Then: Four out of 10 Floridians support or sympathize with Christian Nationalism, and we have a U.S. administration that is pushing the envelope. An event in Sarasota is trying to raise awareness of what many Americans perceive as a danger to democracy.  

Next: Jen Ahearn-Koch wants to be re-elected - again - as Sarasota City Commissioner. We have a profile.

Our next candidate profile: Kristina Sargent is challenging incumbent Mark Smith for the District 2 seat of the Sarasota County Commission. 

Then: Two recent, high-profile road deaths of bicyclists in the region have stirred up biking activists. 

Next: Frank DiCicco seeks to fill the Sarasota school board seat left by Robyn Marinelli. Ed James the Third brings you a profile.

Then: Measles are on the rise again, but Sarasota has one of the lowest child vaccination rates. 

Finally: We have a report on the power ladies that shaped Sarasota’s history.

Then: One of the area’s oldest Black cemeteries has been in a state of neglect, and some graves have been vandalized. Our reporter Brice Claypoole found that history is repeating itself.

Next: To make way for a block-filling twin-tower condo project downtown, the city is allowing a developer to tear down a unique, century-old structure - without public review. Suncoast Searchlight brings us this story.

Then: Hurricane season begins Monday, and we have an update on forecasts - and on drones.

Then: Planet Earth’s biggest data center may be built some 40 miles from Sarasota. Suncoast Searchlight brings us that story.

Next: Another Suncoast Searchlight report: While in budget negotiations in Tallahassee, a local legislator is trying to permanently end a fight between the Sarasota School District and the Sarasota Tax Collector. 

Next: John Harshman wants to be your next Sarasota city commissioner. We will bring you a profile of the long-time commercial realtor.

Finally: Staying with candidate profiles: You may have got to know Michelle Pozzie as a passionate anti-masking and medical freedom advocate. She is now running for a Sarasota School Board seat.

Next: Developers are pushing a massive data center project in rural DeSoto County. Will the pushback stop it?

Next: A Bradenton museum exhibition celebrates the history of Latino involvement in baseball and American culture.

Next: We are continuing our profiles of local candidates. Today: Megan Tennimon, who is running for Sarasota School Board.

Finally: A conscious listening effort in Manatee County brought together both sides of the aisle.  

Next: The Sarasota County Commission yesterday took back part of its recent surprise vote to cover expenses of school tax collections, conditioning it on the outcome of a lawsuit. 

Then: Paid parking on Sundays brought upon the City of Sarasota the wrath of downtown churches.

Next: The shallow Phillippi Creek has triggered a lot of anxiety, after the waterway flooded dozens of homes in the epic 2024 storm season. But Sarasota County now has completed Phase 1 dredging of the waterway, complying with a major demand of nearby residents.

Zander Moricz is at it again. This week, the youth organizer and viral debater was in Oxford to discuss the prompt “Youth activism is primarily performative”. We were at the debate watch party of his SEE Alliance in downtown Sarasota.

Greg Steube sailed to re-election twice, easily. In November he will again face a Democratic challenger, but in the last races, Steube did not think it was necessary to ever address his challengers. We bring you a profile of Steube, the incumbent candidate.

Our final candidate profile today is of Mark Smith. He is the incumbent in the District 2 race for Sarasota County Commission.  

Then: Two Democratic challengers are trying to take the U.S. House seat held by Greg Steube in the Sarasota district. Today, we bring you a profile of Allen Spence.

Next: The Old Memphis graveyard in Palmetto, a historically Black cemetery, has been vandalized. We tell you what happened.

Then: If you’re wondering about that growing dirt pile on the parking lot of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, we have some answers. 

Finally: A group of Jewish community activists launched an organization on the Suncoast that they say is more free to take on local issues. We’re trying to understand how they are not just another Jewish Federation.

Next: Booker High School is an institution in Sarasota’s African American Community, and picking the next principal is a high profile issue. Ed James III was there for a candidate event.

Next: Two Democratic challengers are trying to take the U.S. House seat held by Greg Steube in the Sarasota district. We begin with Matt Montavon.

Finally: NOAA’s hurricane hunters made a stop at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

Next: In another rather unexpected vote two weeks ago, the Sarasota County Commissioners tried to rein in a state law called the Live Local Act. The move set the county on a confrontation course with the state, and the commissioners are now trying to understand the legal implications.

Then: Three times was NOT the charm for the developer of what could be the tallest tower in downtown. The Sarasota City Commission rejected a modified proposal of the Obsidian, again.

Then: 27 years. That’s how long Larry Thompson has been in charge of Ringling College of Art & Design. He has three weeks left on the job, and our reporter sat down with him for an exit interview. 

Next: It’s Round 3 for a controversial proposal to build downtown Sarasota’s tallest tower, on a quite small lot.

Then: The controversial concrete crushing plant on the edge of downtown has a new operator. But it does not have the permits it needs to actually operate. 

Next: The revenue-strapped Sarasota School District is suing the tax collector, and Suncoast Searchlight tells us why.

Finally: In times of division, one Sarasota group tries to bring us diversity, solidarity - and harmony. Ed James III tells us more about that.

Then: Sarasota County Democrats are apologizing for a viral social media post following an gunman opening fire at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner.

Next: An event held by Sarasota United For Responsibility put the spotlight on officials on the big gap for youth mental health services.

Then: A controversial construction plant is under new management, but could it just be more of the same? 

Finally: Sarasota County has launched a new affordable legal counseling program, connecting potential clients to lawyers in their field of need.

Then: We continue our dive into the District 1 race for Sarasota School Board. Today, we will have a close look at candidate Teresa DeWitt and Heidi Brandt.

Next: Research to mitigate Red Tide is blooming in Sarasota. Will it make a difference in the next outbreak? Suncoast Searchlight tries to find answers. 

Then: Every three years, one of the biggest funders of non-profits in this region is going through a deep listening exercise. We’ll tell you what 1,500 people on the Suncoast said were their biggest concerns.

Finally: A group of Sarasota and Manatee high school students is learning about history where it happened: In Selma, Alabama.

Then: The Sarasota Property Appraiser heads a PAC in support of gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds. What gives? Suncoast Searchlight brings us this report.

Next: The Sarasota School Board yesterday passed a set of new policies, including one that punishes student protest during school hours. Ramon Lopez brings us the details.

Speaking of Sarasota schools:  We are putting the focus on the race for the school board seat held by Bridget Ziegler. We begin our profiles of District 1 candidates with Jimmy Glover.   

Then: It’s Earth Day, and Gretchen Cochran brings us the report about a merger between two non-profits that now cover the whole food cycle - from seed to compost.

And our final tribute to Earth Day comes from WSLR staffer Reiña Phair: It’s a call to move away from bottled water.

Next:  180 teachingl positions in Sarasota County schools are on the chopping block, due to a budget shortfall within the district. Suncoast Searchlight brings us this story.

After that: The one-year anniversary of the “Hands off our Social Security" protest. What has been accomplished in the past 52 weeks? Where do organizers see the movement going?

Next: How did folks on the right side of the aisle feel about the nationwide “No Kings Protests”? 

Finally: “Fish Fry & Fellowship”, a locally made documentary focused on late Palmetto icon Coach Eddie Shannon premieres this Saturday. 

Next: ICE is looking for office space in Florida, including in Sarasota. Suncoast Searchlight brings us this story.

Then: Sarasota Senator Joe Gruters’ parting gift to his constituents is an insurance bill that could raise the cost of those living in condos, apartments and retirement homes. It also sets up a major contributor to Republican campaigns to make a windfall.

Finally: ‘No Kings Day’ mobilized thousands in Sarasota County. A trio of WSLR News reporters bring us their observations.

Next: Expect thousands of opponents of the Trump agenda to rally this Saturday along the Suncoast for another “No Kings Day”. Ed James III has a preview of local events.

Then: The Sarasota School Board approved a new student protest policy. Ramon Lopez reports.

Then: So the City of Sarasota committed to safeguarding the historic Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. But that’s a quite complex undertaking, and it’s not happening overnight. Gretchen Cochran talked to a city engineer.

Next: Traffic calming in neighborhoods is high on the City of Sarasota’s agenda. Rhatia Murphy reports.

Finally: Kelly Franklin and Ron Kashden’s community organizing has made an impact. This weekend, the Sarasota power couple was recognized for that.

Next: The State of Florida seems to have the power to shut down a controversial concrete crushing plant near downtown Sarasota. But will it? Jackson Rothman is looking for answers.

Then: Mark Vengroff has become a household name on the Suncoast as a developer and manager of workforce housing. Suncoast Searchlight reporter Kelly Kirschner profiles Vengroff’s rise.

Finally: Three years after the political takeover of New College of Florida, a documentary about the events and their impact on students and teachers is hitting the film festival circuit. Brice Claypoole brings us the details.

Next: On the board of New College, a culture war crusader is out, and a football coach is in. We’re taking a close look at what Urban Meyer has to say about education.

Then: An agreement with a large commercial developer to run their golf courses is creating anxiety at one of Sarasota’s oldest planned developments. 

Next: If you live in the City of Sarasota, you have rented one of those e-scooters at least three times. Statistically, that is. Ed James III puts the spotlight on our fast-growing micromobility and the conflicts that come with it.

Finally: Our reporter Rhatia Murphy will take you on a stroll through the area’s farmers’ markets.

Then: The Sarasota City Commission gave a nod to a scaled-down proposal for a new performing arts center, but it’s happening under a cloud of bigger financial uncertainty.

Then: Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport has been disaster-free since 2000. But is SRQ ready when planes crash?

Finally: "Through Womens Eyes" will kick off Friday. We focus in on that film festival.

Then: On Monday, City of Sarasota Commissioners will be presented with an updated and scaled down proposal for a new performing arts center. Parking should be a key part of that presentation, but it probably will not, as Gretchen Cochran reports.

Next: The Torch troubles started with a bang and ended in a whimper this week. Our reporter Klaus Obermeit interviewed Pine View high school journalists who put together the Torch student newspaper, to find out what they learned from their principal’s incrimination of two articles.

Finally: Sarasota’s Booker schools are home to Scratch Made. That’s a program that steers students to professional kitchens and careers in gastronomy. Jackson Rothman gives us a taste.

Next: Owning a home in a developer-controlled neighborhood can come with hidden costs and other pitfalls. A pending bill in the Florida legislature seeks to rein in these private governments. Suncoast Searchlight brings us that story.

In young Sarasota, the Leonard Reid House is among the oldest. The non-profit that runs the cultural center in that building in Newtown will be celebrating its centennial this weekend.

Finally: Sarasota - meet the Freedge. Community fridges that are stocked with fresh food for the taking are a national phenomenon, and one of them just opened in one of Sarasota’s food deserts.

Next: Who will be the next Sarasota city manager? The commissioners boiled down the field of applicants to six, and a front runner has emerged.

Next: A controversial affordable housing project run by the City of Sarasota is back. Suncoast Searchlight brings you the details.

Finally: Immigration enforcement is on everyone’s mind. A WSLR panel this Saturday will feature two sheriffs and an immigrant advocate.

Next: In the race for District 4, the recent past chair of the Sarasota County Commission, Joe Neunder, will be facing a Republican opponent in the primaries. Jim DeNiro is a cop. 

Then: A Florida tip line that is supposed to provide leads about law enforcement not doing a good job on immigration has turned into a snitch line for neighbors.

Finally: Minneapolis is making national headlines with Operation Metro Surge, and Somali immigrants are at the center of that ICE storm. Lul Kassim decided to move from Bradenton to Minnesota, because she believed it was a better place to raise her children. We have her story. 

Next: Last week, the Sarasota School Board narrowly passed a resolution promising full cooperation with ICE. But what does this actually mean? Alice Herman with Suncoast Searchlight tries to find answers.

Then: An investigative report by Suncoast Searchlight and the Bradenton Herald showed a trend of rising abuses by teachers in the Manatee County school district. Josh Salman brings us a follow-up report about how the district pledges improvement.

Finally: Trump is imposing an energy blockade on the island to our south. Massive blackouts in Cuba are becoming increasingly likely.

Then: Florida’s Live Local Act is meant to produce affordable housing. But one Sarasota County Commissioner has problems with that law. Ramon Lopez has that story.

Finally: The killing by ICE agents of a nurse in Minneapolis is making waves in Sarasota, too, where a couple hundred people gathered yesterday. Jackson Rothman reports.

Next: The grandchildren of the family whose name is on the Van Wezel shocked some in Sarasota when they endorsed the project of a new performing arts center. We have a report with more details about their rationale and the design changes that convinced them.

Then: Public speakers at the first Sarasota City commission meeting this year were getting pushback from Mayor Debbie Trice. Suncoast Searchlight has a report.

Next: The Amaryllis Park Neighborhood Association in Newtown is putting the focus on crime and restorative justice. Ed James the Third reports.

Finally: Amid the Trump Administration’s crackdown, immigrants are easy prey to legal scammers. Suncoast Searchlight reports.

Then: Sarasota School Board member Bridget Ziegler got her way: Her proposed resolution pledging full cooperation with ICE and other law enforcement triggered a protest, more than four hours of public comment at yesterday’s school board meeting, and a narrow vote in favor of the resolution.  

Next: More developer control - a bill filed in the state legislature would give the Suncoast’s biggest private landowner taxing authority. That raises a lot of questions, as Suncoast Searchlight reports.

Finally: This year’s theme of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrations in Sarasota was “uniting nations in a peaceful way”. Ed James the Third reports for WSLR.

Next: Immigration enforcement continues to make ripples. For one - an estimated 1,000 protesters rallied in Sarasota, Venice and Englewood this weekend, responding to the killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Then: The water war at a developer-run community in south Sarasota County’s Wellen Park has been settled - but some of the plaintiffs have been thrown under the bus. Suncoast Searchlight brings us this report. 

Finally: The Van Wezel family has been opposed to plans to put the Purple Cow out to pasture. But now, the proponents of a new performing arts center have managed to get the Van Wezels’ grandchildren on their side. We will tell you why they changed their mind.

Then: Enrollment at two historic schools in Sarasota’s historic African American neighborhood has dipped, while enrollment at a new charter school has gone up. We have a report why - despite this - there’s excitement in Newtown about the future of those schools.

Next: A big commercial development in Venice is winding its way through the approval process, and we have the details. 

Then: More affordable housing for seniors in walking distance to downtown took a step towards construction in the Sarasota City Commission - but not without controversy.

Finally: Many Venezuelans in Florida are elated about the U.S. intervention in their country. We interviewed one who is not.

Next: Trump’s EPA is trying to redefine “wetlands”. If passed, a big chunk of Florida wetlands could lose their protection. Brice Claypoole has this report. 

Next: The Manatee County school district has seen a spate of teacher misbehavior recently, and the handling of the cases has contributed to the dismissal of a superintendent. Suncoast Searchlight brings us that story.

Then: Between storms, flood and drought and resulting financial strain, Florida farmers are under duress. The “Mind Your Melon” program is trying to help. WSLR News reporter Gretchen Cochran explains.

Finally: Immigrant families are in distress, too. This weekend, not just one, but two vigils in Sarasota will send a signal of support.

Then: Rattlesnake Key was just sold to a private buyer. WSLR News reporter Brice Claypoole tries to find out what that means for what is the longest stretch of natural coastline in Manatee County.

Next: Just five years ago, a pair of Trump followers and election deniers on the Suncoast launched Defend Florida, and the outfit saw a meteoric rise in influence. But now, Florida legislators are distancing themselves. Suncoast Searchlight brings us that story.

Suncoast Searchlight also has a story on how Sarasota County got tied up in a new legal battle over rights to beach property and access.

Next: The arts community in Sarasota is still reeling from the erasure of hundreds of pieces of sidewalk art in September. Will a lawsuit be filed? Dania Hefley has a report.

Then: The Trump administration is saber rattling around Venezuela. We interviewed a close observer who will be talking at a World Affairs Council event in Sarasota tomorrow.

Finally: WSLR reporter Ramon Lopez took a close look at an unusual theater production. It’s about a school shooting, and some of the actors are school students. 

Then: Decades after a military contractor polluted the groundwater in a majority African American community in Manatee County, the cleanup is slow to come. WSLR News reporter Ramon Lopez brings us Part 3 of his series on Tallevast.

Next: Sarasota County has come up with a new way of killing mosquitos: By applying pesticides from drones. 

Then: Artists on the Suncoast who produce public art are coping with erasure. Our reporter talked to a painter of murals whose art was erased not once, but twice.

Next: Her four-year old twin sister died during Josef Mengele’s concentration camp experiments with twins. She survived. Our reporter talked to Sora Vigorito, who will be coming to Venice.

Finally: The hosts of WSLR's Our Changing Environment interviewed an expert of wild turkeys.

Then: The Trump administration wants to expand oil drilling in the Gulf closer to Florida shores. It’s no surprise that has prompted pushback here - but the pushback comes from both sides of the political aisle.

Next: There’s a ceasefire in Gaza, but the dying continues. A Sarasota activist responds by organizing a fundraiser for Palestinian children.

Finally: For 15 years, Unidos Now has worked to move immigrants towards the mainstream. The Sarasota non-profit celebrated with a big Quinceañera party in Palmetto.

Then: Sarasota Commissioners voted down a comprehensive plan amendment that could have transformed Siesta Key. Ramon Lopez reports.

Next: A community advocate is bringing a countywide coalition of neighborhood groups back to life. She told the hosts of WSLR’s Our Changing Environment all about it.

Then: A local group that helps put immigrants on the path through college is celebrating 15 years of work. Johannes Werner learned about the group’s plans for the future.

Then: We break down how the controversial SB 180 is creating new friction between state lawmakers and grassroots Republicans over local control. Alice Newman with Suncoast Searchlight brings us the report. 

Next: In Manatee County, the planning commission approved a big  Lennar housing project, moving forward under a trade-off that dedicates funding for infrastructure but neglects to include affordable housing. 

Finally:  Shifting to local education, the controversial Schools of Hope law is heating up in Sarasota, as two different for-profit operators simultaneously filed to occupy space on the same two public school campuses. Derek Gilliam shares the facts.

Then: Sarasota was a global pioneer a quarter century ago when it became home to one of the first canopy walkways. Now, an effort is on to preserve and improve it. Brice Claypoole reports.

Next: A busload of Sarasota clerics and activists took a ride to the Alligator Alcatraz, and our reporter Ramon Lopez tagged along.

Then: Community Development Districts - the developer-controlled entities that tax homeowners, often with little to no representation - have received a not too flattering spotlight. The Manatee County Commission just approved two more CDDs.

Next: Should Sarasota County have a recurring funding source for its land preservation efforts? Securing the future of this program will be up to you, as this will be a ballot question next year.

Then: Low school enrollment in Sarasota seems to respond more to demographics than to performance. Occupancy at Sarasota charter schools is as low as in public schools, the Suncoast Searchlight found. 

Next: Publix decided to invite customers who openly carry firearms. Many disagree that this will make grocery shopping a pleasure. Lynn Aragon has that report.

Then: Using incentives for developers, Manatee County has produced more than a thousand units of what is called workforce housing. But rents for these apartments are still out of reach for most working people. So the county commission tomorrow will discuss changing tack.

Finally: Clergy have been among the most outspoken critics of the crackdown against immigrants. Sarasota has been a hotspot of religious resistance, as Ramon Lopez reports.  

Then: A for-profit charter operator is asking the Sarasota School District for free access to a school for the disabled. That raises questions, and Suncoast Searchlight is seeking answers. 

Next: A religious coalition in Sarasota this Sunday is joining a national action in support of immigrants called Disappeared in America. We have the details.

Then: A Sarasota police investigation found a neighbor who sent threatening texts about basketball playing kids in the majority black Central-Cocoanut neighborhood is not a danger to the community. The hoop is back up. But what’s next? We interviewed neighbors and activists.

Finally: Is the ambitious Sarasota Performing Arts Center plan alive? The non-profit behind the $400 million project is planning a gala fundraiser, and Gretchen Cochran tried to find out what it’s about.  

Next: The Schools of Hope law forces districts to hand over buildings of underused schools to private operators. That, in turn, has prompted the Sarasota school district into a flurry of reorganization plans to fill school buildings with low enrollment. But now, the superintendent retracted a consolidation plan - the second turnaround within a week. 

Then: Jon Thaxton was an unusual recent addition to the Sarasota County Planning Commission. The former county commissioner and long-time environmental activist was expected to change the public perception that this appointed advisory board is a rubber stamp for developers. But his first vote took many by surprise.

Finally: At a film screening and panel discussion about the war in Ukraine, we asked the panelists about their reactions to Trump’s peacemaking efforts. 

Next: The Sarasota Sheriff’s Office seems eager to cooperate with ICE in the crackdown against immigrants. This comes from Suncoast Searchlight.

Then: A New College professor was denied emeritus status by the administration - a case of political retribution?

Next: The future of the historic VanWezel Performing Arts Center looks brighter now. We explain why.

Finally: Our reporter was there when Sarasota first responders practiced how to handle active shooter situations. 

Next: Noem’s visit came 48 hours after No Kings protests brought thousands to the streets in this area. Klaus Obermeit has that report. 

Then: The Sarasota School district is under pressure to prevent Schools of Hope takeovers of public schools here.  But students and parents are pushing back against consolidation plans.

Next: The Sarasota County Commission rejected a scaled-down project by a national homebuilder. We have the details.

Finally: The City of Sarasota wants to bury power lines on barrier islands that were flooded during last year’s storms. 

Next: The Bay - the big park project near downtown Sarasota - is expanding north, into the next two phases. We have the details. 

Then: Gotta go? Hopefully not during a city commission meeting. Suncoast Searchlight brings you breaking news about plumbing at Sarasota City Hall.

Finally: Manatee County is opening up public use of a big chunk of county-owned agricultural land near Lakewood Ranch.

Next: Phillippi Creek flooded many homes during last year’s storm season. One year later, Sarasota County will soon get dredging underway. 

Then: Groundwater contamination keeps spreading at the historically African American community of Tallevast. They have been in a two decades-long David-vs-Goliath fight with Lockheed Martin, and going. Ramon Lopez brings you Part 2 of our three-part series.

Finally: A local theater brings actual voices of immigrants on stage. We have this report from Suncoast Searchlight.

Next: It’s raining private takeover notifications. The same for-profit school operator that wants to occupy three public school buildings in Sarasota has notified the Manatee County School District it wants access to two schools there.

Then: We get an update from one of the lead plaintiffs in a case that could shut down the immigrant detention camp in the Everglades.

Then: Sarasota County decided not to sell the land on which the Hermitage Artist Retreat stands. But how will it finally be fixed? Noah Vinsky brings us the details.

Finally: The historic African American neighborhood of Tallevast is still dealing with the fallout of decades of soil and groundwater contamination. Ramon Lopez brings us Part 1 of a three-part series.

Then: The race for Bridget Ziegler’s school board seat is heating up. Brice Claypoole reports.

Next: The non-profit in charge of developing The Bay park near downtown Sarasota picked a politically connected family business to run a yet-to-be-built waterview restaurant. Gretchen Cochran has the scoop.

Next: At a packed community meeting this weekend about flooding and stormwater management, one county commissioner admitted to “sins of the past”. Ramon Lopez has that story.

Finally: The architect of U.S. holocaust indemnification agreements is in Sarasota for a talk tomorrow. We talked to Stuart Eizenstat, to get his views on how to avoid a repeat of fascism and the Holocaust, on Trump and diplomacy, and on the Carter administration’s achievements.

Then: Distress is spreading amid the immigrant crackdown. Many are unable to go to work, stuck at home, or sick. A group of Sarasota churches is stepping in with help. Ramon Lopez reports.

Next: Wilkinson Elementary could be the first public school ever in Sarasota to close. But many more could end up on the chopping block, as Suncoast Searchlight reports.

Next: Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo wants to end all vaccination mandates and ban one type of vaccines. His predecessor speaks out against this. We bring you excerpts of a WSLR interview with Scott Rivkees.

Finally: It’s Hispanic Heritage Month, and the Ringling Museum of Art is providing a big platform to local Hispanic artists. We have the details about Nuestro Vaivén, an exhibition that’s much more than just paintings on walls. 

Then: It’s Hispanic Heritage Month, and the Ringling Museum of Art is providing a big platform to local Hispanic artists. We have the details about Nuestro Vaivén, an exhibition that’s much more than just paintings on walls. 

Next: It used to be that eating local and growing organic food was the realm of old hippies and tree huggers. Our reporter found that the chair of the all-Republican Sarasota County Commission is now a spokesperson for Eat Local Week.

Then: It’s been two years since a young man in Palmetto lost his life while in police custody. His mother is putting together an event this Friday to remember Breonte, and to prevent more deaths like his.

Finally: Suncoast demographics and parks make the crossover possible: A teenager from Bradenton is conquering the pickleball pro rankings. Partner station WMNF has that profile.

Next: Open Carry is upon us, and WSLR News reporter Brice Claypoole is looking at the implications. One thing is certain: There’s uncertainty. Even sheriffs seem to disagree over what you can and cannot do.

Next: A construction debris recycler is stirring up dust in the Cocoanut-Central neighborhood near downtown Sarasota. Partner station WMNF has a report.

Then: A Bradenton family is going public about how deportation is tearing them apart and threatening a mother's life. Ramon Lopez reports about at a press conference. 

Finally: The Sarasota County-owned Hermitage Artist Retreat on Casey Key was seriously damaged by hurricanes last year, and it’s still being fixed. This week, county commissioners talked about its future, and WSLR News’ Noah Vinsky reports.

Next: ICE is increasingly mining Florida jails for undocumented immigrants to arrest. That leaves in limbo many who have been arrested on minor charges. Suncoast Searchlight brings us this report.

Then: Today, the Florida Board of Education discussed how to implement a new law that would allow charter schools to take over public schools and their buildings. We have a report on the first school in Sarasota that may close - in anticipation of "Schools of Hope" enforcement.

Finally: He’s an illustrator, he wants to publish a book about hats - and he actually makes hats, too. WSLR News was at an exhibition opening in Sarasota featuring Oliver Dominguez’s art … and hats. 

Next: The Sarasota County Planning Commission has long been seen by activists as a rubber stamp board for developers. But at least one recent appointment could be changing that perception.

Then: That same board will be weighing a 1,000-unit project on agricultural land by a prominent developer. We have the details.

Next: The ongoing immigration crackdown has thrown one Bradenton family into extreme distress. Ramon Lopez talked to a mother of two who is homebound facing a serious health challenge.

Then: Sarasota clerics are organizing weekly prayer vigils in support of immigrants. We have the details. 

Next: Free speech on campus is in the spotlight. We talked to a watchdog group that ranks universities’ free speech environment, to find out why Florida colleges are not looking good.

Then: A small business owner in Sarasota ended up in a social media tornado, after she reposted an Instagram post on Charlie Kirk. We talked to her.

Next: Florida schools are failing teenagers when it comes to sex education. Dania Hefley has that report.

Finally: A first-responder ceremony in Sarasota reminded us of September 11, and Ramon Lopez has a report reminding us of this area’s close ties to the events of that day in 2001.

Next: Sarasota County is committing to keeping Midnight Pass open, after last year’s hurricanes blew open that inlet on Siesta Key. But that comes at a risk and cost.

Then: New vaccine policies are creating confusion. Our reporter helps you understand what it now takes to get a COVID booster shot. 

Next: After nearly 70 years, Sister Cities International is as American as apple pie. But in today’s political environment, that people-to-people organization is facing headwinds. Our reporter talked to the diplomat who chairs the Sarasota chapter of Sister Cities about the challenges.

Finally: Clergy in Sarasota are beginning weekly prayer vigils and protests against the treatment of immigrants.

Next:  If you’re a homeowner in Sarasota County, there’s more rising cost: The stormwater fee on your annual property tax bill. The county commission met Friday  to discuss stormwater management.

Next: Here’s another radical idea coming out of New College of Florida: Privatize it. Suncoast Searchlight brings us this report.

Then: David Jolly is a former Republican running as a Democrat for governor of Florida. Ahead of a visit to Sarasota next week, he answered a few questions from our reporter Brice Claypoole.

Finally: Mark Vengroff’s One Stop Housing is on a roll. His workforce housing projects are multiplying in the area, and we bring you excerpts of a one-hour interview he gave to WSLR’s Peace and Justice Report this week.

Next: Responding to an ultimatum by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the City of Bradenton removed paintings off sidewalks at Village of the Arts. Brice Claypoole reports. 

Then: It’s Labor Day this Monday, and we have union news. For one, City of Sarasota employees voted overwhelmingly last week to continue to be represented by the Teamsters. In other Teamster news, hundreds of warehouse workers in Sarasota got their first contract ever, and that comes with a big bump in hourly pay. We have the details.

Finally: Did you know? One union in Sarasota is turning 100 this year. They will celebrate with a cake on Labor Day, and we will tell you which union it is.

Next up: Everybody is riled up about flooding. WSLR News reporter Ramon Lopez got Sarasota County’s new stormwater management czar in front of his microphone, and he asked Ben Quartermaine a few questions.

Then: After hand-wringing about runaway spending and a possible deficit opening up in a few years, Sarasota County Commissioners agreed to hold a fifth budget workshop this week. It ended with few, if any, cuts, as Suncoast Searchlight reports.

Finally: A Miami judge just upended the immigrant detention center in the Everglades set up by the state government. We get local reactions.

Next up: Layoffs at Sarasota County’s largest manufacturing company seem to continue, after a merger last fall that resulted in the elimination of an entire shift. WSLR News reporter Noah Vinsky has the story of a struggling couple in North Port.

Then: We continue to follow the deportation of a young woman from North Port. Today, Ramon Lopez brings us the third chapter of her journey: What does the future look like for Lulu Martinez in Mexico? And what are her legal options, if she tried to return to the United States?

Then: Speaking of deportations - a protest is coming up in Sarasota this weekend. 

Finally: Rob Lorei was not loud, but this Tampa Bay area journalist left quite the legacy. He passed away last weekend, and we bring you a eulogy.

Next up: 400 million and growing - that’s the cost of a new performing arts center in Sarasota. Suncoast Searchlight brings us a report that shows fundraising for that project is lagging. 

Then: Downtown Bradenton is changing fast, with little public scrutiny. We bring you a report about a city council vote that will change a historic neighborhood nearby. 

Next: Vaccination rates in Sarasota kindergartens have dropped below herd immunity levels. We bring you this Suncoast Searchlight investigative report.

Finally: A plan for a family resource center connected to a school in Newtown is taking shape. But even before fundraising has begun, the project has mobilized hundreds of community members. 

Next up: School board member Tom Edwards has been named executive director of Project Pride SRQ. Now the Sarasota Republican Party says this presents a conflict of interest and asks him to resign. 

Then: The Manatee County School Board narrowed its search for a superintendent to two finalists. Who are they?

Finally: Rents remain high across Sarasota and Manatee, outmatching wages for most renters. We bring you a Suncoast Searchlight analysis.

Next up: At a recent Republican gathering in Sarasota County, in-fighting within the GOP party reigned as a dominant theme. 

Then: Minors in Manatee County will find themselves restricted by a new curfew. The County Commission also continues to push back against SB 180. 

Finally: Sarasota City Commissioners denied a rezoning request by a synagogue to build apartments next to the temple. 

Next up: An analysis by Suncoast Searchlight reveals that buyers in this region have little choice but to live in neighborhoods controlled and taxed by real estate developers. Derek Gilliam reports.

Then: Environmentalists and an indigenous tribe are suing state and federal agencies over the immigrant detention center in the Everglades. A Sierra Club organizer explains their reasons.

Then: Reporter Noah Vinsky has the latest on Manatee Schools’ superintendent search.

Finally: The North Water Tower Park is one of Sarasota’s best-kept secrets. Will it stay that way? 

Next up: A Trump administration budget cut makes ripples before it has even begun. Suncoast Searchlight reports about the financial squeeze on a nearby rural hospital. 

Then: We reported about the ICE detention of Lulu Martinez. The recent college graduate from North Port is now in Mexico, as Ramon Lopez reports. 

Then: Some protesters in Bradenton will express their rage at Rage Against the Regime, as Mason Chambless learned. 

Finally: Soon an open mic and yoga for the unhoused will be launching. Gretchen Cochran has that story. 

Next up: On Tuesday, dozens of people lined up at a Sarasota School Board meeting to speak out against a change in discrimination policy. But the two board members who voted against that policy change say they are more concerned about a different challenge: Money. I will bring you this report.

Then: Sarasota City Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch is still fixing her home, after last year’s flooding. Student reporter Oscar Moore interviewed her about this experience, and what she thinks the city should do about future flooding.

Then: The city is giving away trees. Kiona Wehlage interviewed the City of Sarasota’s chief arborist about the Neighborhood Canopy Program. 

Finally: The Mobile Freedom School and its focus on African American history is back this summer. Mason Chambless took one class and learned about … the history of traffic lights. 

Next: FPL wants to bury more power cables in Sarasota. That’s safer and more reliable after storms, but it’s costly, too. Noah Vinsky checks who will pay the bill.

Then: Thursday was Good Trouble Day, in memory of civil rights icon John Lewis. In Sarasota, it was a group of veterans who made the biggest noise. Mason Chambless has that report.

Then: The Florida Department of Transportation wants cities to paint over rainbow crosswalks. What will the City of Sarasota do with its Pride display on Cocoanut and Second? Kylee Worth reports.

Next: A Sarasota pastor connected to local political figures uses harsh anti-queer language, describes his political opponents as demonic, and portrays the country as on the precipice of war. Suncoast Searchlight brings us this report.

Then: The Sarasota County utility chief is pushing back, after an investigative report revealed neglect ahead of historic flooding last year. A new Suncoast Searchlight report responds to Spencer Anderson’s responses.

Next: The panel making recommendations about the future of the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall reached its verdict, and Gretchen Cochran reports.

Finally: Storms and flooding are costly, and real estate is slowing. And that means counties, cities and towns in the region are facing tighter budgets. Noah Vinsky puts the spotlight on Sarasota County’s biggest city, whose voters just said ‘no’ to more borrowing. 

Then: The county committed to helping build an indoor sports arena. How will they pay for it? Shuffling tourism tax revenues, as WSLR reporter Ozzie Konez found.

Next: A developer from Naples is trying to leverage a new state law to go big and tall in downtown Sarasota. Ramon Lopez has the details.

Then: Within barely a week of creating its new stormwater department, Sarasota County found the flood czar to head it. Ramon Lopez gets the inside track from the county administrator.

Finally: It’s reboot time for Sarasota’s city manager search. WSLR News reporter Kylee Worth is following the journey. 

Then: In Manatee County, tensions are rising between big developers and a new set of county commissioners elected to rein in their power. Noah Vinsky reports.

Next: The state legislature and governor just passed major restrictions on citizen-led constitutional amendment drives. The Florida Clean Water campaign suspended signature collections. The grassroots initiative is still hanging in there, but organizers say they need a miracle to get the signatures the state requires to get on the ballot. Reece Helmick has that report.

Finally: It’s Pride Month. But for aging LGBTQ people who have gone through criminalization, AIDS, and discrimination, the new political environment looks eerily like a bad past. We have a Suncoast Searchlight report. 

Then: It’s reshuffle time for Sarasota County stormwater management, after last year’s flooding. Ramon Lopez is keeping track.

Next: Lulu Martinez is a danger to her community, a judge ruled, and that’s why she continues to be stuck in an ICE detention camp in Texas, rather than return home to North Port. Ramon Lopez reports.

Then: A Sarasota company has helped in the construction of “Alligator Alcatraz”, and that’s caused a firestorm. Mason Chambless reports.

Finally: It’s one more meeting, after all, before the Purple Ribbon Committee will let the Sarasota City Commission know what we should do with the Van Wezel. 

Then: Martin Hyde is a gadfly or worse to some. But few people doubt that he is an astute observer of local politics, a fiscal conservative, and a Republican. In an interview on WSLR’s The Detail, he made some observations about New College.

Next: Turning Point USA, the conservative student group, will hold its national meeting in Tampa in July.

Then: Lulu Martinez made a wrong u-turn in North Port and ended up in an ICE detention camp in Texas. Meanwhile, charges over her traffic violation are piling up here at home. Our reporter caught up with her lawyer, as Lulu will be facing two court hearings next week.

Finally: Remember the wilted grass, bushes and trees after the flooding during last year’s storm season? Our reporter talked to an expert on how to prepare your yard for the next floods.

Next: Local politics are not going Pat Neal’s way. The Manatee County Commission gave the heavyweight of local developers a red light on a project that’s at the core of Neal’s new business strategy.

Then: Street protests are not exactly a long-standing tradition for the 105-year old League of Women Voters. But the Sarasota chapter of the non-partisan organization is taking to the streets, in response to what they call a constitutional crisis.

Last but not least: Listen up cowgirls- and boys! The Great Florida Cattle Drive is returning this January, and WSLR reporter Ramon Lopez has the details.

Then: In the wake of the Minnesota assassinations, our reporter Kylee Worth interviewed anti-abortion picketers in Sarasota.

Next: Only four percent of Planned Parenthood’s services are abortions. WSLR News reporter Ishmael Katz has a look at the other 96 percent - and new programs they are adding.

Finally: Controversies are swirling around the existing and future performing arts center in Sarasota. But a lot is happening in the emerging park around that building. WSLR Gretchen Cochran takes us on a stroll through the Bay Park.

Then: The No Kings demonstrations in this area were the biggest this year. But one speaker at the Sarasota protest said the real work lies ahead. Klaus Obermeit has that story.

Next: An immigrants’ rights protest in Bradenton on Monday was followed by a picket at the Sarasota-Bradenton airport early Wednesday. Mason Chambless reports.

Finally: Dancers are quitting the Sarasota Ballet in droves. A Suncoast Searchlight report looks behind the scenes at the Asolo Theatre.

Then: A Sarasota activist spent some days helping protesters in Los Angeles. In an interview with WSLR’s Surreal News, Sarah Parker wants to set the record straight on what’s going on.

Next: Have you heard of the Bradenton Nine Devils? You will learn about the history of this Negro League team if you go to LECOM Park, the baseball stadium near downtown Bradenton on Saturday.

Finally: Juneteenth is coming early to Sarasota. To be precise: This Saturday. We have the details.

Then: The events in Los Angeles after ICE raids, protests and rioting, are making ripples here, too. A local immigrant rights advocate has scheduled a march across the bridge in Bradenton this Monday in response. This is the second immigrants’ rights protest in this region within a week, and Mason Chambless has more on that.

Next: A military parade will be rolling through Washington this Saturday, and “No Kings” is the theme of nationwide counter-protests. In the Sarasota protest, veterans will play a key role.

Then: The Manatee County School Board last month fired the superintendent, in a tight and controversial vote. Our reporter was at the first school board meeting since that day, to understand what’s next.

Finally: Rise Above, the youth theater group in Sarasota, is taking a risk in the search of love. Tamara Solum went to see their latest musical, The Prom.

Then: Sarasota County seems headed towards creating an entire new department in charge of stormwater management. It comes after public despair over lack of clarity and urgency in the wake of massive flooding last year.

Next: Get ready for the storm season, local officials urge. Ramon Lopez has more. 

Then: Manatee County Commissioners seem to be headed towards a clash with both developers and the state. Noah Vinsky has more.

Finally: Soaring egg prices influenced the outcome of the last presidential elections. A family farm in DeSoto County seems to have found the right answer to the main cause of those soaring egg prices. 

Next: Meanwhile in Manatee County, the all-Republican county commission was discussing how to shrink an already lean local government. Spoiler alert: It ain’t easy, and some commissioners are expressing frustration. 

Then: FPL is asking state regulators to give it the biggest base rate hike in Florida history, if not U.S. history. We are looking at some of the grassroots pushback.

Finally: As the next storm season looms, our reporter Ramon Lopez caught up with hurricane hunters.

Next: When it comes to sewage spills, Bradenton has been the worst offender in the region. Now that the city has outsourced its wastewater management, it is trying to get a sense of what all of this will cost. 

Then: In a meeting last week, the new chair ended the Mike Moran era in the Sarasota County Commission - at least when it comes to the former chair’s makeover of social service funding. We have more on that.

Then: A special board meeting at New College of Florida gave a glimpse of the retention and recruitment problems the movers and shakers behind the conservative makeover are facing. 

Next: Many legislators keep saying there won’t be any cuts to public school programs as a result of the state’s voucher program. Two local school board members beg to differ, as Tamara Solum found.

Finally: Amid the devastation that will come with big new development, Sarasota County’s oldest rural community celebrated a small victory.

Then: The Sarasota County Commission wants developers to go back to holding in-person community workshops for neighbors. At least in part, as Ramon Lopez reports. 

Next: Cuts to the NOAA could impact the fishing industry and Red Tide research in the region. Suncoast Searchlight brings us this report.

Finally: It was Alt Graduation Thursday night, an event where New College students are in charge. WSLR News intern Farah Vallecillo - herself a New College student - was there.

Then: In its ongoing session, the state legislature could ban counties’ use of tourism taxes for tourism promotion. Sarasota’s boosters are worried. Sera Deniz has more on that.

Next: 104,000 bucks. That’s the annual income it takes for a family of four to make it here in Sarasota, and that amount keeps rising fast. We have a Suncoast Searchlight report on the United Way’s annual ALICE survey.

Finally: A state law that bans camping on public property has put Florida counties in a bind. Half a year after this anti-homeless law went into effect, Alex Lieberman is looking at its effects.

Next: Buyer beware! We have a follow-up to the Suncoast Searchlight report on developer-run mini governments.

Then: Operation Tidal Wave, the dragnet that caught more than a 1,000 immigrants in Florida is expanding. WSLR News’ Ramon Lopez reports.

Finally: A young researcher and fish farmer from Manatee County is sailing through the Caribbean to document aquaculture practices in the region. Farah Vallecillo caught up with her.

Next: A Suncoast Searchlight investigation describes the high cost of challenging development in the courts. Derek Gilliam brings us that story.

Then: An empty seat on the Venice city council was filled Tuesday. WSLR News’ Ramon Lopez reports.

Next: A Democratic senator from Connecticut and the nation’s youngest U.S. representative came to Sarasota. More than 1,000 flocked to their town hall, and WSLR News reporter Tamara Solum tried to find out why, and whether this experience may turn into movement.

Next: More than 1,000 migrants in Florida got caught up in the ICE dragnet a week ago, and Ramon Lopez looked at the few facts known about Operation Tidal Wave.

Next: If and when MCR Health - the local non-profit that provides healthcare for 100,000 low-income patients - re-emerges from bankruptcy, it may face the next tough challenge: Medicaid cuts currently discussed by Republicans in the US Congress.

Next: Employers in this area are scrambling to help employees with childcare. New College of Florida seems to be going in the opposite direction.

Then: On Saturday, the youngest Congressman ever will be returning to Sarasota, where he worked for a year. WSLR interviewed Max Frost before his visit.

Then: Lakewood Ranch Southeast is a done deal now. But the bulldozers could start moving on the mega-development just when the worst real estate slump in years is beginning to impact this area.

Finally: Sarasota County commissioners are sending mixed messages on transit. 

Then: How did Fred Piccolo Jr. avoid arrest and get hired for a high-profile job at a public university? Suncoast Searchlight reporter Alice Herman offers more details.

Finally: Synia Carroll passed away in March. Ramon Lopez watched and listened at the jazz musician’s recent memorial service. 

Next: A forum on school privatization warned participants about defunding and state deficits, and called for teachers’ support. 

Then: The Suncoast Searchlight calls attention to funding challenges for mental health in public education. 

Finally: May 1st is tomorrow, and protesters will hold local Congressmen’s feet to the fire over their support for the Trump agenda. At least nine protests are set to occur tomorrow and Saturday in Sarasota and the region. 

Next: The United States and Canada are in a tiff like not seen since the 18th century. WSLR’s Peace & Justice Report interviewed a Canadian diplomat who also happens to be a snowbird with a condo on Longboat Key.

Then: A veterans’ group on the Suncoast is planting microforests. What gives? The Our Changing Environment hosts on WSLR bring us the details.

Next: Four hundred people crowded into a town hall organized by opponents of a takeover of the Ringling Museum of Art by New College. Farah Vallecillo was there.

Next: Homeowners in a posh subdivision near North Port are learning the hard way that developers wield a lot of power - even after they sold you the home they built. Suncoast Searchlight brings us this story.

Then: How did New College hire a politically connected figure after he appeared in three local police reports? Suncoast Searchlight is trying to find out.

Next: Four hundred people crowded into a town hall organized by opponents of a takeover of the Ringling Museum of Art by New College. Farah Vallecillo was there.

Next: It took Venice city councilmembers barely five minutes to decide how to fill the seat abandoned by Joan Farrell two weeks ago. Ramon Lopez reports.

Finally: A decision on a controversial skyscraper project has been delayed - because of a missing green-yellow sign. Gretchen Cochran explains.

Next: New College let go its marketing director, after he was arrested by Manatee County deputies Tuesday for exposure of sexual organs. The Suncoast Searchlight and Florida Trident investigated, and we have their report.

Then: New College fired a Chinese professor, citing a new Florida law, and that is making ripples. The Suncoast Searchlight has that report.

Finally: It’s unprecedented - bankers in Florida are joining unions. Five bank tellers in Bradenton are now bargaining with Wells Fargo, and Sera Deniz talked to a union organizer.