Sarasota FL

PUNTA GORDA — Ambitrans is upping its pay for licensed paramedics.

Bradenton narcotics detectives, backed up by the department's SWAT team, executed a search warrant at the home of 61-year-old Brent Williams on Saturday and hauled him off on a slate of drug-related charges, police said. Investigators reported finding roughly 53 grams of crack cocaine and about $3,000 in cash, and...

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has identified the mother and two children who were killed in a Thursday, Feb. 26, murder-suicide in Lakewood Ranch. Deputies responded around 8:30 p.m. to a residence in the 8200 block of Pavia Way in the Lake Club — an upscale gated community in Lakewood Ranch — for a welfare...

Cava, a popular Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant chain, recently opened its first Manatee County location. The restaurant is located at 7145 State Road 64 E., Suite 101, in the Marketplace at Heritage Harbour shopping plaza anchored by Costco near Interstate 75 and State Road 64. Cava’s menu features chicken...

Local nonprofits fear a provision under consideration in Manatee County to prohibit them from serving undocumented immigrants could jeopardize millions of dollars in funding, causing gaps in critical family services. Manatee County commissioners are expected to consider a plan to update funding agreements with...

Florida farmers markets aren’t just “grab some tomatoes and go.”. They’re where you can taste a mango you’ve never seen in a grocery store, argue (politely) about the best sourdough vendor, and leave with flowers you didn’t plan on buying. The catch? The good stuff...

There is a small Italian restaurant on a barrier island off the coast of Sarasota that fills up every single night without spending a dollar on advertising. No billboards, no social media campaigns, no coupon mailers. Just word of mouth, a loyal following, and plates of homemade pasta that people...

There is a small, no-frills diner in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the smell of wood smoke drifts through the air every time someone opens the door. On Fridays, the parking lot fills up fast, and the line of regulars stretches out toward the street. People who grew up in the...

You know that feeling when your GPS says you’ve arrived, but you’re pretty sure you’ve just entered a time portal?. That’s exactly what happens when you pull up to the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish, a tiny town tucked between Tampa and Sarasota that most people blow past on their way to somewhere else.

Over 300 reef balls off the coast of Palmetto are making significant progress toward improving local water quality and recruiting oysters in the Manatee River, officials say. The Palmetto Bay Oyster Restoration Project began in 2023 and, since then, the 23-acre restoration project is attracting a plethora of...