Every Resident Affected: Phase II Water Rules Extend Across 11 Counties in Southwest Florida
The Southwest Florida Water Management District just declared a severe water shortage and voted to impose Phase II drought restrictions. These rules stay in effect until July. If you live in Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, or Sumter counties, or parts of...
Cold Weather shelters open in Sarasota, Charlotte, and Manatee County
SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Cold Weather shelters open across the Suncoast as temperatures are expected to drop over the weekend. The Salvation Army – Center of Hope, 1400 10th St., Sarasota, will conduct their cold weather operations plan Saturday, Jan. 31 and Sunday, Feb. 1. Dinner will be served...
City of Sarasota to replace all 17,000 residential water meters
SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The City of Sarasota will replace all 17,000 residential water meters with new devices that will allow customers to monitor their water use, the city announced Friday. The project will begin in March and is expected to take two years to complete. Installation will be conducted...
Nonprofit to buy building for Sarasota apprenticeship academy
A Sarasota County nonprofit focused on workforce development plans to buy a former restaurant to house a new apprenticeship program. The Building Industry Institute, doing business as Suncoast Apprenticeship Academy, is purchasing 5921 Fruitville Road for approximately $1.8 million, including closing costs and legal...
North Port breaks ground on new flagship fire station
NORTH PORT, Fla. (WWSB) - The City of North Port broke ground Thursday on the reconstruction of Fire Station 81, the community’s flagship fire station.. Built in 1998, Station 81 serves as both a fire station and the administrative headquarters for North Port Fire Rescue on the City Hall campus along City Center...
Trash talk continues in Manatee County
After hearing steady complaints from residents, Manatee County is revisiting its garbage contracts with Waste Pro and Waste Management. “The problem we have here is that the prior board made a decision that one size fits all, and it just doesn’t work in all of the districts,” Commissioner Bob McCann said. "We have to...
7 Southern housing markets where prices could crash in the next 12 months
Southern housing markets that overheated during the pandemic are now facing a sharp reversal, with several cities projected to see outright price declines rather than a gentle cooldown. I focus here on seven specific markets where forecasts and recent sales data point to the real possibility of a crash in the next 12...
High tides expected throughout Manatee County
Due to the upcoming full moon higher-than-normal tides are expected throughout Manatee County on Friday and Saturday.
Sarasota jury finds Brennan Wakey guilty of manslaughter
In a span of roughly five minutes, trial evidence showed Brennan Wakey went from reclining on a bed to exiting the Hyatt Place hotel, leaving Colton Wright lying on the hotel floor with a gunshot wound to his face. The central question: Did Wakey fire his gun at 24-year-old Wright with the intent of killing him, or...
This decades‑old Florida seafood shack in Cortez still draws hour‑long lines
If patience had a flavor, it would taste like this. Star Fish Company in Cortez doesn’t chase trends or tidy lines. It serves seafood the old way — fast hands, salty air, and plates that earn every minute of waiting. The line curls down the dock, the sun...
