Cold Case

More Bodies Are Going Unclaimed in Sarasota County, Medical Examiner Says

In 2013, 40 bodies went unclaimed in Sarasota County. In 2023, that number rose to 70.

03/27/2024 By Sarah Owens/Community News Collaborative

Housing

Businesses, Community Groups Seek Solutions to Affordable Housing Crisis

In one poll, 73 percent of local businesses said the lack of affordable housing has affected their ability to recruit and retain workers.

11/13/2023 By Jim DeLa/Community News Collaborative

Government

‘Lilly Glaubach Act’ Aims to Track Down Hit-and-Run Drivers

Senate Bill 194 is named the Lilly Glaubach Act, after the 13-year-old Osprey girl who was killed while riding her bike home from school in 2022.

11/08/2023 By Jim DeLa/Community News Collaborative

Expansion Cycle

Legacy Trail Advocates Eye Linking With Florida Gulf Coast Trail

An expanded trail could connect Sarasota with Tampa and Naples.

10/19/2023 By Jim DeLa/Community News Collaborative

Development

A Developer Wants to Build 170 New Homes Next to the Celery Fields. Environmentalists Are Concerned.

Negotiations are underway to rezone 26 acres of land known as Smith Farm to facilitate its sale to Arlington, Texas-based D.R. Horton.

10/13/2023 By Jim DeLa/Community News Collaborative

Elections

New Voting Rules Prompt Workarounds in Sarasota, Manatee

Critics of SB 7050 say the new law creates unnecessary hurdles for voters, including increasing penalties for clerical errors made by third-party voter registration groups and forcing voters who want to vote by mail to reapply before every election.

09/18/2023 By Jim DeLa/Community News Collaborative

Strike Up the Banned

Bookseller Tiffany Razzano Relishes Dealing in Banned Titles

Razzano's store, This Bookstore Kills Fascists, has set up shop in Sarasota with a selection of “anything they don't want you to read in school.’’

08/31/2023 By Jim DeLa/Community News Collaborative

Education

New College Students Find New Campuses, Tuition Deal in Massachusetts

A large number of New College's 697 students have applied to other schools, and 38 of about 90 full-time faculty members have resigned.

08/18/2023 By Jim DeLa/Community News Collaborative

Curtain Up

The Limelight District Aims to Appeal to City Leaders, Artists

"It's becoming this emerging area for small businesses that are a little bit unique and hip and cool and just different."

08/10/2023 By Jim DeLa/Community News Collaborative

Giving

The Demand for Local Volunteers Often Exceeds the Supply

Our unpaid workforce hasn’t completely bounced back from the pandemic’s upheaval.

06/28/2023 By Jim DeLa

Memorial Day

Memorial Day Takes on a British Accent in Arcadia

An annual observance honors RAF cadets who died in Central Florida while training for World War II.

05/25/2023 By Jim DeLa/Community News Collaborative