WSLR News

The  public hospital board is hotly contested electoral terrain, as "Medical Freedom" activists are trying to gain control of Sarasota Memorial Hospital in these upcoming elections. In the middle of all this, one of four Democratic candidates passed away last week. Ramon Lopez looked at the ripple effects.

Next: Plans for a new Performing Arts Center are creeping forward, and it could become the most expensive project in the history of the City of Sarasota. The city is on the hook for half of the cost, and that has some people worried, as Tyler Oldano reports.

Then: It is rare in this area that Democrats are battling each other in primary elections. That's the case in the race for U.S. House, where two Democrats are vying to challenge Republican incumbent Greg Steube.

At a rally this weekend at Robarts Arena, the Sarasota Republican Party chief expelled two Republicans - one candidate, and one activist. Ramon Lopez has that story.

Next: Mike Moran has raised his profile as a defunder of childcare programs, an emergency helpline, public housing, and arts organizations, and by professing to be a good steward of taxpayer money. Now, an investigative report revealed that as the head of a state agency, he oversaw $36,000 in spending on entertainment, meals and travel in just 18 months. 

Then: Book bans and new state rules for history classes have caused controversy and anxiety. A state association of history teachers met in Sarasota this weekend, and we were there to watch and listen.

Finally: Dark money is paying for mudslinging against political candidates. Those PACs and their contributors are hard to track, but one local researcher is doing her best to drag them to the light. Mark Warriner has her story.

Developer campaign contributions play a key role in local politics. But much of this money is now circulating outside the public view. WSLR reporter Mark Warriner was at a presentation about "Dark Money", and we have his report.

Next: The developers of Lakewood Ranch could start earthmoving on 4,100 acres of land right now, taking out a big chunk of rural Sarasota. But they would do so at their own risk, because a couple of residents in the Old Miakka area just went into a legal appeal. We have the details.

Then: In this Sarasota School Board race, the incumbent downplays her culture war credentials. And the challenger wants school politics to be boring again. Florence Fahringer describes how Karen Rose and Liz Barker are positioning themselves.

Finally: A neighboring school district in the Tampa Bay region is trying to take on the challenge of rock-bottom teacher pay. But it has been facing resistance from the county and, now, the state. WMNF's Lisa Marzilli reports.

Bradenton is about to sell city hall to a luxury developer. Literally. Tyler Oldano has more about that story.

Then: It's a different picture in St. Petersburg, where the city council just approved a mega deal with the Tampa Bay Rays that will change an entire district near downtown. Sean Kinane with partner station WMNF interviewed one of three councilmembers who voted "no" on that deal, and we will play excerpts.

Next: Three public housing construction projects in Sarasota are up in the air after the county took back part of the funding it was going to provide. Ramon Lopez has that story.

Then: All charges against Christian Ziegler have been dropped, and he and his power couple wife sued to get their electronic data back. But there's also a countersuit by media organizations to keep that evidence public. That, in turn, puts the City of Sarasota in a tight spot.

Activists and former officials formed a non-partisan group to fight a change in the way elections are run in the City of Venice. That's not the only grassroots response to controversial policies coming out of Venice, as Ramon Lopez reports.

Next: Two candidate forums - one for City of Sarasota candidates, one for Sarasota school board candidates - played out in front of overflow crowds in the last 48 hours. We have the details.

Then: Sarasota County commissioners ended a tax that many of those paying it actually wanted to keep. Tyler Oldano has that story.

The Players Theater wanted to build in the middle of a public park. Neighbors were dead set against it, and now the City of Sarasota came up with a solution.

Then: What would the Medical Freedom candidates do if they had their say at Sarasota Memorial Hospital? WSLR reporter Mark Warriner tried to get answers.

Next: One candidate brings up God frequently, the other talks about his experience. We're having a close look at the race for Manatee County Supervisor of Elections.

Then: The so-called primary elections on Aug. 20 are final in some cases. Florence Fahringer gives us an overlook of what's at stake next month.

Finally: The defamation lawsuit against Sarasota City Commissioner Kyle Battie is reaching the next stage: Electoral politics. One city commission candidate, who happens to be the plaintiff's husband, brought up the court case at the city commission meeting this week. 

New College just lost one of its last top administrators with deep experience of running a campus. Florence Fahringer brings us this story.

Next: It just became too costly: Neighbors of a Pat Neal project in Venice decided not to appeal a judge's ruling, as Ramon Lopez learned.

Then: Cathy Jordan was the mother of marijuana legalization in Florida. She passed away on July 4, and she will get a big send-off in Sarasota. 

Next: WSLR's Tyler Oldano was at an unusual summer camp - one that helps teenagers to get organized. 

Finally: Millions of undocumented immigrants are risking their and their families' existence every time they get behind a wheel. Ruth Beltrán tells us the story of a mother of three in Manatee County. 

On Wednesday, the Sarasota County Commissioners disregarded funding recommendations by outside experts, and instead picked winners and losers among cultural organizations, by singling out three  organizations - including WSLR-Fogartyville - for defunding.

Then: When the watchdog is asleep, wake it up. That's what five environmental organizations did after the Piney Point disaster in 2021. Now they reached a settlement with the State of Florida.

Next: Days after her husband's disastrous performance during the presidential debate, the First Lady was on the campaign trail in Tampa, to talk to military families. Tyler Oldano reports.

Then: After it allowed Pat Neal to build a shopping center and neighbors sued, the Venice City Council is now hoping to forge a compromise between developer and resident interests in how it applies the code. Ramon Lopez reports.

Then, St. Petersburg is going electric with its city buses. Chris Young with partner station WMNF reports.

Finally, the Sarasota Hospital Board has a crowded field of candidates, as it is subject to a culture war playing out within the Republican Party. A League of Women Voters panel tomorrow in Venice promises new insights.

A weather system called Invest 90L brought a 1,000-year rain event to Sarasota two weeks ago. WSLR reporter Florence Fahringer talks to experts about lessons learned.

Then: A new study by Sarasota researchers links the intensity and duration of Red Tide to human activity. We talk to the lead researcher behind the study, about consequences this may have.

Next: Sarasota's historically African American neighborhood was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. And now Newtown is getting more recognition. Ramon Lopez reports.

Then: The Sarasota County Charter Review Board may be an obscure institution, but it's been the site of epic struggles between developers and grassroots movements. Now, 14 candidates of all political colors are running for six open seats on the Charter Review Board, and we have a roundup for you.

A lot of people insist Red Tide is a naturally occurring phenomenon that has been around for thousands of years. Period. And the link between human activity and the increasing length and intensity of Red Tide has not been exactly at the forefront of interest by the State of Florida. But now, a scientist in Sarasota and four colleagues are making a dent in the armor of silence around Red Tide and human activity. Our news team has more on that.

Then: There was a memorial service in a Sarasota neighborhood this Sunday for the victims of what some call a massacre. The cutting of more than 100 trees by New College, that is. Tyler Oldano has that story.

Next: City of Sarasota commissioners are providing full support for one of their own who is subject to a lawsuit by a resident who says she was defamed by Commissioner Kyle Battie. Ramon Lopez reports.

Finally: The US Supreme Court's Monday ruling on presidential immunity is making ripples in Florida. A law professor at Stetson College in St. Petersburg called it "earth shattering". We're going to play excerpts of an interview she gave to partner station WMNF.