Friday, Sept. 25, 2026

THIS WEEK IN SUNCOAST HISTORY

Sept. 24-25, 1848: A hurricane referred to as the Great Gale swept across Sarasota Bay and cut a path between what are now Lido and Longboat keys, creating New Pass and connecting Sarasota Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.

Featured in this week's newsletter:

• STORY: Head Start overhaul could reshape services for Sarasota families

• STORY: Florida AG letter undercuts Sarasota County in Live Local legal fight

• STORY: Amendment 3 promises property tax relief. What would it cost the Suncoast?

• STORY: Sarasota creates new sound enforcement team after noise pollution study

• FACT BRIEF: Is it legal to pull a car out halfway when turning left across a divided highway?

• FACT BRIEF: Do local governments approve data center construction?

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NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

HEAD START OVERHAUL COULD RESHAPE SERVICES FOR SARASOTA FAMILIES

A sweeping federal proposal could reshape Head Start for Sarasota families, eliminating most federal regulations, including requirements for health screenings, staff qualifications and teacher-to-student ratios.

Children First, which serves local children and families through Head Start, says it plans to maintain its current level of care but worries the changes could eventually mean less federal funding — making it harder to provide the education, health services and support families rely on.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

FLORIDA AG LETTER UNDERCUTS SARASOTA COUNTY IN LIVE LOCAL LEGAL FIGHT

A new letter from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office says Sarasota County has it wrong in its fight to keep Live Local developments off rural land.

The legal analysis could give ammunition to developers suing the county in six ongoing cases — and potentially clear a path for more than 7,500 housing units that have been put on pause. A judge will ultimately decide whose interpretation is correct, but legal experts say the Attorney General’s position could carry weight in court.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

AMENDMENT 3 PROMISES PROPERTY TAX RELIEF. WHAT WOULD IT COST THE SUNCOAST?

Florida homeowners could save about $1,000 on a typical property tax bill under Amendment 3.

But cities and counties could eventually lose billions in property tax revenue — potentially affecting police, fire departments, parks, libraries and other local services. At a Suncoast Searchlight and League of Women Voters panel, local leaders and policy experts dug into what the sweeping proposal could mean for taxpayers, local governments and the services residents rely on.

NEW FROM SUNCOAST SEARCHLIGHT:

SARASOTA CREATES NEW SOUND ENFORCEMENT TEAM AFTER NOISE POLLUTION STUDY

For years, Sarasota’s noise debate has focused heavily on downtown bars and restaurants.

But a new city study found another persistent concern: cars. Survey respondents cited revving engines, car stereos and traffic as the sounds they found most burdensome, while bars and restaurants emerged as a secondary concern. Now the city is creating a new sound enforcement team as it considers another rewrite of its noise rules.

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UPCOMING SEARCHLIGHT EVENTS

OCT. 7 > VIRTUAL

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026 | 5:30–6:30 p.m. | Virtual

Candidates Flo Entler, John Harshman and Jen Ahearn-Koch have been invited to participate and answer questions about the issues facing Sarasota and their priorities for the city. The event is free and open to everyone. No registration is required.

MISSED THESE LIVE EVENTS? CATCH UP HERE:

HERE'S WHAT ELSE WE RECOMMEND READING THIS WEEK

SARASOTA SCHOOLS' ENROLLMENT DROPS FASTER THAN EXPECTED

FROM WSLR

Superintendent Terry Connor told School Board members Sept. 15 that the district had projected a decline of roughly 650 students. Comparing last year’s January Survey 3 count with current enrollment, Connor said the district is down about 743 students. School Board member Liz Barker told WSLR the larger drop may be due not just to students shifting from public to other school options, but to parents taking vouchers for their kindergarteners.

READ THE STORY HERE

MANATEE COUNTY GIVES FINAL APPROVAL OF ORDINANCE TARGETING 'ADULT ARCADES'

FROM THE BRADENTON TIMES

Manatee County Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance prohibiting the commercial use of simulated gambling devices in the county’s unincorporated areas, giving local authorities another way to crack down on businesses operating the electronic games often found in so-called “adult arcades.” The ordinance, approved Sept. 22, comes as the county and Sheriff’s Office grapple with what officials describe as the continuing proliferation of establishments that offer casino-style games despite Florida’s restrictions on gambling. The county’s action follows a July 2025 investigation by the Suncoast Searchlight and Bradenton Herald.

READ THE STORY HERE

SARASOTA COUNTY LAND SWAP SETTLES WITH SIESTA KEY BEACH DISPUTE

FROM ABC7

Sarasota County commissioners have approved a land swap as part of a settlement agreement ending a long-running dispute with a local businessman. The dispute dates back to around 2016, when Siesta Key resident Michael Holderness said he found public beach signs placed on his beach property. Holderness said people began coming onto the property, which he felt he was liable for, and he asked the county to regulate access and provide a lifeguard.

READ/WATCH THE STORY HERE

HOPE FLORIDA SCANDAL:

• DESANTIS STAFF QUIETLY REHIRED JILTED HOPE FLORIDA LAWYERS (SEEKING RENTS) Shortly after the 2024 elections, the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded a new contract to a team of outside attorneys who helped secure a multimillion-dollar legal settlement that DeSantis aides used to fund political activities on behalf of the governor — in the scheme now widely known as the Hope Florida scandal. READ THE STORY HERE

• HOW HOPE FLORIDA QUIETLY HOLLOWED OUT FLORIDA'S SAFETY NET (FLORIDA TRIB) As Florida expanded Hope Florida, first lady Casey DeSantis’ initiative connecting people with churches and charities, the state shifted hundreds of jobs away from the division that handles Medicaid and food assistance. That division has struggled with long waits, errors and delays, while Hope Florida has grown to 161 positions costing $11.7 million a year. READ THE STORY HERE

• TAXPAYERS PAID NEARLY $200K IN LEGAL FEES FOR HOPE FLORIDA WITNESS FOUND 'NOT CREDIBLE' (FLORIDA TRIDENT) The DeSantis administration spent nearly $200,000 on criminal defense attorneys representing a former senior aide who testified before a grand jury investigating the Hope Florida scandal. A longstanding Florida attorney general’s opinion found such payments improper. It is unclear what legal basis the DeSantis administration used to justify spending tax money on criminal defense attorneys for a former aide whose testimony the grand jury found “not credible.” READ THE STORY HERE

BOOKER HIGH ATHLETICS DIRECTOR AND FOOTBALL COACH MISUSED SCHOOL FUNDS

FROM SARASOTA OBSERVER

Carlos Woods, former athletics director and football coach at Booker High School, misused school funds on Avis car rentals, according to a three-month investigation by Sarasota County Schools. The recently released investigation included a rental car audit tracking log over which Human Resources questioned Woods about $16,433.04 in rentals and fees from March 2023 to April 2026.

READ THE STORY HERE

WATCH: GRUTERS, KIRSCHNER AND DAVIS FACE OFF IN 16TH DISTRICT CANDIDATE FORUM

FROM BRADENTON JOURNAL

The format produced few fireworks, but plenty of contrasts among the three candidates seeking to represent Florida’s newly drawn 16th Congressional District. Republican Sydney Gruters, Democrat Kelly Kirschner and no-party-affiliation candidate Mark Davis spent about an hour answering questions during a virtual forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters chapters in Manatee and Pinellas counties.

READ THE STORY/WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

FLORIDA STUDY FOUND HIGHER BODY FAT MAKES SMARTWATCH CALORIE COUNTS LESS ACCURATE

FROM THE CONVERSATION

A new study from Florida International University suggests your smartwatch may be giving your workout more credit than it deserves. Researchers in Miami tested Apple, Garmin, Samsung and Fitbit watches and found substantial errors in estimates of calories burned — with the inaccuracies growing as a wearer’s body fat percentage increased. For some participants with higher body fat, estimates were off by 50% to 100% or more.

READ THE STORY HERE

18 YEARS AFTER SIESTA KEY RESCUE, GINGER THE DOLPHIN IS NOW A GRANDMOTHER

FROM SARASOTA MAGAZINE

Nearly two decades ago, a 3-year-old bottlenose dolphin washed ashore on Siesta Key, sick and dehydrated. Ginger was brought to Mote Marine Laboratory’s Dolphin and Whale Hospital. Two months later, robust with a belly full of pinfish, she was released. In most cases of rehabilitated wildlife, the story ends there—an animal is treated and returns to the enormous, unknowable business of being wild. But Ginger lives in Sarasota Bay, where dolphins have an unusually attentive audience.

READ THE STORY HERE

WOMAN LEFT ALONE WITH DEAD ROOMMATE FOR HOURS AT FLORIDA NURSING HOME

FROM RED FLAG IN THE FLOWER POT

A woman at a Florida nursing home said she was left alone for three hours with the body of her roommate and close friend after staff refused her request to move to a vacant room. The incident is part of a broader examination of Aviata Health Group, Florida’s largest nursing home company, whose facilities have faced dozens of negligence lawsuits and state investigations into resident deaths, including cases involving mix-ups over do-not-resuscitate orders.

READ THE STORY HERE

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WATER RESTRICTIONS EXTENDED THROUGH MARCH

FROM PULSE OF MANATEE

The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board approved the extension on Tuesday, requiring residents and businesses throughout the affected area to continue following one-day-per-week lawn watering restrictions. The rules apply to all water sources, including private wells.

READ THE STORY HERE

DID YOU MISS OUR PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER?

HERE'S WHAT WE SHARED:

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. Now, as resources dwindle and young people find fewer opportunities, residents are weighing plans for new shops, restaurants, events and cultural hubs with both enthusiasm and skepticism. One theme has emerged repeatedly: They want investment without attracting outside developers, fueling gentrification or losing the community’s identity.

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

Earlier this month, 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 and two reporters. The newspaper infrastructure that supported much of the Suncoast’s local reporting for generations is being dismantled, even as nearly 1 million residents across Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties depend on journalists to keep watch over public officials.

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 for large-scale apartment developments. But the 2023 law allows rents based on households earning up to 120% of the area’s median income — while by far the greatest need across the Suncoast comes from workers earning below 80%, or less than $64,000 for a one-person household and $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 envision transforming the former Gulf Gate golf course into a manmade wetland to mop up flooding and create a new wildlife habitat. But first, the county needs to buy the property — and the owner values it at $14.6 million, well above appraisals ranging from $5.3 million to $9.5 million. It’s also more than six times the $2.3 million Gulf Gate Holdings LLC argued the land was worth just two months earlier when challenging its taxable value.

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 for a shower, laundry, a hot meal and sanctuary from the outside. But Remnant Church has been forced to cut back its homelessness services after Sarasota County said the property is not zoned for a full-scale social service operation, leaving more than 100 people without a place they relied on to shower, wash clothes and escape the heat.

CANDIDATE FORUMS GIVE SARASOTA, MANATEE VOTERS CHANCE TO HEAR CANDIDATES

Voters across the Suncoast 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 with candidates for Florida House District 72. The forums give candidates equal time to answer the same questions, allowing voters to hear from them outside of campaign advertising and other partisan messaging.

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 with a similar period under his predecessor while seeking double-digit budget hikes two years in a row. A Suncoast Searchlight review also found that travel expenses 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

The 110-home Uplands subdivision has coexisted with New College of Florida for decades, but that relationship changed after the college embarked on a campus master plan that could reshape land along the neighborhood’s edge. Six residents filed petitions challenging portions of the plan, citing a lack of transparency and questioning whether New College followed state requirements. An administrative law judge has narrowed their roughly 25 allegations, and the residents are now headed to mediation.

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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