Recent You-Can’t-Make-Them-Up Headlines From Sarasota
Sarasota County deputies found themselves negotiating with a 14-foot, 600-pound alligator who decided a quiet road near Lakewood Ranch was the perfect place to settle in for the winter. It took seven deputies and a trapper to persuade the reptile otherwise. Eventually, the gator was escorted—unhurried and...
Attorney Janella Leibovitz Gives Foster Kids a Voice in Court
It was only a matter of time before attorney Janella Leibovitz turned her passion for advocating for children in foster care into a career. Growing up in Miami, Leibovitz volunteered at a shelter for abused, neglected and abandoned teens when she was in high school. “When I walked into the bathroom of the shelter,...
Manatee County purchases two easements, conserves nearly 1,500 acres
Over the past two years, Manatee County has purchased approximately 309 acres of environmentally valuable land to conserve in perpetuity. The funding came after 71% of voters chose to increase their ad valorem tax by 0.15 mills and allow the county to bond up to $50 million to purchase conservation land and easements...
Warehouse key for future Sarasota County waterfront development sells
The recent $8 million sale of a key Seaboard District warehouse property in Venice could someday help jump-start redevelopment of the area from light industrial to mixed use, adding restaurants, shops and residences. The seven-building campus at 249 Seaboard Avenue represents 53,590 square feet of leasable warehouse...
St. Armands Circle gets new element of whimsy with Tiny Door installation
Artist Joan Love couldn't hope for a better reaction to her work than when children spy the works hidden in plain sight. Whether it's because their perspective is a little closer to the ground, they have an eye for magic or some combination of the two, they have a talent for being some of the first to find her "Tiny...
Peace River Wildlife Center gets $6K grant from Community Foundation of Sarasota
Peace River Wildlife Center (PRWC) has received a $6,000 Capacity Building Grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to support the implementation of volunteer management software. Funding for the grant comes from the Community Foundation’s Edward K. Roberts Emerging Need Fund. This funding will help...
A Florida bill would prohibit local governments from eliminating their own fossil fuel use
Sarasota is on track to power city operations with renewable energy 100% by 2030, and city-wide by 2045. City commissioner Liz Alpert said Florida Senate Bill 1628 would put a stop to that. "I think it really hampers any of the efforts that we have been doing in the city...
Contentious meeting resutls in pared down golf course clubhouse
Gone is the vision of a two-story Bobby Jones Golf Course clubhouse with wraparound veranda offering a panoramic view of the course and, farther in the distance, the adjacent nature park. Gone is the second-floor restaurant sized to accommodate special and private events with the cart barn below. In addition,...
Building safer roads for cyclists worth a discussion in Manatee County
It is borderline crazy that it takes a tragedy for us to discuss a critical issue. The death of Village Idiots member Patrick Franklin Sr. on Jan. 22 on El Conquistador Parkway, just east of 43rd Street West in Bradenton, has left the cycling community both shocked and angry. Village...
Landmark downtown Sarasota hotel torn down for new project
A new development in downtown Sarasota has taken a big step forward with an even bigger demolition: the Hyatt Regency, after more than 50 years as a landmark waterfront property just off U.S. 41, has been totally torn down. Delray Beach-based developer Kolter Urban is overseeing the redevelopment project, which...
