was hired July 18 as a consultant to review stormwater ordinances and projects. Operating on a $30 million annual budget, his audit notes, the department already has a glut of stormwater money available and suggests not throwing more taxes at the problem.

HERE'S WHAT ELSE WE RECOMMEND READING THIS WEEK

MEDICAL EXPERTS 'PROFOUNDLY CONCERNED' AS DESANTIS LOOKS TO END VACCINE REQUIREMENTS

FROM USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA

Hours after Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced the Department of Health and the Legislature would work hand-in-hand to repeal vaccine mandates in the state, national organizations, state university medical centers and former Florida officials came out against the move. Ladapo has been Florida's surgeon general since 2021 and is also a professor of medicine at the University of Florida. But the university's academic health center, UF Health, stood firm in a statement that vaccines are "safe" and "essential." "Public health and safety is a shared responsibility," said Dr. Stephen J. Motew, the president and CEO of UF Health.

READ THE STORY HERE

ELIMINATING VACCINE MANDATES COULD OPEN RIFT AMONG FLORIDA REPUBLICANS

FROM FLORIDA PHOENIX

Florida’s announced push to eliminate all vaccine mandates drew fierce condemnation from Democrats, but it is also exposing a potential rift among Republicans. Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott distanced himself from Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and their pledge to strip mandates and immunization requirements from both Florida law and rules carried out by state agencies. Other prominent GOP officials, however, took a less clear stance and suggested they supported parental rights without explicitly endorsing the elimination of mandates. Republican legislative leaders in the state House and Senate, meanwhile, haven’t indicated whether they will support the proposal, which would require legislative approval.

READ THE STORY HERE

A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE DESCRIBED FLOODING AND DREDGING OF PHILLIPPI CREEK. THAT WAS IN 1926

FROM WUSF

One of the reasons Sarasota County officials have waited so long to dredge Phillippi Creek, they say, is because they need a federal permit. The Army Corps of Engineers has said such a permit is required because the area has never been dredged before. But a resolute group of local residents, some of whom saw their homes flood repeatedly in last year’s hurricanes, discovered that is not the case. By searching newspaper archives at a public library, Nadia Bowen, a documentary producer and Sarasota resident who is part of the South Gate Community Association, found a century-old article that not only describes buildup of sediment in Phillippi Creek, it mentions a permit number regarding a dredging operation in 1926, and warns of future floods.

READ THE STORY HERE

MANATEE COUNTY OFFICIALS JOIN LAWSUIT CHALLENGING DEVELOPER-FRIENDLY LAW

FROM BRADENTON HERALD

Manatee County leaders voted 6-1 to join a lawsuit challenging Senate Bill 180, a controversial state law that strips control over key development decisions from local elected officials. Commissioners cited fears that Gov. Ron DeSantis could remove them from office after his administration warned of “inevitable consequences” for violating SB 180. At a board meeting on Tuesday, residents were overwhelmingly in support of Manatee County joining the lawsuit. “I have never seen anything like this,” said resident Kendra Elder, who said she's a registered Republican who voted for Gov. Ron DeSantis yet opposes SB 180. “I am fully in support of any lawsuit that this county moves forward with against the state on SB 180.”

READ THE STORY HERE

SETTING THE SCENE AT THE MOTE SCIENCE EDUCATION AQUARIUM ONE MURAL AT A TIME

FROM EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

The world of Florida marine habitats is often startling in its beauty, but messy as well when wildlife collides. So when area artist Andrew Viera searches for a word to describe that environment, he would never use the word "perfect." Viera, who owns Signature Strokes, Paint and Murals, of Bradenton, was chosen by the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company to do a series of seven murals at the $132 million Mote Science Education Aquarium that is expected to open late this year adjacent to Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota. "I wanted people to see the brush strokes, the imperfection," Viera said while taking a break from working on the final of the seven murals, which he estimates will take about three more weeks to complete. He began the project in April 2024.

READ THE STORY HERE

SARASOTA COUNTY'S UPGRADED 911 SYSTEM PROMISES FASTER, SMARTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE

FROM SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE

Sarasota County first responders just got a major upgrade that could help save more lives – faster. A new $5 million computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system went live in May, giving dispatchers and first-responders real-time tools to improve response to fires, shootings, medical calls and even hurricanes. The new system replaces a 20-year-old platform that struggled to keep up with Sarasota County's rapid growth. Now, emergency dispatchers can instantly share critical details with county responders through phones, tablets, or in-vehicle systems – cutting down on delays and manual updates.

READ THE STORY HERE

NO-SWIMMING SIGNS POSTED AT BEAN POINT FOLLOWING MULTIPLE INCIDENTS

FROM PULSE OF MANATEE

Anna Maria officials have posted “no-swimming” signs at Bean Point as they work with Manatee County leaders to address safety concerns following a series of dangerous incidents. In August alone, six water-related emergencies occurred in the area, including two fatalities. The most recent tragedy took place on Aug. 31, when a 20-year-old man drowned after being swept offshore by strong currents. His body was recovered the following day after a large-scale search involving the U.S. Coast Guard and local agencies. Officials say Bean Point poses unique risks due to its tidal flows and proximity to a deep channel near the pass. The strong currents and sudden drop-offs can catch swimmers off guard, especially visitors who are unfamiliar with the area.

READ THE STORY HERE

DOZENS SUPPORT FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT'S RATE HIKE. MANY HAVE TIES TO THE COMPANY

FROM TAMPA BAY TIMES

When state regulators held public hearings this summer for residents to weigh in on Florida Power & Light’s request to raise the rates on their bills, dozens of people spoke in favor of the $10 billion bump. At least 49 of those supporters have connections to the utility, the Times found, including nonprofits that received donations from Florida Power & Light. Eight more were former employees of the company. But this year, it’s harder to tell who has financial links to Florida Power & Light.

READ THE STORY HERE



DID YOU MISS OUR PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER?

HERE'S WHAT WE SHARED:

DOGE audit makes Manatee County a test case for defying DeSantis and developers

Manatee County voters snubbed Tallahassee last fall when they rejected Gov. Ron DeSantis’ hand-picked, pro-development commission candidates and instead elected a slate of grassroots Republicans who promised to rein in runaway growth.

True to their word, the new commissioners quickly moved to cap sprawl — vowing to raise impact fees on developers to pay for new infrastructure, pushing to restore wetland protections and halting some large-scale projects altogether.

But those steps have now put them on a collision course with the governor and the powerful real-estate industry closely aligned with his administration, which has pushed back at every turn. 

In June, the governor vetoed the county’s $4 million in state budget requests after a commissioner criticized Senate Bill 180, a controversial pro-developer state law. More recently, his administration warned of “inevitable consequences” if Manatee raised impact fees. 

And in July, he and his chief financial officer announced the county would be the first Republican stronghold targeted for an aggressive review by Florida’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency — known as DOGE — a program DeSantis styled after the Elon Musk-backed federal initiative to slash “waste, fraud and abuse.”

The escalating fight has become one of the sharpest examples yet of DeSantis using state power to quash local control, even in GOP-dominated areas. Political experts say the timing and tenor of the moves leave little doubt that Manatee’s growth-curbing agenda triggered the response.

Art Center Sarasota celebrates 100 years of making art accessible to everyone

Raised in Sarasota by a single mother, Katherine Ceaser’s first encounters with fine art came on school field trips. As a girl, she wandered museums and galleries with her class, drawn to bursts of color and form that suggested other possibilities.

Those early encounters left a mark. 

Decades later, Ceaser is now the executive director of Art Center Sarasota and charged with guiding the institution into its next century. The center turns 100 next year, and as she prepares for the milestone, Ceaser brings with her a conviction formed in childhood — that art must remain open to the community, regardless of background or income.

“Growing up was a very different experience than I think most people think of in Sarasota, so I'm very sensitive to making sure that the best parts of Sarasota are still accessible to everyone,” said Ceaser, who started at the center in September 2023 and stepped into the executive director position this past December. 

“That's a personal kind of guiding principle of mine.”

Admission is free, Ceasar said, just like it always has been and always will be.



Sarasota commissioners weigh cheaper jail plan that buys only a decade of relief

For years, Sarasota County has struggled with a problem it has yet to solve — a jail built for 773 inmates that now holds well over a thousand.

Hallways double as sleeping quarters. Inspections flag chronic overcrowding. And every proposed fix has come with a price tag large enough to give taxpayers pause.

The most ambitious plan promised a generational solution — a new criminal justice complex designed to vastly expand capacity and carry the county well into mid-century. Its latest cost estimate: as much as $630 million, to be paid for only if voters agreed to shoulder the debt.

This week, commissioners signaled a shift in direction.

At a meeting Wednesday, they voted to explore a more modest option to demolish just the jail’s west wing and build an eight-story addition in its place. The $401 million project would create 725 beds, lifting operational capacity to 1,237 by 2033.

But by 2042, the jail would be full again.

The pivot captures the bind facing county leaders. According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, steady rise in arrests since 2021, coupled with a doubling of pretrial stays, has pushed the jail population past what the facility was built to handle.

Yet any solution depends on persuading voters to approve hundreds of millions of dollars in new construction — and recent history suggests public appetite for such projects is thin. In May, North Port voters rejected a $115 million referendum for a new police department headquarters.

Sarasota County budget talks end with few cuts, $600K school bill on the horizon

Despite tough talk from Sarasota County commissioners, this year’s final budget workshop ended with little progress on curbing spending.

Commissioners met Tuesday where they spent four hours in a cramped room hearing constitutional officers explain why their budgets should remain intact, with the commissioners failing to ask any of the agencies to cut more than what they had proposed last month.

That comes after years of ballooning budgets with the county’s proposed spending expected to top $2.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2026.

The two departments with the largest increases — the sheriff’s office and the tax collector — skipped the workshop altogether, leaving commissioners unwilling to press for further cuts. And, rather than reduce his budget, Tax Collector Mike Moran informed commissioners ahead of the meeting that he would increase it — surpassing his previous projection.

In addition, Moran’s office uncovered what he said was a long-running mistake that will result in the county sending Sarasota County Schools a nearly $600,000 bill for tax collection costs this year — a move that could deepen the district’s own budget crisis.

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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