Weekly Newsletter

Friday, Aug. 29, 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:

DOGE AUDIT MAKES MANATEE COUNTY A TEST CASE FOR 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.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

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.

HERE'S WHAT ELSE WE RECOMMEND READING THIS WEEK

WIPED AWAY: STREET ART LOST TO STATE ORDER

Communities across the Suncoast are being forced to scrub away their public art after the Florida Department of Transportation ruled that murals painted on streets and sidewalks violate a new statewide mandate. From Sarasota’s PrideWalk to Bradenton’s Village of the Arts, projects once celebrated as symbols of identity and community pride are now being paved over or painted out — leaving residents and city leaders grappling with the loss. A roundup of some of the coverage:

• Sarasota 'PrideWalk' mural covered with asphalt, 4 years after it was unveiled

SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE

• Bradenton is removing street art, including in Village of the Arts

BRADENTON HERALD

• Removal of Avenue of Art sidewalk paintings has begun

THE OBSERVER

• It's all about the money. City of Bradenton defends censoring art in Village of the Arts

THE BRADENTON JOURNAL

• Community rallies as Sarasota begins to remove art from sidewalks and crosswalks

ABC7

• Clearwater joins St. Pete, Tampa in saying goodbye to street murals

TAMPA BAY TIMES

SARASOTA CITY COMMISSIONER HELPED ICE RINK PROJECT WHILE EMPLOYED BY ONE OF ITS DEVELOPERS

FROM SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE

During Kyle Battie's first years on the Sarasota City Commission, records show he was employed by a shell corporation owned by a local developer, while helping that developer gain access to city officials, a Herald-Tribune investigation has found. Battie reported to the Florida Commission on Ethics in 2022 and 2023 that he had received income from the "Birthright Family Limited Partnership," a company owned by a Sarasota man named Thomas Balzer, according to the commissioner's state-mandated financial disclosure forms. For years, Balzer was part of a group of prospective businessmen who wanted to redevelop the former Stardust Skating Rink on 12th Street into a youth hockey center. Battie was employed by Balzer during his first commission term, when he served the mostly ceremonial roles of Sarasota’s Mayor and Vice Mayor.

READ THE STORY HERE

'A PERSONAL CALLING.' MANATEE SCHOOL BOARD CHOOSES ADMIN AS NEW SUPERINTENDENT

FROM BRADENTON HERALD

After a nationwide search, the School Board of Manatee County has chosen Laurie Breslin as the district’s next superintendent. This time, the district is promoting from within. Breslin, 48, has served as a teacher, principal and administrator in the school district, most recently as Executive Director of Student Support and Family Engagement. Breslin also received her own education in Manatee County’s public school system, graduating from Manatee High School in 1995. “I am deeply honored by the trust the School Board has placed in me, and I am humbled to serve the community that shaped me as both a student and an educator,” Breslin said in a news release.

READ THE STORY HERE

HERMITAGE LEADERS ASK TO TAKE OVER CAMPUS FROM SARASOTA COUNTY

FROM THE DAILY SUN

The nonprofit board of the Hermitage Artist Retreat is asking to take over ownership of its campus from Sarasota County. Hermitage leadership said it is “baffled” that the county has not yet begun repairs to the campus, 10 months after it was severely damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. "As many of you know based on the slow recovery of our campus, the landlord-tenant relationship has proven challenging, particularly in the aftermath of any natural disasters," the email states.

READ THE STORY HERE

A WOMAN'S CHOICE TO SELF-DEPORT FROM SARASOTA PUSHES HER FAMILY TO CONSIDER THE SAME

FROM WUSF

On a July afternoon, at her home in Sarasota, Lourdes Martinez runs her hands over the clothes hanging in her daughter's closet. She's packing a suitcase to send to Mexico, where her daughter, Maria, will be in a week after choosing to self-deport. "It's painful," Lourdes said in Spanish, "to smell the perfume on her clothes." Lourdes last saw Maria in May, during a shift at the restaurant they both worked at. "I told her, 'See you later at home,' but that moment never came," Lourdes said. Police detained Maria that night because the car she was driving was registered without a license, according to a police incident report. Maria added that she was stopped initially for making an illegal U-turn. Those without legal status aren't able to get a driver's license in Florida.

READ/HEAR THE STORY HERE

STATE BEGINS REMOVING REFERENCES TO GULF OF MEXICO ON LONGBOAT ROADWAY

FROM THE OBSERVER

Florida transportation crews are in the process of removing references to Gulf of Mexico, including street signs at major intersections identifying Gulf of Mexico Drive along the thoroughfare on Longboat Key, the town said Tuesday. Town officials stress, however, the name of the roadway has not been changed, only outward references to the name, Gulf of Mexico. The town set up a FAQ page on its website to help answer residents’ immediate concerns. “It is important to note that this action does not formally change the local name of the roadway,’’ wrote spokeswoman Tina Adams. “Street addresses using “Gulf of Mexico Drive” in the Town, remain unaffected at this time."

READ THE STORY HERE

LONGTIME ARTS EDITOR JAY HANDELMAN RETIRING FROM THE HERALD-TRIBUNE

FROM ABC7

Longtime arts editor and theater critic for the Sarasota-Herald Tribune, Jay Handelman, is soon retiring after almost 41 years. Just a few weeks ago, Jay announced he’ll be retiring from his position as art editor and theater critic. Before he does, he reflected on his career and discussed some hot-button issues in the world of performing arts.

WATCH THE STORY HERE

TARIFFS CLOUD FLORIDA'S HOUSING MARKET WITH RISING COSTS AND UNCERTAINTY

FROM SARASOTA MAGAZINE

Homebuilders are bracing for the next wave of pricing pressures in the housing market as new federal tariffs ripple through supply chains. In April, the federal government announced a 10% tariff on all imports, with levies as high as 50% against select countries and a steep 145 percent duty on certain Chinese goods. Within a week, most of the tariffs were paused for 90 days in response to bond-market turbulence, though the China tariffs remained in place. According to the Florida Tariff Impact Report, construction costs in the state are expected to increase by more than $3 billion, with the price of a typical new home build rising by roughly $10,000.

READ THE STORY HERE

FLORIDA TAXPAYERS MAY LOSE $218M ON EMPTY ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ AS JUDGE ORDERS SHUTDOWN

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS/PBS NEWS

Florida taxpayers could be on the hook for $218 million the state spent to convert a remote training airport in the Everglades into an immigration detention center dubbed “ Alligator Alcatraz.” The center may soon be completely empty as a judge upheld her decision late Wednesday ordering operations to wind down indefinitely. Shutting down the facility for the time being would cost the state $15 million to $20 million immediately, and it would cost another $15 million to $20 million to reinstall structures if Florida is allowed to reopen it, according to court filings by the state. The Florida Division of Emergency Management will lose most of the value of the $218 million it has invested in making the little-used airport suitable for a detention center, a state official said in court papers.

READ THE STORY HERE



aliceDID YOU MISS OUR PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER?

HERE'S WHAT WE SHARED:

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’s performing arts center stalls as other major cultural projects race forward

Seven years ago, Sarasota unveiled an ambitious plan for its bayfront — a reimagined 53-acre waterfront park crowned by a state-of-the-art performing arts center to replace the aging Van Wezel, funded equally by private donations and public dollars.

The announcement came during a boom in other big-ticket cultural projects. Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium was planning a new facility near Interstate 75. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens unveiled a three-phase campus overhaul. And Sarasota Orchestra set its sights on a purpose-built concert hall. 

Today, three of those visions are well on their way — Mote’s $130 million Science Education Aquarium is nearly complete; Selby, having raised $115 million so far, recently moved into its second phase; and the orchestra has secured a $14 million site and raised $70 million toward its new concert hall. 

The performing arts center, by contrast, remains relatively stalled, its future tangled in politics, environmental concerns and slow fundraising. The plan calls for two elevated buildings — a 2,700-seat main theater and a smaller multipurpose venue — linked by raised walkways. 

The estimated price tag: $407 million.

So far, the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation — formerly the Van Wezel Foundation — has secured just over $23 million in announced donations, barely more than 10% of its needed goal. 

At the current fundraising pace, it would take more than six decades to get there.

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.

Manatee homeowners battle rising costs, nepotism in Harrison Ranch development district

Classic convertibles with candy paint sitting on white walls parked as props for the entrance. Inside, musicians entertain guests as they walk the red carpet to the luxury clubhouse. Retirees dressed in their finest pose for pictures with mannequins set up as decorations.

The event was no wedding or upscale fundraising gala. It was a private party hosted and funded through a special purpose government that used homeowner assessments to help foot the bill.

Residents in a Manatee County special development district are pushing back against district leaders who have hired family members for top staff jobs, awarded no-bid contracts to other relatives and hosted lavish private parties on the district’s dime.

When they approached the district board about the apparent nepotism — then began circulating a neighborhood petition to other homeowners — they said they were then silenced.

The growing uproar at Harrison Ranch is the latest local example of unchecked power at these special purpose governments, including community development districts, which have the authority to levy fees, enforce rules and process liens on those who don’t pay.

An ongoing Suncoast Searchlight investigation has found more new special development districts are breaking ground across the region than ever before. The developers first behind these new local governments often float multimillion-dollar public bonds to finance infrastructure, then dictate terms on how future residents pay it off.

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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.

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