Lakewood

Unwanted firearms, pellet guns and BB guns will be accepted at Sarasota Police Department on Saturday, July 11 during the Done with the Gun turn-in event.From 1-5 p.m. at police headquarters, 2099 Adams Lane, officers will accept a variety of items including non-working firearms, antiques, replicas, pellet guns and BB guns. The event is anonymous, and participants’ weapons will be retrieved directly from vehicles.No one is permitted to remove a firearm from a vehicle in the drop-off area,

Only minutes after Sarasota Planning Board Vice Chairman Douglas Christy delivered a brief annual report to the City Commission — one in which he lamented a sometimes one-week notice to review voluminous documents in advance of their meetings — one new member was appointed and a current reappointed.Ironically, the new member only had two days to review documents for the next Planning Board meeting, which was scheduled for Wednesday.At its Monday meeting, the commission unanimously g

Now that a suit was filed by the town of Longboat Key against the developers of the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, the resort owner’s lawyers responded to the town’s claims, and a court date was set.Lawyers Morgan Bentley and Brian Goodrich, who have been retained by Chuck Whittall and Unicorp Developments, Inc. on behalf of SR LBK and SR LBK II LLC, filed an answer to the town’s lawsuit over a metal arch the town claims violates its sign code. The answer, signed by Goodrich,

Every year, each of Manatee County’s approximately 236,000 real estate parcels receives a valuation. Sometimes it goes up. Sometimes it goes down. Most importantly, this appraisal of valuation is the basis of that property owner’s tax bill, which makes it an essential process for the county. So just how does Charles Hackney, Manatee County’s elected property appraiser since 1992, get that work completed each and every year?Hackney said conducting that many appraisals

When Josh Barth, 46, consistently found himself missing out when his favorite food trucks were near him, he didn’t just grumble and move on. He started a business. That frustration with pop-up schedules became the inspiration of FoodTrukt, an app designed to connect customers with nearby food trucks.“In the back of my mind I was like, ‘There's got to be a better way to do this,” Barth said. Barth, the CFO, and Adam Ott, the CEO of FoodTrukt, both have software b

The woman who plead no contest to stealing more than $200,000 last year from Sarasota Little League was sentenced Monday to a year in Sarasota County Jail and was ordered to begin paying $176,000 in restitution upon her release.In court documents, 35-year-old Ahnaysa Kristina Turner was ordered to make a lump-sum payment of $88,006 and begin making $1,000 monthly payments 30 days after her release. She was also sentenced to 25 years of probation.Further, she is barred from working for any non-p

Voters choose the candidates who will appear on the general election ballots months before the election in August.The primary election is Aug. 18, and those who are not yet registered or wish to change their party affiliation must do so by Monday, July 20.Registration can be done online at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov, in person at a supervisor of elections office (2001 Adams Lane for Sarasota County residents or 600 301 Blvd. W., Ste. 108 for Manatee County residents) or by mail by filling out an

The property tax referendum was the topic that rose to the top during Commissioner Bob McCann's joint workshop with Community Development Districts on June 30 at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.Representatives of each CDD were able to submit questions to the commissioner beforehand.The referendum would increase homestead exemptions up to $250,000 by 2028 and could cost Manatee County over $149 million in annual revenue. McCann’s response was that property taxes are too high. &ldquo

The team at Le Gardenia Bleu, a family-run Longboat Key flower and gift shop that opened shortly before hurricanes Helene and Milton, announced on July 6 they are closed.Co-owner Lita Brannan shared on Facebook multiple factors prompted the closure, including several personal issues the small staff needed to prioritize.Lita and John Brannan ran the shop with Jon Mongeau, a florist with nearly 40 years of experience.____________Related ArticleDecember 3, 2024New flower shop opens before hurrican

With two attorneys already seated on the Manatee County Commission — Amanda Ballard and Bob McCann — another attorney has entered the race for District 1: Leland Taylor. Taylor said lawyers can make good county commissioners because they’re open-minded, know how to apply the Constitution, and are adept at reading statutes and ordinances.  “There are so many different areas to learn, you can’t know it all,” Taylor said. “But you have an approac