• Alternate Text

  • Loading

  • Valentine's Day Gift Guide
  • 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
  • Key Life
  • Galleries
  • More
    • Hurricane Season
    • Red Tide Map
    • Health Observed
    • Sand Bucket List
    • Calendar
    • 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
  • Key Life
  • Galleries
  • More
    • More
    • Hurricane Season
    • Red Tide Map
    • Health Observed
    • Sand Bucket List
    • Calendar
    • Celebrations
    • Contests
    • Tributes
    • Submit a Celebration
    • Submit a Tribute
    • Public Notices
    • Classifieds
  • Valentine's Day Gift Guide
  • Health Observed
  • Crossword
  • Contests
  • Newsletters
  • e-Newspaper App

Sarasota | Opinion

    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 23, 2011
Our View: Keep cutting, maintain reserves

As local governments work through their annual budget seasons, they all face the same thing: the fifth year of declining revenues.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
An astoundingly expensive $20 million proposal to upgrade the public beach facilities at Siesta Key beach is not only out of touch with fiscal realities, it misses a central point: The draw of Siesta Key beach is the beach.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 16, 2011
Our View: Siesta Beach plan unreal

Siesta Key Beach is one of Sarasota's jewels and a critical component of the economic pillar of tourism - a major leg of our economy long term. It is part of who we are.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 9, 2011
OUR VIEW: Jackson demise for the best

Contrary to prevailing establishment opinion, Sarasota County did not 'lose out' on the Jackson Laboratory deal.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
Immigration reform protest in Tallahassee last month. Note use of "anti-immigrant" when the issue is "illegal immigrant," and the use of children.
  • By Rod Thomson
  • June 8, 2011
MY VIEW: Needed: immigration principles

Immigration reform frustratingly died in the Florida Legislature last month. What is so difficult about making everyone play by the same rules?

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
Jim Ley
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 2, 2011
OUR VIEW: The lesson from Ley

In the totality of his tenure, you can easily argue Jim Ley performed well as Sarasota County administrator. So his resignation last week - or to be more precise, the circumstances that led to his departure - should not forever or indelibly blemish his 14-year record.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
  • By Rod Thomson
  • June 1, 2011
MY VIEW: Reforms, not money, working

School reforms have led to dramatic education results in Florida, even in the face of budget cuts.

  • East County
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 26, 2011
Our View: Benches, unfortunately, had to go

It is refreshing to see a serious Sarasota City Commission willing to take decisive action on behalf of productive law-abiding members of the community. It did so when voting to remove park benches from Selby Five Points Park for what should be obvious reasons.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
  • By Jeffrey Oldenburg and Peggy Benzinger
  • May 26, 2011
MY VIEW: Redeeming North Trail

As we have been working to help revitalize blighted areas in Sarasota (the Rosemary District, Gillespie Park and North Tamiami Trail) for the last 18 years, we share your editorial writer's frustration ("North Trail hypocrisy") in that no seated City Commission in the last 30 years has contributed anything really significant to the revitalization of the North Trail.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 25, 2011
OUR VIEW: Keep the Promise for Israel

To understand why the Observer Group newspapers have always been strong supporters of Israel - and find deep fault with President Obama's Middle East speech last week - we have to go as far back into the written record of history as possible.

  • East County
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 19, 2011
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Willie Shaw should heed editorial advice.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 18, 2011
OUR VIEW: Fixing a broken system

Florida's economic development system has long been a bust, plagued by excessive bureaucracy, ponderously slow and inefficient with multiple state departments involved.

  • East County
  • Opinion
  • By Rod Thomson
  • May 18, 2011
MY VIEW: Turn off the TV. Quick!

TV and the rest of Digital Land that we use to watch videos are making us fat, lazy, dumb and horrible citizens.

  • East County
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 12, 2011
Our View: Right turns in the Legislature

Gov. Rick Scott, a Tallahassee outsider despised in the media and willing to take unpopular stands on principle, had a surprising amount of success during his first legislative session as governor.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 5, 2011
OUR VIEW: Newtown needs fresh leaders

Newtown is a community black eye that Sarasota leaders have been trying feverishly to put mascara over to protect the important tourism industry. That effort will be successful, and Sarasota and her beaches, golf courses and snowbird industries will recover. Memories are often short.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
Charles Hewett, executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Jackson Laboratory, stands at the proposed site of research lab in eastern Collier County last summer before the institute abandoned the project at the end of 2010.
  • By Carolann Cahill and Jim Lampl
  • May 5, 2011
MY VIEW: Go slow on Jackson Lab

The non-profit Jackson Laboratory has a solid reputation in its field and a demonstrated track record of success in securing public funding. But that does not justify Sarasota County jumping on the Jackson Lab bandwagon heading our way.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
« 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 »
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 Sarasota

1
Suncoast Waterkeepers regularly tests water quality at 12 sites in Sarasota Bay and its adjacent waters, including the Linley Street boat ramp on Longboat Key.
  • February 7, 2026
Sarasota, Manatee bayside beaches graded for water safety
2
Sarasota nonprofit Casting For The Kids helps children with cancer and their families breathe a little easier.
  • February 6, 2026
Annual fishing tournament casts for a cause
3
Jennifer Rominiecki brought the living museum concept to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens when she was named president and CEO in 2015.
  • February 5, 2026
Botanical gardens' potential lured Rominiecki family to Sarasota
4
Capt. A.J. Grande operates a "six pack" fishing charter business who often picks up and drops off customers at Nora Patterson Park.
  • February 5, 2026
Permits will be required for charter boat operators using county parks
5
The home at 3851 Tangier Terrace was built in 2024 and has three bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,379 square feet of living area.
  • February 5, 2026
Top residential real estate sales for Jan. 19-23 in Sarasota, Siesta Key, Palmer Ranch, Osprey, Nokomis

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.

The Your Observer App is Here!

Get local news you can trust — now on your phone, tablet or laptop. Fast. Free. Easy to Use.
Stay informed, wherever you are.

Download Now