• Alternate Text
  • Loading

  • Sand Bucket List
  • Health Observed
  • Crossword
  • Contests
  • Newsletters
  • e-Newspaper App
  • Longboat
    • News
    • Cops Corner
    • Real Estate
    • Business
    • Neighbors
    • Opinion
  • East County
    • News
    • Real Estate
    • Business
    • Neighbors
    • Schools
    • Sports
    • Opinion
  • Sarasota
    • News
    • Cops Corner
    • Real Estate
    • Business
    • Neighbors
    • Schools
    • Sports
    • Opinion
    • Siesta Key
  • Arts + Entertainment
    • Eat + Drink
    • Arts + Culture
    • Reviews
    • Things To Do
    • Black Tie
    • Spotlight Partners
  • Elections
  • Galleries
  • More
    • Hurricane Season
    • Health Observed
    • Sand Bucket List
    • Celebrations
    • Contests
    • Tributes
    • Submit a Celebration
    • Submit a Tribute
    • Public Notices
    • Classifieds
  • Longboat
    • Longboat
    • News
    • Cops Corner
    • Real Estate
    • Business
    • Neighbors
    • Opinion
  • East County
    • East County
    • News
    • Real Estate
    • Business
    • Neighbors
    • Schools
    • Sports
    • Opinion
  • Sarasota
    • Sarasota
    • News
    • Cops Corner
    • Real Estate
    • Business
    • Neighbors
    • Schools
    • Sports
    • Opinion
    • Siesta Key
  • Arts + Entertainment
    • Arts + Entertainment
    • Eat + Drink
    • Arts + Culture
    • Reviews
    • Things To Do
    • Black Tie
    • Spotlight Partners
  • Elections
  • Galleries
  • More
    • More
    • Hurricane Season
    • Health Observed
    • Sand Bucket List
    • Celebrations
    • Contests
    • Tributes
    • Submit a Celebration
    • Submit a Tribute
    • Public Notices
    • Classifieds
  • Sand Bucket List
  • Health Observed
  • Crossword
  • Contests
  • Newsletters
  • e-Newspaper App

Longboat Key | Opinion

Part II: ‘Courage to Be Free’
    By
  • Matt Walsh
  • March 23, 2023
Part II: ‘Courage to Be Free’

The more you read Gov. DeSantis book, the more convinced you become that it is his way of giving voters a quick-read of from where he came; his principles; and that he wants to be in the White House.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
Shortage of courts: It’s not that big of a pickle
    By
  • Matt Walsh
  • March 22, 2023
Shortage of courts: It’s not that big of a pickle

Does Longboat really need more public pickleball courts?

  • Longboat Key
  • Opinion
Protecting our natural resources is a moral responsibility
  • By Rusty Chinnis
  • March 16, 2023
Protecting our natural resources is a moral responsibility

We can have all the rules protecting nature we want. Until we enforce them, red tide and other nature degradation will continue.

  • Longboat Key
  • Opinion
Our presidential contenders
    By
  • Matt Walsh
  • March 16, 2023
Our presidential contenders

Three Floridians want to be president. Timing and circumstances appear to be working against one. Another is up to his usual insults. The third has the courage, but does he have the will to bear it all?

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
Attacks on SMH unfounded, reprehensible
  • By Tramm Hudson
  • March 13, 2023
Attacks on SMH unfounded, reprehensible

Out-of-town agitators are using deceitful, defamatory and violent verbal abuse to seed distrust in Sarasota Memorial. Our community should not tolerate such ugly bullying.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
Designating fentanyl as a WMD would increase overdoses
  • By Adrian Moore and Jacob James Rich
  • March 9, 2023
Designating fentanyl as a WMD would increase overdoses

Cracking down on drugs often has an unintended effect: The creation of more potent, and lethal, replacements.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
With the Fed's monetary policy, a bear market is only a matter of time.
  • By George Rauch
  • March 7, 2023
Which way are the stock market winds blowing?

With government debt and interest rates increasing, it's only a matter of time before the market responds with a correction.

  • Longboat Key
  • Opinion
For SMH, context matters
    By
  • Matt Walsh
  • March 1, 2023
For SMH, context matters

All things considered, in the fog of the crisis, Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s handling of COVID was exemplary — except in one area.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Emily Walsh
  • February 22, 2023
Mind the mental health gap

Nearly two years after forming a mental health district, the Sarasota County Commission has yet to distribute $8 million in funding. Now Commissioner Mike Moran wants to restructure the process — and what services get funded.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
No longer inexpensive
    By
  • Matt Walsh
  • February 15, 2023
No longer inexpensive

Housing costs (and government) have made Florida expensive. A great reason to fix policies.

  • Longboat Key
  • Opinion
The War of Education
    By
  • Matt Walsh
  • February 9, 2023
The War of Education

The inevitable has been exposed: State-controlled, taxpayer-funded education doesn’t work. The power needs to shift from politicians to parents.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
Declare fentanyl a WMD
    By
  • Matt Walsh
  • February 2, 2023
Declare fentanyl a WMD

President Joe Biden’s ineptness at stopping fentanyl from China and Mexico has fueled Florida’s fentanyl death toll — second highest in the U.S. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody makes a case for decisive action.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Matt Walsh
  • January 25, 2023
What is ‘effective’ notice?

Florida’s Republican lawmakers hate the daily newspapers and for 25 years have sought to end laws requiring public notices in newspapers. Their answer: Let government control public notice. Ha!

  • Longboat Key
  • Opinion
    By
  • Matt Walsh
  • January 18, 2023
Do or die for New College

With his recent appointments to the New College board, Gov. DeSantis has put the school on notice that it can no longer do what it has been doing. There is a better strategy for the future.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
  • By Adrian Moore, Geoffrey Lawrence
  • January 11, 2023
Nikki Fried is right to sue for medical marijuana patients’ gun rights

Although federal law prohibits marijuana use, it doesn’t give it grounds to discriminate against marijuana users.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
« 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 »
The best of Your Observer, delivered directly to your inbox

Get the latest in news, sports, schools, arts and things to do in Sarasota, Siesta Key, Longboat Key and East County.

Sign Up

Latest in Longboat Key

1
Danae Tran plays the violin for Longboat Island Chapel attendees of the July 19 morning service before she and fellow scholarship recipient Michelle McLeod move to greet guests at the award reception.
  • July 24, 2026
Scholars celebrated at Longboat Island Chapel award reception
2
A Flock camera takes pictures of vehicles that drive on Gulf of Mexico Drive on Longboat Key.
  • July 22, 2026
Flock cameras photograph every car that enters Longboat Key
3
The home at 344 W. Royal Flamingo Drive sold for $6.55 million. Built in 1998, it has four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, a pool and 4,344 square feet of living area.
  • July 22, 2026
Top residential real estate sales for July 6-10 in Longboat, Lido, St. Armands, Bird Key
4
Mother-daughter duo Bridgette, left, and Giana Clark make a doubly positive difference in their community by monitoring sea turtle nests and clearing litter from the beach as volunteers with the Longboat Key Turtle Watch. The group recently celebrated seeing their new "Adopt A Shore" signage.
  • July 22, 2026
Clean beaches are a 'shore' thing under Turtle Watch's eye
5
Multiple species of starfish have found a home on the "Living Wall" at Longboat Key's Bayfront Park. The innovative project uses 3D-printed concrete slabs modeled after mangrove roots to provide better habitat for aquatic animals.
  • July 21, 2026
Longboat's living seawall recognized for creativity

App

Download the Your Observer app

Stay in the know with the latest local news. Any device, anytime, anywhere.

DOWNLOAD NOW

Contact

  • 1970 Main St.
  • Third Floor
  • Sarasota, FL 34236
  • Phone: 941-366-3468
  • FPN Verified

Extra, Extra!

  • Newsletters
  • App
  • Crossword
  • Contests

more

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Classifieds
  • Advertise
  • Rack Locations
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Options

sister sites

  • Business Observer
  • Jax Daily Record
  • Orange Observer
  • Accessibility Options
  • Copyright © 2026 Observer Media Group Inc., All Rights Reserved
Sign Up for Daily Headlines

A daily dose of news from Longboat Key, East County, Sarasota and Siesta Key.

Sign Up for In Case You Missed It

A Saturday dose of the week's top stories from Sarasota, Longboat Key and East County.


Anytime. Anywhere. Observer.

From in-depth local reporting to real-time breaking news, stay connected to the stories shaping our community with the Your Observer app.

Download Now for Free