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LOBBYISTS FOR SARASOTA HOMEBUILDERS NEAL AND BERUFF SOUGHT TO MAINTAIN SB 180
FROM SEEKING RENTS
Lobbyists representing a pair of prominent homebuilders in Sarasota — both major donors to Republican leaders in Tallahassee — secretly worked to stop state lawmakers from repealing a widely reviled law that has made it much harder for communities across Florida to manage growth.
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FLESH-EATING BACTERIA ARE DEVOURING LIMBS IN WARNING WATERS WORLDWIDE — HERE'S HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
FROM THE CONVERSATION
Flesh-eating bacteria sounds like the premise of a bad horror movie, but it’s a growing – and potentially fatal – threat to people in the U.S. and beyond. I’m a professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where my laboratory studies microbiology and infectious disease. Here’s why health officials are so concerned about this deadly infection – and ways to avoid contracting it.
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IN SARASOTA COUNTY COMMISSION RACE, DENIRO DODGES KEY QUESTIONS
FROM FLORIDA TRIDENT
Jim DeNiro talked for almost 90 minutes. He answered questions about decades-old police discipline, an accidental gun discharge and campaign claims he acknowledged he had not fully examined. But the Republican challenger for Sarasota County Commission would not answer two questions of immediate interest: how his District 4 residency claim squares with a Jan. 1 homestead at his former District 5 home, and what he knows about anonymous Wyoming entities spending to defeat his opponent.
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PAC TEXTS, 'ANIMAL' GROUP AND AI MUGSHOTS: WHO'S BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST LIZ ARNOLD?
FROM THE BRADENTON TIMES
The first days of early voting for the Primary Election opened over the weekend, and Manatee County Republican candidate Liz Arnold, an activist who worked alongside late Commissioner Carol Ann Felts before Felts was elected in 2024, appears to have become the target of a disinformation campaign aimed at undermining her candidacy. Voters in Manatee County’s Commission District 1 will cast ballots to choose a candidate for the seat that came back up for election following Felts’ unexpected death earlier this year.
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SARASOTA UNICYCLER IS FEATURED IN 'RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT'
FROM SARASOTA MAGAZINE
Ivan Arestov is one of the few people in the world who has mastered performing on a specific kind of unicycle called the “ultimate wheel”—one wheel with just pedals, but no seat, frame or handle. And Arestov, who was just featured in the 2026 edition of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Wired Into Weird, wasn’t just recognized for riding one “ulta” wheel. it singled him out for riding four, jumping from one to the other.
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PITTSBURGH-BASED UNIVERSITY LOOKS TO EXPAND INTO BRADENTON
FROM BRADENTON HERALD
The City of Bradenton is in early talks to partner with a Pittsburgh-based university and build a school presence downtown. Early plans for the partnership include an emphasis on Point Park University utilizing the city’s Avenue of the Arts — Third Avenue West — to “create new pathways for students,” according to a news release. City leaders hope the collaboration will further economic development and grow the city’s young population.
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PLANS FOR FORMER SARASOTA COUNTY ADMIN BUILDING FACE SCRUTINY
FROM SARASOTA OBSERVER
Benderson Development plans to convert the former Sarasota County Administration Center into a mixed-use commercial building and is seeking a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to change the Future Land Use Map classification of 1 acre at 1660 Ringling Boulevard from Urban Edge to Downtown Core.
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VOTING BY MAIL HAS DECLINED SHARPLY IN FLORIDA, LATEST DATA SHOW
FROM FLORIDA TRIB
The number of vote-by-mail requests has been cut in half since 2022’s primaries, from over 4 million to 1.9 million this cycle, according to an analysis of the latest available data. The decline in mail ballots is notable given the historically significant role mail ballots have played in Florida elections, a trend that often benefited Republican candidates.
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SOME FLORIDA HOMESCHOOL PARENTS ARE DENIED STATE FUNDING. BUT WHY?
FROM WUSF
The Personalized Education Program is a Florida-sponsored voucher program that gives out an average of $8,000 a year to reimburse homeschoolers for private lessons, curriculum, supplies and more. Controversy has surrounded the program, as some families have been reimbursed for furniture, Disney passes and other items that some may find questionable.
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SEA TURTLE HATCHLINGS KILLED ON ANNA MARIA ISLAND; ARTIFICIAL LIGHTS BLAMED
FROM ABC7
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch is reporting that 55 loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings were killed Wednesday night on Gulf Drive after following artificial lights. “These baby turtles were only hours old and instead of following the light of the night sky reflecting on the water, they crawled towards artificial light shining from homes and businesses, straight into the road,” the volunteer group said on social media.
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