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Our digital database of restaurant health inspections is updated regularly with the latest information on which Sarasota, Bradenton and Venice area restaurants passed or failed. You can use the database to search by Sarasota or Manatee County or by restaurant name. You can see which restaurants were fined and which...

Vote ‘no’ on Venice city charter change

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) - On Monday, Sarasota County’s Public Works Department began work on pipes that are located on Lorraine Road and Palmer Boulevard, an area that was hit hard by flooding during Debby. The crews checked out the 150-foot-long pipes to see if they needed repairs or...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Sarasota County crews will begin draining and looking into two pipes near the Laurel Meadows neighborhood following flooding from Debby. "As a family, we are struggling to get through it like everybody else. Our kids are taking it very, very hard. It was a very tough time showing them what happened here and seeing their whole life literally being curbside at this point. Just hauled out like it’s nothing and put for the garbage truck to pick up," said Jeffrey Schermerhorn.

The Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation recently announced that it has awarded $5.2 million in new grants to a variety of organizations. Second Heart Homes will receive $650,000 to expand long-term supportive housing for homeless adults with mental illnesses by buying one new home and providing matching funds toward the purchase of an additional home. The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Foundation will receive $550,000 to support its CareerEdge Funders Collaborative and Opportunities for All program. Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness will receive $496,000 to strengthen the organization’s capacity. Project Prosper will receive $150,000 to expand its financial literacy, coaching and 0 percent interest loan programs for refugees and immigrants. Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County will receive $400,000 to expand its services to DeSoto County to help economically disadvantaged students. The University of South Florida Foundation will receive $250,062 for a pilot program to equip promising local teachers to serve as leaders and administrators. The Sarasota Children's Museum will receive $175,000 to enable the organization to launch a state-of-the-art mobile museum. Beyond the Spectrum will receive $300,000 to enable more families to receive specialized education, therapies and care for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The National Alliance on Mental Illness will receive $250,000 in capacity-building funds to expand its peer-led mental-health support services. The Safe Children Coalition will receive $750,000 for staff capacity-building to provide and expand child welfare services. The Manatee Community Foundation will receive $350,000 to help the foundation continue to increase philanthropic funding and initiatives. Asolo Repertory Theatre will receive $300,000 to implement its Big IDEA initiative, which is designed to broaden community participation in live theater and educational programs. Florida Humanities will receive $125,000 to support and expand its history, literary and cultural programming. Solutions to Avoid Red Tide will receive $350,000 to expand its Healthy Pond Collaborative.

First 1,000 Days Suncoast is excited to announce the appointment of Renee King as the initiative’s newest Family Navigator, alongside Tina Wilson. In this pivotal role, King will guide families through the complexities of accessing essential services during pregnancy and the crucial first 1,000 days of a child's life when critical development occurs. With over 15 years of experience in social services across public, private, and non-profit sectors in the Tampa Bay region, King brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to the position. In addition to her role as Family Navigator, she is currently a therapist at Psychological Management Group in Temple Terrace. Her extensive background also includes roles as a therapist with Families First Florida, NICU Care Coordinator at Tampa General Hospital, and a school social worker with Hillsborough County Public Schools, among other positions. Launched by the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, with continuing support from Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation and other local donors, First 1,000 Days Suncoast partners with more than 90 community organizations to connect families in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties with essential resources and support. They served 306 clients in 2023 alone. According to Dr. Chelsea Arnold, DNP, APRN, FNP-bc, Initiative Manager at First 1,000 Days Suncoast, King’s extensive experience and background make her a natural fit for the team. King earned her bachelor’s degree in social work with a minor in women’s studies from the University of South Florida, and her master’s degree in social work from Florida State University. She also holds a certification as a licensed clinical social worker.

Four candidates who ran on a "medical freedom" platform in hopes of winning a seat on the board for one of Florida's largest public health systems lost to Republican opponents in the Aug. 20 primary, according to WUSF, an NPR member station. Preliminary results on the Sarasota County elections website...

Tuesday’s primary election is one of the most important in recent memory.

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Hugh Culverhouse Jr. has donated $100,000 to Legal Aid of Manasota after learning the at Sarasota County Commission to cut $172K in funding. Legal Aid provides pro bono legal assistance to those who need it, including disabled veterans, low-income residents, families and seniors, domestic violence survivors, and tenants facing wrongful eviction. The recent cuts come at a time when parts of Sarasota and Manatee counties were devastated by Tropical Storm Debbie, exacerbating the challenges for many families at risk of displacement due to skyrocketing rents in an increasingly unaffordable real estate market. With the school year beginning, the stability provided by Legal Aid’s services is more critical than ever for children in families facing potential eviction.

A body has been discovered in the Myakka River by investigators during a thorough search for a missing individual, as per the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC). The search operations commenced on August 7 when a Jon boat and a personal watercraft were involved in a collision just north of Border Rd. in Sarasota County, reported FOX 13 News.

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. - Once rain from tropical storm Debby passed, Stephanie Hodges watched the water rise outside her Lakewood Ranch home. "The irony of it was it happened when it wasn’t even raining outside. So there was no rain when this was happening so the water was coming up, the water was overflowing," she said.

During its 14 years, City Wide Facility Solutions has become a key provider of commercial maintenance services, stressing adaptability and constantly looking for growth opportunities. So said the company’s president, Jeremy "Jerry" Chucko, and its compliance and supplier-sourcing manager, Leslie Rodríguez, in a recent interview. “After 2020, we...

Sarasota and Manatee counties will hold primary elections on Tuesday in dozens of voting locations across the area. More than 100,000 voters have already mailed in their ballots or cast them during the early voting period that ended last weekend, according to the Supervisor of Elections offices. ...

Sarasota County Storm Response Update On Hurricane Debby. FEMA representatives will be available at the Sarasota Resource Center, located at 2923 Ashton Road, starting at 1 p.m. today, Monday, Aug. 19. The center will be open from 1 – 7 p.m. today. Beginning Tuesday, Aug. 20, the center’s hours will extend from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 1 – 5 p.m. on Sundays. The center offers basic supplies, and walk-ins are welcome.

Which means, we will get flooded again in a similar weather event. Host: Tropical Storm Debby made a powerful sweep around Sarasota in the Gulf of Mexico two weeks ago, dumping at least 12 inches of rain on Sarasota and Manatee counties. As the storm’s feeder bands moved into the area, the local stormwater infrastructure faced its ultimate test—and the result was catastrophic. Hundreds of homes were flooded along Phillippi Creek and in the Laurel Meadows subdivision near the headwaters of that creek. The public works chief of Sarasota County is now in the hot seat, and WSLR reporter Mark Warriner had a chance to talk to him.

Sarasota doesn’t seem like a likely place for a revolt led by Florida’s youth, and Burns Court even less so as the movement’s ground zero. At first glance, the SEE Space, the headquarters of the Social Equity Through Education Alliance, known as the SEE Alliance, could be just another building in an unremarkable stretch on Orange Avenue, but behind the front door, it’s the hub of an activist organization aimed at mobilizing Florida’s youth to vote, starting at the most local of levels: with public school board elections.

Yesterday morning, I was enjoying a walk along the beach when my phone started buzzing with text notifications from people forwarding an article in Sarasota’s Herald Tribune in which its editorial board endorsed Kevin Van Ostenbridge in the Manatee County Commission District 7 race. This was surprising for two...