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As people sort through their damaged belongings, the sand they find can be dropped off at sand recipient sites the county has opened, which will ultimately return the sand to the beaches.

Fly anglers recently fishing with me out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had some action with snook at night and trout in Sarasota. Pat Beckwith, from Sarasota, caught and released snook before dawn and then fished deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay and had some action with trout on flies. Jim Randle, from Sarasota, also got in on the action, catching and releasing several snook on my snook minnow fly on another trip. Fishing in the dark is a great way to beat the heat this time of year.

SARASOTA, Fla. – As of September 30th, at 9:00 AM, the Lido Beach pavilion parking lot remains closed as Public Works crews continue their efforts to restore Lido Key to its pre-hurricane state. In positive news, the precautionary boil water advisory that was in place for St. Armands Key...

It could take a while to get back to normal, officials say.

BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. — As with many barrier islands in our area, access remains restricted at this time with all beaches and restaurants closed. Thursday's storm surge from Hurricane Helene devastated the whole stretch of beach and nearby buildings from Anna Maria down into parts of Sarasota County. On...

WINK News is breaking new details on a criminal investigation into an insurance company where customers claim they were left with wrecked homes after Ian and no money to rebuild. WINK News anchor Claire Galt has confirmed the state is launching a criminal investigation into Heritage Insurance. In a phone...

LONGBOAT KEY, Fla. (WWSB) - Residents of the Twin Shores and GulfShores Mobile Home Parks received several feet of water in their homes, some of which will be a complete loss. “This is crazy,” said one resident who’s now lending his hand to help his neighbors. “I have...

OSPREY — Lights at Spooky Point, the Halloween-themed light show introduced to Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point campus, returns in October for a third season.

Wellen Park is introducing the second phase of Downtown Wellen, which is already more than 65% pre-leased. Due to the success of Downtown Wellen’s first phase, the time is right to introduce additional businesses that will complement existing merchants and restaurant operators. Future tenants include a clothing boutique, a Pilates studio, a hair salon, optometrist, pet boutique, various professional offices and additional restaurants. The new phase will introduce two, two-story mixed-use buildings, adding 44,000 square feet. The first floors will feature restaurants and retail, and the second floors will consist of professional offices. Featuring a signature tower and canopied patios for outdoor dining, the buildings were designed by New Orleans-based Trapolin-Peer Architects, which designed Downtown Wellen’s existing two-story office building located along Wellen Park Boulevard. The second phase also includes a boutique hotel and additional parking. Construction is underway with a tentative opening expected during the first quarter of 2026. The new phase is located on Wellen Park Boulevard, adjacent to Villani & Co. and Foxtail Coffee and close to Tropia luxury apartments. To accommodate any parking impacted by construction, Wellen Park has accelerated the construction of a paved surface parking lot adjacent to the future hotel. The parking lot is scheduled to open October 1. An overflow parking lot was also incorporated into the site several months ago. Phase II downtown tenant specifics will be announced in the coming months, including use types, square footage and locations. For leasing information, contact Justin Boudreau, principal and director of brokerage services at Hybridge, at justin@hybridgecre.com or 813-413-6704. Envisioned as the region’s vibrant new gathering hub for dining, entertainment, shopping and outdoor recreation, Downtown Wellen’s inaugural phase was completed in early 2023 with businesses opening through fall 2023. The 80-acre Grand Lake provides a scenic backdrop, a three-mile trail, The Landing fishing pier as well as paddleboarding, kayaking and fishing. Downtown Wellen emphasizes social and natural connections with unique outdoor gathering areas, including a one-of-a-kind playground, a lakefront fountain and splashpad and the Great Lawn for community festivals, markets, celebrations and events overlooking the stage at Solis Hall. The Yard features retrofitted shipping containers serving casual food and offers outdoor dining and an activity area with yard games.

BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) - High school football is not usually played on a Monday night, but Hurricane Helene forced many of our teams in the Suncoast to have to make some adjustments. This includes Manatee High School (MHS), whose mascot just happens to be the hurricanes. The team hosted the...

The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota will unveil Rufa, a new outdoor dining outlet, this Thursday, Oct. 3. The new eatery will join the hotel’s Jack Dusty restaurant at the downtown location. Guests will enter through Jack Dusty then be escorted across the hotel’s backyard green space and up into a 64-seat al fresco restaurant decorated in sage, yellow and pink tones.

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The National Hurricane Center continues to monitor an area of disturbed weather over the western Caribbean. Currently, an upper-level low-pressure area is spinning in the eastern Caribbean, driving shearing winds over the suspect area and keeping the possibility of development low. However, over the last few days, I have been watching the structure of the low begin to degrade. Forecasts continue to show the low fizzling out and conditions improving as the suspect low moves into warm Gulf waters.

LONGBOAT KEY, Fla. (WFLA) — Residents returned to Longboat Key on Sunday to see the damage Hurricane Helene caused to their homes. Gulf Side Drive is unrecognizable after the gulf breached the island during Hurricane Helene on Thursday. Streets are lined with destroyed belongings, and families are just now starting to return to what’s left […]

As residents continue to recover from Hurricane Helene, Florida officials are highlighting the effectiveness of a special flood protection barrier known as Tiger Dams, which successfully shielded a fire station and a hospital from flood damage. During a visit to Manatee Memorial Hospital, Governor Ron DeSantis emphasized the importance of...

VENICE — Chris and Linda Johnson have lived in Venice their whole lives, and have ridden out a lot of hurricanes over the years — including Idalia a year ago and Debby, which was a tropical storm when it passed by Venice in early August.

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) - The Manatee County Government has posted an update on recovery efforts in the County. Needs Assessment Teams have been deployed to the hardest-hit regions, including beach communities, Rubonia, Perico Bay and area trailer parks, assisting residents with immediate human needs and recovery concerns. Staff has...

NORTH PORT — The North Port football team struggled to get out of its own way on the climb back to .500 against DeSoto County in a game that was moved to Monday night due to Hurricane Helene.

HOLMES BEACH, Fla. — The Holmes Beach shoreline is often a sight for the sore eyes of vacationers who flock to the community year-round. But Monday, that same stretch of land brought tears to the eyes of its police chief, Bill Tokajer, as he toured the devastation Hurricane Helene left behind.

HOLMES BEACH – Residents and business owners began returning to Holmes Beach on Saturday to assess the damage inflicted by Hurricane Helene. At 10 a.m. Saturday morning, Mayor Judy Titsworth and Police Chief Bill Tokajer greeted the first wave of arrivals, some of whom passed through Holmes Beach on their way to Anna Maria, with law enforcement personnel checking for re-entry tags or other forms of proof of residency or business ownership.

Rose Lipke is part of the heart and soul of Cortez, Florida. She posted this story on Facebook, and we wanted to get the word out to the rest of the world. Thank you, Rosie. I want to thank everyone who have been the boots on the ground, getting down and dirty helping dig out our little village. There’s simply too many of you to tag, so I’m not going to try. You know who you are. Thank you to everyone bringing food, drinks, water, and supplies, you are vital to this process, and everyone is overwhelmed with gratitude. Thank you to the network of door-to-door laundry volunteers that literally came together in the past few days, just amazing.