Manatee County Commission Notes: 3/3/26
The League of Women Voters of Manatee County Government Committee observes Manatee County Commission meetings for items of interest to citizens and the League, and notes adherence to, or lack of adherence to, good governance procedures and the Sunshine Law. The following are the major points from the board’s regular...
Florida House approves scaled-back UTC District that Benderson would control
The Florida House of Representatives unanimously approved a scaled-back bill Wednesday to create a special district around the booming University Town Center area — a proposal that would still give one of the region’s largest developers significant influence over the new entity spanning more than 1,400 acres across...
Lakewood Ranch residents targeted in check scam
Residents in Lakewood Ranch have reported a check washing scam after they noticed their bank accounts were drained. FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.
Sarasota city residents encouraged to attend one of three area meetings this month focused...
The Coalition of City Neighborhood Associations of Sarasota (CCNA) is encouraging its members to attend one of three meetings this month that the City of Sarasota will host on traffic calming issues. The sessions have been planned to enable the public “to learn about the work completed to evaluate speeding...
Englewood pro skimboarder goes from operating room to launching wakesurfing business
ENGLEWOOD — Skimboarder Etienne Beaugrand, known as ET, said sometimes you have to wait up to 20 minutes for the right wave.
Major I-75 crash delays drivers over 30 minutes, Friday morning
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) - Drivers are stuck in an over 7 mile gridlock on I-75 southbound, due to a major multi-vehicle crash. The crash is just past the State Road 70 on-ramp, and earlier, all but one lane was open. Delay times are at over 30 minutes from the...
Hoax bomb in Venice: cell phone threat shuts down shopping plaza
SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - A routine workday for Katherine McCloskey took an alarming turn when she arrived to start her shift at a hair salon in Venice Commons, only to find the entire shopping plaza wrapped in crime scene tape. “Little concerning because they had a complete whole shopping center...
Owner of Forest Lakes Golf Course backs out of sale to Sarasota County
Homeowners who live near the site to purchase it instead. This week, Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis publicly informed the county commissioners that the county’s planned purchase of the Forest Lakes Golf Course in Sarasota no longer will take place. Instead, The Sarasota News Leader has learned, a group...
Sarasota lab to pay $980K over kickback, false claims allegations
A now inactive Sarasota laboratory will pay $980,000 to resolve allegations it violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Allin IP DX LLC — which was based at 1. S. School Ave., Suite 900 — violated...
Sarasota County Commission rejects code amendment allowing high-density hotels on Siesta Key
Sarasota County commissioners unanimously rejected a proposed change to development rules on Siesta Key this week.
