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News

Manatee County CFO Sheila McLean presents a new budget proposal July 31.
    By
  • Lesley Dwyer
  • August 5, 2025
Manatee property values decelerate, but tentative millage stays steady

Countywide property values were anticipated to grow by 10% but only grew by 7.09%.

  • East County
  • News
Town of Longboat Key Police Chief Russ Mager is sworn in on his first day Aug. 4 as his wife, Beth, looks on.
    By
  • Michael Harris
  • August 5, 2025
Longboat Key swears in new police chief

Russ Mager brings 29 years of experience to the position, with much of that time spent in Delray Beach.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
There are three living levels within 845 Longboat Club Road.
    By
  • Eric Garwood
  • August 4, 2025
Record-breaking Longboat home sale spotlights island's unique market

The $30.3 million deal solidifies the town's position for luxury sales.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
The damage to Whitaker Gateway Park from hurricanes Helene and Milton is estimated at $1.5 million.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • August 4, 2025
City park hurricane repairs estimated at $12.45 million

In addition to $12.45 million in repairs to city parks and piers, Sarasota's Parks and Recreation Department budget also took a nearly $200,000 hit in lost revenues following the 2024 storms.

  • Sarasota
  • News
The electric dirt bike seen here is a Talaria XXX Pro that retails for about $3,000. The manufacturer states that it was designed for off-road use by riders 16 years of age or older.
    By
  • Lesley Dwyer
  • August 4, 2025
Electric bicycle use regulated in unincorporated Manatee County

The ordinance prohibits kids under 16 from using Class 3 electric bikes on shared-use paths and roadways.

  • East County
  • News
Suncoast Waterkeepers provides weekly water quality testing of coastal waters and publishes results for the public.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • August 2, 2025
Waterkeeper monitoring expands to south Sarasota County

Suncoast Waterkeeper has added a new water quality specialist for its bacteria indicator testing program.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Sarasota Yacht Club philanthropy and special projects coordinator Stephania Feltz, center, joins Nicki Martin, Don Ellis, Roy Grossman and Mark Padgett, who are the board members leading SYC Cares. The charitable arm of the yacht club recently became an official 501c3.
    By
  • Dana Kampa
  • August 1, 2025
SYC Cares becomes 501(c)(3) foundation

With 20 members on the committee, the Sarasota Yacht Club will continue its fundraising faction.

  • Sarasota
  • News
The house at 845 Longboat Club Road spans nearly 20,000 square feet.
    By
  • Eric Garwood
  • July 31, 2025
Record home sale at $30.3 million closes for Longboat Key property

The property called "Serenissima" previously broke sales-price record in 2020.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Save Sarasota Historic Properties Inc. plans to restore the historic Colson Hotel into the Colson Collective business incubator.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • July 31, 2025
Colson Hotel to be restored as a business incubator

With a goal of providing business startup space across all demographics, the group preserving the Colson Hotel plans to renovate it as the Colson Collective.

  • Sarasota
  • News
City Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch (left) supported Commissioner Kathy Kelley Ohlrich's motion to set the citywide max millage rate at 3.3 in hopes of setting the final rate at 3.273 for fiscal year 2026.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • July 31, 2025
Sarasota citywide max property millage rate is set at 3.3

Interim City Manager Dave Bullock told city commissioners an increase over the current fiscal year's property tax rate is necessary to rebuild the general fund balance.

  • Sarasota
  • News
The School Board of Sarasota County at a July 2025 meeting.
    By
  • Ian Swaby
  • July 31, 2025
Sarasota School Board votes to change discrimination policy language

The changes to the student code of conduct remove specifically enumerated protections for categories that include race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

  • Sarasota
  • Schools
Incoming Longboat Key Chief of Police Russ Mager speaks during a ceremony in 2022 when he was Delray Beach's chief.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • July 31, 2025
Longboat Key gets a new police chief on Aug. 4

Public is invited to morning swearing-in ceremony of Russ Mager.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Traffic often backs up from the Cortez Bridge intersection onto Longboat Key during peak season.
    By
  • Dana Kampa
  • July 30, 2025
Longboat seeks input on traffic congestion

As summer begins to wind down, town officials are seeking public input on the best strategies to improve traffic congestion.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Sara Geary, the head of schools at Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, and Patty Scerbo, a mother to two students who attend the school, look forward to potential improvements that may be funded by their share of the half penny tax.
    By
  • Madison Bierl
  • July 30, 2025
Charter schools eager to make use of sales tax dollars

Starting in the 2025-26 school year, Manatee County charters will receive 50% of their proportionate share of anticipated revenue from the half-penny sales tax.

  • East County
  • Schools
A bulldozer moves trash at the Lena Road Landfill.
    By
  • Lesley Dwyer
  • July 30, 2025
Lena Road landfill's lifespan changed by slope strategies

Manatee County says reconfiguring the way waste is packed into cells will add two decades to the landfill.

  • East County
  • News
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Santa (Steven Trudell of St. Petersburg) gets the runners fired up just before the start of the 2025 Jingle 5K Dec. 12 in Lakewood Ranch.
  • December 13, 2025
More than 500 runners go the distance in Lakewood Ranch's Jingle 5K
2
Longboat Key Police Deputy Chief Frank Rubino (left) accepts a framed display of medals, patches and pins that demonstrate his 45-year career in law enforcement.
  • December 13, 2025
Longboat deputy chief with 45 years of experience to retire
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  • December 12, 2025
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Nicholas Savarese, a teacher who has a background in chemical engineering, judges junior Lillian Pevzner-Downer's project on the comparison of conventionally grown crops with chemicals and pesticides versus organically grown crops at the Lakewood Ranch High School Science Fair.
  • December 12, 2025
Lakewood Ranch High revives its science fair

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