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Siesta Key | News

A satellite image of Hurricane Irma.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • December 4, 2025
Hurricane season ends without Florida landfall

No hurricanes hit the continental United States in 2025, though the Atlantic hurricane season did see the second most Category 5 storms ever.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Brightly colored stakes mark the sites of known turtle nests on beaches along Longboat Key.
    By
  • Eric Garwood
  • November 21, 2025
2025 was a record year for Sarasota sea turtles

Mote teams document more nests than ever, but turtle disorientations were also at a record level.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Sarasota County Commissioner Mark Smith uses a table to illustrate a beachfront lot and a box to illustrate building size and height to argue for a Comprehensive Plan change for voluntary redevelopment.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • November 20, 2025
Siesta Key condo replacement measure denied by county

A proposed county Comprehensive Plan amendment would have permitted older, nonconforming condo communities to voluntarily rebuild at outdated density and other standards.

  • Siesta Key
  • News
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • November 13, 2025
Life in Sarasota is back to normal for the 2025-26 season

With recovery from the 2024 hurricanes largely complete, the Sarasota you return to is largely back to normal, among other news to catch up on from while you were away.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Midnight Pass on Oct. 17, 2024, looking from Little Sarasota Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes Helene and Milton opened up the Pass after it was closed in 1983.
    By
  • Eric Garwood
  • November 6, 2025
Midnight Pass monitoring funded for another year

Sarasota County approves $500,000 to continue the program to watch for changes in waterway.

  • Siesta Key
  • News
Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis' compensation package including salary, benefits and pension contribution is $460,000.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • October 29, 2025
Commissioners lament top county officials' evaluation process

Expressing disdain for the public evaluation process of the county administrator and attorney, Sarasota County commissioners award a token bonus as a tough budget season looms.

  • Sarasota
  • News
Stephen Leatherman, aka “Dr. Beach,” who is director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University, ranked Siesta the No. 1 beach in the country in 2011 and 2017.
    By
  • Beth Luberecki
  • October 28, 2025
Siesta Beach returns to the top of the rankings

We all know Siesta Beach is awesome. But here's what goes into those "best beach" rankings — and why they matter.

  • Siesta Key
  • News
An extensive project to repair North Casey Key Road is expected to be completed by March 2027.
    By
  • Elizabeth King
  • October 28, 2025
Casey Key marches down the road to recovery and resilience

A once-quiet stretch on normally quiet Casey Key is bustling with the early stages of a $44 million road repair project.

  • Siesta Key
  • News
Shoppers and diners have returned to St. Armands Circle a year after the devastation wrought by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • October 16, 2025
Storm-weary businesses anticipate return to normal season

Sarasota's tourism destinations are polished up, opened up and ready for snowbirds and visitors one year after hurricanes cost businesses the 2024-25 season.

  • Sarasota
  • Business
Signs on Longboat Key's public beaches caution swimmers about the dangers of rip tides.
    By
  • S.T. Cardinal
  • October 1, 2025
How to spot and escape Gulf rip currents

On beaches with no lifeguards, like Longboat Key, knowing what to look for and how to escape a rip current might just save a life.

  • Longboat Key
  • News
Man dies after he's pulled from Gulf on Siesta Key
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • September 22, 2025
Man dies after he's pulled from Gulf on Siesta Key

The incident is the second in about 10 days at the beach.

  • Siesta Key
  • News
Sarasota County Fire Department has deployed the Butterfly iQ3 ultrasound system to provide paramedics with real-time internal imaging.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • September 19, 2025
New internal imaging system in use by Sarasota County EMS

The Sarasota County Fire Department's new life-saving tool delivers internal imaging to paramedics on the scene.

  • Sarasota
  • News
The Emergency Operations Center call center works in "pods," each team working on a certain aspect such as fire dispatch, law dispatch and call taking.
    By
  • Eric Garwood
  • September 17, 2025
911 callers in Sarasota will soon receive surveys

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office rolls out new feedback tool that will reconnect with callers to both emergency and non-emergency lines.

  • Sarasota
  • News
The public gathers at the entrance to Midnight Pass on Oct. 26, 2024, as boats make their way through the opening.
    By
  • Eric Garwood
  • September 11, 2025
Nature opened Midnight Pass. Sarasota County intends to keep it that way.

Fairly stable for its first 11 months, the waterway to the Gulf is critical for Sarasota County, commissioners say as they begin formulating short- and long-term policy to protect it.

  • Siesta Key
  • News
Sarasota County Legislative Delegation members meet with residents during the 2023 public meeting.
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • August 17, 2025
County delegation meeting set for Nov. 13 in Venice

The Sarasota County delegation is seeking public input prior to the 2026 Florida Legislature session.

  • Sarasota
  • News
1 2 3 4 5 »
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