Sarasota County

Handmade dolls from a war-torn city are on the road. Why do they have no faces, and where are they headed next?

As local governments across Florida brace for steep cuts to property tax revenue if voters approve Amendment 3, Sarasota County is putting some hiring on hold.

Republican Nick Pachota and Democrat Ryan Neill will compete in November for Florida House District 74.

Amendment 3, which will appear on Florida’s November ballot and requires 60% voter approval to pass, would sharply expand the state’s homestead exemption and reduce the property tax revenue that counties and cities use to pay for police, fire rescue, roads, parks and other services.

State and local officials Friday celebrated the completion of the $61 million River Road (State Road 777) widening project in Sarasota County.

The grandchild of a DeSantis appointee is at the center of complaints filed against a teacher who Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier accused last week of trying to “cancel” an eighth-grade boy over his political views.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District extended strict watering restrictions for a second time.

Programming that helped thousands of children and families could now be under threat if a new proposal by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is approved after a public comment period that ends next month. Announced in August, the proposal wouldn’t directly cut funding to Head Start — a federal program that provides free childcare and preschool services to low-income families — but it would eliminate many of its federal regulations. Sarasota County providers worry the change could ultimately reduce funding and make it more difficult to maintain support for families.

If Florida voters approve Amendment 3 in November, cities and counties across the state could lose roughly $12 billion a year in property tax revenue — forcing local officials to cut spending, find other sources of money or shrink the services they provide. What would that mean on the Suncoast?

Without the planned economic revitalization of Newtown, Jetson Grimes, owner of Jetson’s Creative Trends hair salon since 1982, isn’t sure neighborhood businesses like his will survive.