WSLR News

A commercial bank will open for business in the heart of a majority African American neighborhood in Sarasota in a couple of weeks. Bank branch openings are a rare things these days, which is why our news team took a close look at the new business in Newtown.

Then: Some describe it as a silver bullet to end the affordable housing crisis. Others call it a billion-dollar giveaway to developers. On Monday, the City of Sarasota commission discussed major zoning changes, and Ramon Lopez was there. 

Then: Yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis took a break from campaigning in Iowa to deliver his State of the State address to the joint legislative session in Tallahassee. New College featured prominently, as Chris Young with partner station WMNF reports.

Next: Women are turning into key swing voters who influence the votes of their husbands and boyfriends. So what is driving the female vote in Florida these days? The League of Women Voters Manatee asked to experts, and our news team eavesdropped.

Finally: This is the 20th year violin virtuoso Yitzhak Perlman is in town for the Perlman Music Program Winter Residency. WSLR reporter Ramon Lopez joined  this year's crop of youth musicians in a rehearsal.

Two months ago, Palmetto police officers responded to a call about a man in mental distress. A day later, he was dead. Now, a regional group is staging a protest in the small Manatee County town, asking for an investigation and change.

Then: Some describe it as a silver bullet to end the affordable housing crisis. Others call it a billion-dollar giveaway to developers. On Monday, the City of Sarasota commission will discuss major zoning changes, and Ramon Lopez is there to translate zoning lingo into understandable language. 

Then: The third anniversary of the Jan. 6 storming of Capitol Hill in Washington is tomorrow, and one local group is responding to that bad experience with an event to build democracy. Our news team has the details.

Finally: The holiday season is not entirely over yet: Tomorrow is Día de los Reyes. But Kwanzaa was big on public display this season in Sarasota, as Arlene Sweeting reports.

The first round went to Siesta Key community activists by a margin. But now it's Round 2, as one of the major commercial developers is trying to get Sarasota County to change its rules regarding big-hotel construction on barrier islands. Ramon Lopez has more.

Then: Vacation rentals are turning into the line in the sand in what is shaping up as a political tug-of-war between the state of Florida and the City of Sarasota. It's home rule vs. pre-emption when it comes to the city's efforts to expand its short-term rental regulations. 

Then: A developer is proposing a big, but otherwise unusual project for downtown Sarasota, as Florence Fahringer reports.

Next: Many see homeowners' associations as powers that overreach into people's lives. The Community News Collaborative has the details on a flurry of bills in Tallahassee that are trying to curb the enthusiasm of these associations.

Then: Nearly 1 million registered voters have been dropped from Florida’s active voter rolls since 2022, and 2023 law might have something to do with this, as Chris Young with partner station WMNF reports.

Finally: The third anniversary of the Jan. 6 storming of Capitol Hill in Washington is approaching, and one local group is trying to build on that bad experience to build democracy.

So what's with the abortion petition - will the question make it on the ballot in November? WSLR News reporter Ryan Stanley got the latest numbers.

Then: The Florida Trident continues its drip-drip revelations about the Zieglers. We have the latest.

Then: An administrative judge ruled in a case trying to stop thousands of homes sprawling into the rural east of Sarasota County around Old Miakka. We have the details.

Next: One electric utility in the region is getting into floating solar. Partner station WMNF has more on that.

Then: Before putting out rat poison, consider that you may be killing other animals. The Community News Collaborative's Sarah Owens explains.

Finally: Have you heard about the expanding news desert? WSLR is trying to expand our news oasis, by organizing a series of events early next year. We'll serve you the scoop.

The Sarasota city commission took a first step towards ending a program that helps avoid criminal records for cannabis possession. That decision did not go down well with one Sarasota mother, and that may point to pushback when the commission meets in February to discuss the issue. We have the details.

Then: Suburban sprawl keeps gobbling up nature in Florida, but the state and local governments are also taking steps towards preserving land. Our news team was at a park opening in Sarasota County, where one community activist urged the county to do more.

Next: Many children and youth in public schools are unable to pay their cafeteria bill. Often, school staff and teachers open their wallets to make sure students are not hungry. Now, a community group stepped in to help. Arlene Sweeting has more on that.

The renovated Bobby Jones golf course had its grand re-opening this morning. Our news team was there and discovered that it's about much more than golf.

Next: How can you stand out from the crowd in a county that has an estimated 20,000 millionaires? If that's your challenge, WSLR News reporter Ramon Lopez found the perfect object of your desire.

Finally: The mother of a 13-year old who was shot in the head this summer in Sarasota has a message to gun owners. Our news team reports from a vigil for gun victims at a Sarasota church.

A four-hour marathon meeting of the Sarasota School Board yesterday was all about Bridget Ziegler. WSLR reporter Florence Fahringer was there to tell us about it.

Next: At a board meeting on Monday, New College president Richard Corcoran announced a major long-term achievement. But he also received backlash for advancing an online program without faculty input. 

Then: A proposed townhome development at a prime location near downtown Sarasota is coming under fire; WSLR News reporter Ramon Lopez has more on that.

Finally: A state program that pays hiring bonuses to cops moving to Florida from out of state has a few police departments in this region among the takers. The Sarasota County Sheriff's Department is not among them. Ramon Lopez explains.

It has mobilized thousands of activists, and it has been in the hands of hundreds of thousands of voters. But it looks like there's going to be a photo finish for the Florida abortion petition. WSLR reporter Ryan Stanley has the details.

NEXT: Sarasota County tried to block an entrepreneur who wants to feed the world using floating grow pods. The entrepreneur won in court. But now he is facing more obstacles, as WSLR reporter Ramon Lopez found out.

THEN: The seven Manatee County commissioners yesterday reconsidered a nearly 500-acre, 1,100-home project on farmland near Parrish. Were they back to the routine of approving massive projects east of the urban development boundary? Our news team watched the proceedings in downtown Bradenton.

New College figured prominently in a press conference in Tallahassee this morning and a report about threats to higher education in Florida put together by a national organization. Our news team has the details.

NEXT: The Tampa Five - protesters who were arrested and charged during a protest at the University of South Florida in March - learned about their fate yesterday. The Peace and Justice Show on WSLR this morning interviewed two of them, and we are running excerpts.

THEN: A private person offered to donate to Sarasota's public libraries the 1,300 bucks Sarasota County Commissioners did not want to pay for membership in the venerable American Library Association - an organization too woke in the eyes of some local activists. Ramon Lopez will tell us how they county reacted to the offer. 

THEN: A five-day environmental summit in Sarasota is ending right now. Our news team was there to rub elbows with the hundreds of energized participants. That included a mermaid, and a Republican candidate.

FINALLY: Ryan Stanley has the scoop on a book club that sprung up to cover the schooling gap opened up during the pandemic. But the book circles have taken on an entirely new meaning in the light of book bans.

On Thursday, a small news non-profit with roots in Sarasota made nationwide ripples with a revelation about Christian Ziegler, one of the most powerful Republican figures in the state. We talked to one of the protagonists.

NEXT: Earlier this week, students walked out of a Broward County high school in support of trans rights. School staff are being investigated after a transgender student played on the girls’ volleyball team. Chris Young reports for partner station WMNF.

THEN: If you are gay, lesbian or trans, Florida is one of the worst places to live in. Even so, Tampa and St. Petersburg earned high marks for their LGBTQ policies. Partner station WMNF reports.

THEN: For the two new councilmembers in Venice, both Democrats, it was rubber-meets-the-road time in this week's council meeting. Ramon Lopez reports.

THEN: The string of rallies in response to the war in Gaza continues. We have the latest on a protest coming up tomorrow.

FINALLY: Sarasota set an example with the renewal of its municipally owned golf course. Will Bradenton follow suit? The News Collaborative tried to find out.