Friday, Sept. 18, 2026

THIS WEEK IN SUNCOAST HISTORY

Sept. 15, 1922: The first edition of what would become the Bradenton Herald hit the streets. The Evening Herald was created through the merger of two weekly Manatee County newspapers.

Featured in this week's newsletter:

• STORY: Newtown revitalization pitches community improvements. Some fear gentrification

• STORY: Where can Sarasota’s homeless shower and do laundry? Options are dwindling

• STORY: The Suncoast is losing reporters. What happens when no one is watching?

• STORY: Candidate forums give Sarasota, Manatee voters chance to hear candidates

• FACT BRIEF: Is Florida the 14th largest economy in the world?

• FACT BRIEF: Did DeSantis commit almost $10 billion to Everglades restoration?

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NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

NEWTOWN REVITALIZATION PITCHES COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS. SOME FEAR GENTRIFICATION

Jetson Grimes, owner of Jetson’s Creative Trends hair salon since 1982, has seen Newtown persevere through decades of underinvestment and neglect.



But as resources dwindle and Newtown youth find fewer opportunities in the area, he and other residents are ready for change.

Across ongoing community meetings, local leaders and organizations have presented early plans and renderings for what a revitalized Newtown could look like, featuring new shops, restaurants, events and cultural hubs that honor its art and history.

Residents have seemed equal parts enthusiastic about the investments and skeptical about whether the promised changes could attract outside developers and lead to gentrification. One theme has emerged repeatedly: They want investment without losing the community’s identity.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

WHERE CAN SARASOTA'S HOMELESS SHOWER AND DO LAUNDRY? OPTIONS ARE DWINDLING

When Kevin Jackowicz became homeless for the second time, he knew he could turn to Remnant Cafe in Sarasota County for a shower, a laundry machine, a hot meal and a sanctuary from the outside.

But Remnant Church has been forced to cut back its homelessness services after Sarasota County code enforcement said the property is not zoned for a full-scale social service operation. More than 100 people are now left without a place they relied on to shower, wash clothes and get out of the heat.



Just one other organization in Sarasota County provides showers and laundry for free, leaving some people paying to use laundromats and shower at campgrounds or gyms. Others aren’t showering or washing their clothes at all.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

THE SUNCOAST IS LOSING REPORTERS. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING?

Last week, McClatchy Media Co., the national newspaper chain that owns the Bradenton Herald, laid off journalists across the country. The Herald, already operating with a skeleton crew, lost half its newsroom. Six journalists became three: One editor. Two reporters.

This is a crisis, and I don’t use that word lightly.

The newspaper infrastructure that supported much of the Suncoast’s local reporting for generations is being dismantled faster than I ever imagined. Newsrooms that for decades served as the eyes and ears of this community are being gutted to the point they cannot consistently cover the people and institutions in power.

Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties together have nearly 1 million residents. They have county commissions, school boards, cities, courts, law enforcement agencies and relentless development. Public officials make decisions every week about growth, roads, schools, taxes, public safety, the environment and hundreds of millions of dollars in public money.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

CANDIDATE FORUMS GIVE SARASOTA, MANATEE VOTERS CHANCE TO HEAR CANDIDATES

Voters across the Suncoast region will have several chances in the coming days to hear directly from candidates seeking to represent them in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C.

Local chapters of the League of Women Voters are hosting a series of nonpartisan candidate forums ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, beginning this evening with candidates for Florida House District 72.

The forums come as voters prepare to decide races at nearly every level of government, from Congress and the Florida Legislature to city commissions and school boards. League forums generally give candidates equal time to answer the same questions and are designed to allow voters to hear from them outside of campaign advertising and other partisan messaging.

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UPCOMING SEARCHLIGHT EVENTS

SEPT. 22 > IN PERSON

Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026 | 6–7:30 p.m. | In Person

Amendment 3 could lower property tax bills for Florida homeowners — and change how much revenue local governments collect. What would that mean for homeowners, local budgets and public services?

SEPT. 23 > VIRTUAL

Behind the Flock investigation that led to a Sarasota cop's arrest

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026 | 6–7 p.m. | Virtual

A USA TODAY investigation uncovered a Sarasota police officer using Flock license-plate cameras to track an ex — reporting that ultimately led to his firing and arrest. Join investigative reporter Kenny Jacoby, a former Sarasota resident who once worked out of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune newsroom, for a behind-the-scenes conversation about the investigation, police surveillance and what he uncovered. Audience Q&A included.

HERE'S WHAT ELSE WE RECOMMEND READING THIS WEEK

EDITORIAL: MIKE MORAN IS NO FISCAL CONSERVATIVE

FROM PORT CHARLOTTE SUN

Mike Moran may, or may not, be a really good tax collector for Sarasota County. What he’s not, however, is the fiscal conservative he says he is.

READ THE STORY HERE

CIRCUS ARTS CONSERVATORY AND ITS CO-FOUNDER DOLLY JACOBS PART WAYS

FROM SARASOTA MAGAZINE

A major shakeup in the local performing arts world may have circus fans reeling. Circus Arts Conservatory co-founder and legendary circus performer Dolly Jacobs released a statement late last week that “CAC unexpectedly terminated” her employment “and removed her from its board. This brings to a close her formal role with the organization she co-founded and helped build from the ground up.”

READ THE STORY HERE

FLORIDA'S EMERGENCY AGENCY SPENT NEARLY $1 BILLION ON IMMIGRATION. NOW IT'LL GET MORE

FROM WUSF

Legislators approved $250 million for the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Some will go toward hurricane relief, but a large portion will pay vendors for completed work at "Alligator Alcatraz."

READ THE STORY HERE

ADMINISTRATOR'S TIRADE RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT MANATEE COUNTY'S LEADERSHIP

FROM EAST COUNTY OBSERVER

With more contentious behavior in Manatee County Commission meetings by both County Administrator Charlie Bishop and commissioners, it opens the topic of whether Bishop's contract will be renewed in early 2027. Bishop put an exclamation point on the issue himself, when after losing his temper at the Sept. 1 commission meeting, he shouted, "My contract expires in February!”

READ THE STORY HERE

SHOCKING MISTAKES LEAD TO NUMEROUS DEATHS AT FLORIDA NURSING HOMES

FROM RED FLAG IN THE FLOWER POT

In late 2023, Aviata Health Group purchased 58 Florida nursing facilities for $1.2 billion. Since then, the company has been beset with problems and lawsuits. State regulators investigated six deaths at Aviata facilities since 2023 and found four resulted from nursing staff mix-ups, with confusion over codes and do-not-resuscitate orders a common thread.

READ THE STORY HERE

YOUR ROBOTIC VACUUM IS A WITNESS: WHAT HOME ROBOTS MEAN FOR EVIDENCE AND THE LAW

FROM THE CONVERSATION

A husband in Taiwan suspected his wife of having an affair. In September 2023, he found a used toothbrush at their holiday home, and garage video showed an unfamiliar man driving his wife there. Three months later, he opened their robot vacuum’s app to speak with her and saw an intimate encounter through its live camera.

READ THE STORY HERE

WANT TO SAVE FLORIDA BLACK BEARS? BUY A HUNTING LICENSE, CONSERVATIONISTS URGE

FROM WSLR

Conservationists across Florida have found a nonviolent way to oppose a hunt they cannot stop through official channels: by entering it themselves. Bear protectors are getting licensed as hunters and buying state lottery tickets for a shot at one of this year’s bear hunting permits. If they win, they hold the permit and save a bear’s life. The campaign started last year out of frustration.

READ THE STORY HERE

HOW PINELLAS SHERIFF BOB GUALTIERI BECAME AN ARCHITECT OF MASS DEPORTATION

FROM CREATIVE LOAFING

One of Gualtieri’s most consequential projects over the last decade has been transforming county jails into engines of mass deportation. While his mission has been wildly successful—with hundreds of jails enacting enforcement policies he designed—Gualtieri is often treated as an uncontroversial, common-sense sheriff. The Tampa Bay Times endorsed him in every election.

READ THE STORY HERE

NEED AN APARTMENT? YOU MAY FIND A LOT OF VACANT ONES IN SW FLORIDA

FROM WGCU

If you're looking for an apartment in Southwest Florida, or want to move from one apartment to another, this likely is a good time to do so. Some people in commercial real estate believe at least one out of five units is vacant in Lee County alone. In some buildings, it may be closer to one out of three. The industry considers anything above one out of ten units vacant, to be a problem.

READ THE STORY HERE

DID YOU MISS OUR PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER?

HERE'S WHAT WE SHARED:

FLORIDA’S LIVE LOCAL ACT PROMISES AFFORDABLE RENT. FOR MANY IN SARASOTA, IT’S STILL OUT OF REACH

The Live Local Act was pitched as a way to fast-track affordable housing near urban centers by cutting through red tape to build large-scale apartment developments. But the 2023 law defines affordable housing broadly, allowing rents based on households earning up to 120% of the area’s median income.

Yet by far, the greatest need for affordable housing across the Suncoast comes from workers making below 80% of the area median income — less than $64,000 annually for a one-person household or $91,280 for a family of four.

SARASOTA WANTS GULF GATE GOLF COURSE. DEVELOPER VALUES IT AT 3 TIMES COUNTY APPRAISAL

Sarasota County officials and local environmentalists have a vision to transform the former golf course that weaves through the Gulf Gate neighborhood into a manmade wetland that rivals Celery Fields to mop up flooding and serve as a new wildlife habitat.

But first, they need to buy the property — and that process is proving to be a challenge.

The development firm that owns the now-closed course values it at $14.6 million — far more than the county wants to pay and well above other appraisals of the property, which range from $5.3 million to $9.5 million.

It’s also more than six times what the firm argued the land was worth two months ago when challenging its taxable value. In July, Gulf Gate Holdings LLC argued before the Value Adjustment Board that the land was worth just $2.3 million. The Sarasota County Property Appraiser puts its value at $3.9 million.

TEHOW SARASOTA YOUTH HELPED FLIP A CONSERVATIVE SCHOOL BOARD

Students figured prominently in the campaigns for the three liberal-leaning candidates in the nonpartisan race — Megan Tennimon, Jimmy Glover and Beth Mayberry.

The Aug. 18 election flipped control of the school board, which has for years been at the center of explosive fights over LGBTQ+ inclusion and national political topics.

SEVEN HOURS, 400 COMMENTS, PACKED CITY HALL: NORTH PORT MOVES TO HALT DATA CENTERS

Hundreds packed North Port City Hall. More than 400 comments poured in. And nearly seven hours passed before commissioners finally voted on a proposal that had ignited fierce opposition.

At the center of the uproar is a planned seven-building data center campus that would consume an estimated 50 megawatts of electricity. Commissioners ultimately voted 4-1 to advance an 18-month moratorium on new data centers.

TRUMP WANTS CHEAPER BEEF. DESOTO COUNTY RANCHERS WORRY THAT PLAN WILL BACKFIRE

In DeSoto County, where there are more cows than people, Newt Keen’s herd of almost 300 cattle is considered a small-scale operation.

But like many local ranchers, he said he’s worried about the future of the industry, especially after President Donald Trump announced he will be easing tariffs for foreign beef — a move some agricultural experts fear could further weaken the country’s future beef supply.

SARASOTA TAX COLLECTOR MIKE MORAN BOOSTS SPENDING 50%, PAYS $500K TO CONSULTANTS

Despite campaigning as a fiscal conservative, Mike Moran has increased monthly spending by more than 50% compared to a similar timespan of his predecessor while requesting double-digit budget hikes two years in a row and seeking to boost his workforce by more than one-third.

A Suncoast Searchlight review also found that travel expenses under Moran have nearly doubled and that Moran has spent more than $500,000 on a high-profile consultant, a public relations firm and political lobbyists with ties to conservative fundraising.

NEW COLLEGE NEIGHBORS HEAD TO MEDIATION OVER DISPUTED CAMPUS MASTER PLAN

Nestled along Sarasota Bay, the 110-home Uplands subdivision has coexisted with New College of Florida for decades. But that relationship began to change after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed a slate of conservative trustees in 2023 and the college embarked on an ambitious campus master plan that could reshape the land along the neighborhood’s edge.

Six residents from in and around The Uplands filed petitions in January challenging portions of the plan, citing a lack of transparency and questioning whether New College followed Florida law and Board of Governors regulations. Their concerns range from the removal of mature trees in the Uplands Preserve and a proposed vehicle connection to Uplands Boulevard to new athletic fields near Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

An administrative law judge has since narrowed the roughly 25 allegations raised in the six petitions. The residents, who are pursuing the challenge without legal help, are scheduled for mediation with New College on Tuesday.

SARASOTA SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER CALLED REPORT LEAK A CRIME. EXPERTS DISAGREE

When Sarasota County School Board member Tom Edwards called for a criminal investigation last month into the leak of an explosive district report, he said the person who released it violated state law. 

But two leading Florida government transparency experts told Suncoast Searchlight the report was a public record — and questioned whether its disclosure violated any law.

HIGHER RATES, VALET PARKING? SARASOTA WEIGHS FIXES FOR PARKING WOES

Sarasota has a parking problem — and city officials are considering everything from higher hourly rates to valet service to selling off parking garages to fix it.

The challenge: The city’s parking division faces a projected $2.6 million shortfall by 2028, even as officials prepare for millions of dollars in repairs and upgrades. One idea alone — raising parking from $1.50 to $2 an hour — could bring in more than $1.8 million annually.

AUDITORS SAY SARASOTA TAX COLLECTOR'S $100,767 PAYOUT VIOLATED STATE LAW

Six days after Mike Moran took office as Sarasota County’s newly elected tax collector, another government agency he had just left paid him $100,767.

The money came from the Florida PACE Funding Agency, an independent special government district Moran ran for more than five years. State auditors now say the agreement violated Florida law.

SARASOTA COUNTY APPROVES ARTS GRANTS WITHOUT DEI DEBATE, LEAVING URBANITE BEHIND

When arts organizations in line for tourist tax grants were asked in July to acknowledge new anti-DEI stipulations to receive public funds, most hoped the Sarasota County Commission would either provide more clarity or overlook the culture war issue.

Instead, without much discussion or further clarification, commissioners approved $2.1 million in county support to 33 organizations. The lone exception was Urbanite Theatre, which declined to sign the acknowledgement.

SEARCHLIGHT EARNS SEVERAL SUNSHINE STATE AWARDS, CAPPING YEAR OF HONORS

Suncoast Searchlight earned several honors in the Society of Professional Journalists’ annual Sunshine State Awards competition, including four first-place wins and second place in the prestigious A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism.

The Sunshine State Awards cap a year of state, regional and national recognition for Suncoast Searchlight’s reporting in 2025, its first year of publication.

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Suncoast Searchlight is a 501(c)(3) 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