Suncoast Searchlight

Across Florida, voters seeking information about their registration status were blocked when the company that hosts county Supervisors of Elections websites shut down access due to security concerns Wednesday morning.

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.

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.

More than a hundred people are now left without a place to shower, wash clothes and get out of the heat and a church has had to reduce services and hours as it works to address a code violation and neighborhood complaints.

Like many local ranchers, DeSoto County's Newt Keen said he’s worried about the future of the industry, especially after President Donald Trump announced he will be easing tariffs for foreign beef — a move some agricultural experts fear could further weaken the country’s future beef supply.

Sarasota County could see major cuts to critical services if Amendment 3 passes at the ballot box in November, with the Sheriff’s Office alone standing to lose more than $50 million of the property tax revenue it currently receives, new projections show.

DeSoto County commissioners approved a one-year moratorium on data centers Tuesday, but it won’t apply to rezoning applications tied to an 800-plus-acre data center project proposed earlier this year.

Two decades ago this summer, a bottlenose dolphin made international headlines after he was spotted swimming through Sarasota Bay wearing an extra-large men’s Speedo. The dolphin, named Scrappy, was found caught in the swimsuit, unable to escape as the fabric cut deep into his soft, gray skin. Today, Scrappy is still alive, still swimming in Sarasota Bay — and thanks to researchers who freed him — helping tell a much bigger story about dolphin conservation.

As Suncoast areas continue to grapple with the effect of short-term vacation rentals, the industry’s most dominant player has staked a major claim in Florida's premier 2026 election. Airbnb, the online marketplace at the center of local fights over neighborhood rentals, has contributed $1 million to the political committee supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, who previously backed legislation to curb local regulation of the industry.