‘That happened to a friend of mine who lives in your neighborhood,’ Lakewood Ranch...
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (WWSB) - Checks are disappearing in Lakewood Ranch, residents tell ABC 7 payments they mailed never made it to their destination. What looks like a normal neighborhood mailbox is now at the center of concern. Residents say checks dropped off there didn’t just get delayed — they were stolen.
‘Cleaned out’: Lakewood Ranch mail theft victims lose hundreds of thousands
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (WWSB) - Residents in Lakewood Ranch are reporting their mailed checks are being stolen and altered, with some victims losing significant amounts of money before banks intervene. John Lucker said his bank contacted him after discovering his check had been altered and the recipient’s name changed...
$31M affordable housing complex opens in north Sarasota
A new affordable housing apartment complex has opened in north Sarasota, between downtown and the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. New Trail Plaza hosted an official ribbon-cutting event on Wednesday at 4644 N. Tamiami Trail, where officials say the property is already more than 50% occupied. Two mid-rise...
Demonstration set for Friday outside North Port High; principal concerns about safety
NORTH PORT — A demonstration will go on despite a school principal’s concerns about safety.
Sheriff seeks details in Sarasota murder-suicide that killed 7
SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help as investigators continue working to determine a motive in a mass murder-suicide that killed seven people last week. Russell Kot, 51, killed his ex-girlfriend and her son in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday before...
Bradenton’s IMG Academy fined $1.7M for taking tuition from Mexican drug cartel associates
IMG Academy, the world-renowned sports boarding school in Bradenton, has agreed to pay a $1.72 million fine after federal investigators discovered the school spent years taking tuition money from individuals linked to a Mexican drug cartel. According to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control...
School bus hits, kills cow in Manatee County
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) - A school bus struck and killed a cow Wednesday in Manatee County, according to the school district. No students or the driver were injured in the crash, the district said. A replacement bus transported all students safely to school. The district did not release additional...
Judge grants summary judgment in Englewood alligator attack wrongful death case
ENGLEWOOD, Fla. (WWSB) - A Sarasota County circuit judge has granted summary judgment to multiple defendants in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed after an 80-year-old woman was fatally attacked by alligators in Englewood. The lawsuit was filed by Kristin Domian, personal representative of the Estate of Rose Marie...
Six students to remain in custody after North Port High School violence
NORTH PORT, Fla. (WWSB) - Six students arrested after a violent incident at North Port High School that seriously injured one student are expected to remain in custody as the investigation continues. Sarasota County Schools Superintendent Terry Connor said at a Sarasota County School Board meeting Tuesday that the...
Iconic train restaurant planned for new Sarasota housing development
Luxury townhome units, affordable housing, and an iconic restaurant with a distinctive circus train theme could soon be coming together near downtown Sarasota. Robbins Real Estate, a real estate sales, leasing, marketing and investing company, handled the recent sale of 3.6 acres at Fruitville Road and School Avenue,...
