Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Despite Visit Sarasota County stating that 2023 was a down year for visitors on the Suncoast, Airbnb analytics say Sarasota ranks among the best.
According to Airbtics.com, Kissimmee ranks at the top spot, with Sarasota coming in at second with 83% occupancy rate.
“This doesn’t surprise me,” said Molly Horner, who purchased property during the pandemic and now operates them as Airbnb rentals. “People want to come here and stay for long- and short-term.”
The site listed other cities like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Key West and Orlando.
While Florida's tourist season is winding down, we happen to have some of the biggest and best events of the entire year happening this weekend here in sunny Sarasota County.
In fact, the Sarasota Film Festival alone has scheduled two parties and a free outdoor movie screening featuring an appearance by one of my all-time favorite actors and filmmakers, who's starred in at least three of the most essential movies of the past three decades. Meanwhile, the city of Venice hosts one of its biggest annual festivals on Saturday and Sunday as well.
There's also a free block party in downtown Sarasota in celebration of one of the area's top craft beer bars, as well as a big, boozy event happening at Ed Smith Stadium. Finally, there's a fine option for Bradenton residents as well, with a free concert taking place at Riverwalk.
In addition to the five events featured below, Cafe in the Park will host its final Friday music night series performance from 7 to 9 p.m. on April 12, ahead of the beloved restaurant permanently closing later this month.
A home in Fiddler Bayou tops all transactions in this week’s real estate. Chanel Holdings (Nevis) LLC sold the home at 4300 Higel Ave. to Mitchell Schepps, trustee, of West Palm Beach, for $14,995,000. Built in 2008, it has six bedrooms, six full baths, three half-baths, a pool and 8,623 square feet of living area. It sold for $12 million in 2021.
Samantha Gholar on the Lack of Black Journalists in Newsrooms and the State of Diversity in Sarasota
“There are organizations in this community that have zero Black or brown people on their boards. It’s unfortunate that business leaders don’t include us in the bigger conversations.”
Born and raised in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Samantha J. Gholar, 38, is a journalist, entrepreneur and certified well-being educator who earned a double bachelor’s degree in mass communications and journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2008.
Because of the Great Recession, after graduation, Gholar spent two years looking for a newspaper job. In 2010, she and her son Jaden moved from Mississippi to Florida, where she landed her first reporter position at the Highlands News Sun in Sebring. She worked as the general assignment reporter for Highlands and Polk counties, covering multiple news beats ranging from crime to city government to sports to the environment. Her work at the News Sun garnered her two Florida Press Association awards.
In 2015, Gholar struck out on her own and began a freelance career that included writing for Sarasota County newspapers as well as providing marketing and business development services. In 2017, she founded Emerge Sarasota, a non-profit, BIPOC-led organization where she serves as executive director. The group is designed to connect young local professionals from ages 25 to 45.
Gholar was hired as the state social justice reporter for Florida’s USA Today Network in 2021, where she works full-time writing about topics like Florida’s abortion ban battle, gun reform, police brutality and voting rights. She also contributes to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and has volunteered with organizations like Children’s First, Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, and the Alzheimer’s Association, the Gulf Coast Chapter. This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Having outgrown the training academy site on city-owned property at 3600 Circus Boulevard, the county is preparing to break ground on a new Sarasota County Regional Fire Training Academy on county-owned land on Knights Trail Road near the county landfill.
The county is currently a tenant of sorts at the Suncoast Technical College Fire Academy, which occupies the site under a lease agreement with Sarasota County Schools.
The 30-year-old facility is no longer sufficient to meet the needs of the rapidly growing agency. Also, with STC’s lease with the Sarasota County Schools expiring in November 2033, its future there remains uncertain.
During its March 20 budget workshop, Director of Emergency Services Rich Collins told the Sarasota County Commission that the funding for a full build-out of a new training academy is just over $20 million short and, as a result, must be built in phases.
That didn’t sit well with commissioners, who were unanimous in directing staff to kick over any and all buckets of funding to build the entire facility now.
- Fire and EMS impact fees: $7,008,500
- Fire assessments-borrow: $28,750,000
- State grants: $3,000,000
- Sarasota County School Board (STC): $10,000,000
- Surtax IV-borrow: $5,000,000
Total: $53,758,000
I see a lot of these so-called 'entertainment centers' in strip malls of Hwy. 41 in Venice and Nokomis. But I read the news all the time and the only arrests I ever see are in Manatee County. Never seen one of these kind of establishments making the news getting busted in Sarasota County. Hmm is that because the ones in Sarasota County are operating legally? Or do officials 'look the other way' because these establishments bring in revenue to the county? What are the appeal of these kind of businesses if they operate 'legally'? If they give away 'prizes' and not cash is that legal?
Bradenton Police investigating illegal gambling at Pour Decisions Saloon
Bradenton Police Department seized several slot machines from a Bradenton business on Wednesday morning following a month-long investigation into suspected illegal gambling.
Several undercover operations were conducted by Bradenton Police detectives and Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents at Pour Decisions Saloon, located at 430 12th St. W., in March 2024.
The business had four arcade-style video slot machines available to customers for illegal gambling. Bradenton Police detectives obtained a search warrant and, with the assistance of the Division of Alcohol, Beverage, and Tobacco, the machines were removed from the business.
None of the customers or employees were arrested, however the investigation is ongoing.
Operating a slot machine without a Florida Gaming Control Commission-issued license is against the law. Business owners could face up to five years in prison and be fined as much as $10,000 per machine for failing to comply with the law.
For more information and answers to frequently asked questions about illegal gambling visit: flgaming.gov/faq. If you’d like to report illegal gambling in Bradenton, call the Bradenton Police Department at 941-932-9300 or submit an anonymous tip to Manatee CrimeStoppers at manateecrimestoppers.com.
Some more details here:
Downtown Bradenton bar busted for illegal arcade gambling machines, police say
Along with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, police say they conducted "several undercover operations" in March at Pour Decisions Saloon, 430 12th St. W., Bradenton, where they found four arcade-style video slot machines available to customers for illegal gambling.
Detectives said they obtained a search warrant and removed the four machines from the business Wednesday.
Photos posted by police to social media show crime scene tape surrounding the business on a sidewalk in downtown Bradenton.
No customers or employees were arrested, however, police say the investigation is ongoing.
The investigation comes after similar operations by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
Gambling machines removed from Bradenton bar
A sheriff's office crackdown on illegal gambling made in July 2023 saw deputies seize 69 gambling machines along with more than $52,000 in illegal proceeds, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
Several businesses were also closed during the operation, investigators said.
Another operation by the sheriff's office in September 2023 saw them shut down another game room, along with seizing another 33 slot machines and $15,000 in illegal profit, according to deputies.
As alligator mating season gets underway in the Sunshine State, local authorities are encouraging residents to keep an eye out for unsuspecting reptiles.
The reminder comes after North Port Police stumbled upon a “little dinosaur” that was spotted hiding under the wheel of a vehicle in the Oasis community on Tuesday.
The police department shared a photo of the alligator on social media, saying, “It’s that time of year when Alligators are on the prowl, so keep an eye out.”
The alligator was relocated, and no one was injured during the relocation process, police said.
That's not exactly what many people in this area would consider a resume for knighthood.
It is unfair in many cases, but nonetheless it is the perception.
If you were making a list, and developer and politician were on top, you might not scroll down farther to see the next listing.
Philanthropist.
But there it is, and in Neal's case, it should be in capital letters, and in bold type.
His detractors might argue that he has become rich off those living in this region. Sure, that's true. He produced a quality product, and made a fortune.
That doesn't mean he has to give some of it away. Many don't.
Neal even could be described as a soft touch when it comes to charity. That belies his reputation as a tough businessman. But it is nonetheless accurate.
The latest example came last week when the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation announced that Neal Communities and Neal Signature Homes has joined the foundation's Builders Give Back program. Through the program, builders make a $100 donation upon closing to the foundation in the name of the home buyer.
The Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation benefits by both the monetary contributions and through an indirect introduction to a new resident of the community. The hope is that those new residents will contact the foundation to find out more about the community's many nonprofits and how to support them.
The program launched in May 2023 with Anchor Builders, AR Homes, Homes By Towne, John Cannon Homes, Lee Wetherington Homes, Pulte Homes, and Stock Luxury Homes combining to form a solid base. Schroeder-Manatee Ranch's Lakewood Ranch Communities donates a matching $100 per closing to the foundation up to $10,000 annually.
It is an interesting coalition since the builders are competitors. It is a case of rising above.
Neal didn't need to add one more philanthropic effort to his collection plate, but he said the Builders Give Back program is a natural for him.
"I've been building homes in Lakewood Ranch since it began in 1994," Neal said.
As the social fabric of America has degenerated for the past 50 years, it certainly was inevitable that one day, Florida would join the growing crowd of states legalizing recreational marijuana.
That day will be Nov. 5, 2024, the day of national and state elections.
You probably have heard the Florida Supreme Court last week approved the wording of a proposed amendment that will legalize recreational marijuana in Florida.
Consider it a fait accompli. Unless there is an unforeseen tectonic shift in social mores in the next eight months — highly, highly unlikely — Floridians will approve Amendment 3 in the November elections. Here’s a good indicator of why that is so: In 2016, a resounding 73% of Florida voters approved an amendment legalizing medical marijuana.
It was just a matter of time.
The tide is strong. Going into the November elections, 24 states already have legalized recreational marijuana. What’s more, Pew Research Center reported that in a 2022 survey, “88% of U.S. adults said marijuana should be legal, either for recreational and medical use (59%) or for medical use only (30%).
Sarasota Memorial is the first hospital in the region to offer an FDA-cleared patient-specific spine implant used to replace damaged or diseased vertebral discs in the lumbar spine, according to a news release.
Unlike off-the-shelf implants that come in stock sizes, the aprevo implant is personalized to fit each patient’s spine, which can reduce complications, improve outcomes and lower the cost of care, it states.
Specialized imaging studies and 3D-printing technology are used to create a personalized surgical plan to replace a damaged disc with a patient-specific titanium implant designed to provide stability and optimizes alignment of the spine, the release noted.
The device is fused into place with a bone graft.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
