Tax Cut, or Tax Shift? The Property-Tax Amendment That Could Remake Longboat Key
On November 3, Floridians will vote on the largest rewrite of the property-tax system in a generation. Few towns in the state have more...
Silent but Deadly: Inside Longboat Key’s Great E-Bike Reckoning
Are they the silent killers — e-bikes and e-scooters whisking quietly over our island, where even the Mennonites race around over the bridge —...
13.7 Inches in the Hole: Sarasota’s Driest Stretch in Years, and its Impact
—It is reaching every lawn, every flower bed, and, as a great many residents are now discovering when they open the mail, every water...
From Tension to Pension: After 40 years in public service, the steadiest heart in Town Hall is going home
Trish Shinkle has long hair and deep blue eyes and a steadiness that 20 years of commission meetings could not wear down. She loved...
Behind the Headlines, Longboat’s Tax Base Quietly Climbs 2% — But the Easy Money Is Gone
—Your home on Longboat Key is, for most of the people who own one, the most consequential investment of a lifetime — the final,...
Last Call on the Suncoast: Economic Headwinds and Heavy Debt Sink Sarasota-Bradenton Breweries
—For nearly a decade, the craft beer scene across Sarasota, Longboat Key, and Manatee County was defined by explosive growth, community-funded expansions, and packed...
A Fabricated Post, A Public Shaming, and One Resident’s Years-Long Fight for the Truth: The Story of Kelly Franklin
—Two years have passed, but for Laurel Park resident Kelly Franklin, the internet refuses to forget.
She describes a lingering, blinding sense of vulnerability—a feeling...
The Legal Anatomy of Franklin’s Two-Front War Against City Hall
—The controversy surrounding the fabricated Facebook post presented at the January 16, 2024, Sarasota City Commission meeting spawned a complex, multi-year legal saga. Laurel...
Inside the Existential Clash Over St. Armands
For nearly a century, St. Armands Circle has operated as the undisputed commercial and cultural crown jewel of Sarasota’s barrier islands. Today, less than...
Sarasota City argues over Downtown Master Plan and tables process after lone bidder voted down
“I don’t give a damn if we have to start from scratch or whatever the deal is, this is our downtown… it is vehemently...