TALLAHASSEE – The nearly year–long gap in background checks for concealed carry permits under Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam’s watch is now being reviewed. The audit is being done by the state’s auditor general, and Putnam’s office confirmed that the audit has started. In fact, the review began before the security snafu was made public in […]
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SARASOTA – North Port City Clerk Patsy Adkins has given her 30 day resignation notice, ending a 15–year career with the city. Adkins has spent the two most recent of those 15 years as the city clerk. She had come under scrutiny recently both over the way she managed the clerk’s office and a backlog […]
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SARASOTA – A know your rights event put on by Black Lives Matter touched on topics of what to do when stopped by the police, race relations, and bail reform. 2015 report from the New York Times says of the people currently locked up in this country, 60 percent haven’t been convicted of anything. Close […]
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SARASOTA – In this edition of Political Corner, SNN’s Grant Boxleitner and Sarasota County Republican Party Vice Chair Jack Brill discuss the upcoming GOP straw poll and rally. The much-anticipated event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., July 28 at Robarts Arena, featuring candidates up and down the Republican ticket for the […]
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SARASOTA – Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum, was in Sarasota Wednesday campaigning for the Democratic nomination for governor. He’s campaigning the old fashioned way, talking to residents where they’re comfortable, namely local barbershops. Gillum, who is African–American, visited three black–owned barbershops on the Suncoast yesterday in less than two hours. He also hopes stops like those […]
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TALLAHASSEE – A school program designed to help bullied students moves forward. The Florida Board of Education on Wednesday unanimously approved a rule for a controversial new program that will let bullied students transfer to private schools. Hope scholarships will allow students who are victims of bullying or other violence to receive public funding to […]
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MANATEE COUNTY – “Being the superintendent for the school district of Manatee County has been an amazing opportunity. Situations where you feel like ‘oh I will never experience that’ somehow as Superintendent you seem to experience those situations,” As of this week, Dr. Diana Greene, the first African American female to serve as superintendent in […]
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SARASOTA — Nick Guy’s campaign web site states he decided to run for the Sarasota County School Board in the aftermath of the February shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Guy is a former school teacher who now works as a business analyst for a healthcare company. Guy, who earned a bachelor’s degree […]
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SARASOTA – Sarasota Chamber of Commerce CEO Kevin Cooper says the “Decide the Date” petition effort raised nearly a thousand more signatures required to put the matter on the November referendum. So, what happens next? “Once the petition initiative itself is successful, there’s a series of decisions the commission has to make. The two most […]
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SARASOTA – The Sarasota county school board voted unanimously to extend a contract to local law enforcement to place SROs in MIDDLE AND high schools for the 2018–2019 school year. The board gives superintendent Todd Bowden permission to negotiate a contract with an 80–20 funding split with the Sarasota county sheriff’s office. The decision gives the […]
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TALLAHASSEE – A key omission may affect money spent on homeless people in the state. The Florida budget that kicks in July 1 includes $4 million in grants for homeless organizations helping needy families. Legislators, however, omitted language that makes it mandatory for the state to actually spend the money. As a result, 27 homeless agencies […]
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VENICE – Budget time for the city of Venice. The City Council will meet later this week to dissect the proposed $109.3 million spending package for the coming fiscal year. “We want to make sure their isn’t any waste number one. We want to make sure that the priorities that are established for the city […]
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SARASOTA — In this edition of Political Corner, SNN’s Grant Boxleitner and Herald-Tribune Political Editor Zac Anderson break down the Republican State House District 73 primary. Businesswoman Melissa Howard and veteran and attorney Tommy Gregory are squaring off the in August primary. It’s expected to be a hotly contested race to replace Joe Gruters, who […]
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SARASOTA-Governor Rick Scott encourages residents to take advantage of living in the ‘Fishing Capital of the World’. Last weekend Governor Scott deemed, license–free freshwater fishing in gulf waters. Beginning Monday, fishermen are granted a 40-day red snapper season in Gulf and Federal waters through July 20th. Sherman Baldwin owner of Hart’s Landing said he hasn’t […]
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SARASOTA – City Commissioner terms in Sarasota could be lengthened by new election dates. The City Commission will have several options to phase in new election dates that could temporarily extend commission terms by 18 months should voters in November choose to change the dates of city elections from March and May of odd years […]
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SARASOTA – A judge defied Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican–led Legislature yesterday and ordered state regulators to get ready for smokable medical marijuana According to the Herald-Tribune Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers lifted a legal stay prompted by the Scott administration’s appeal of her ruling last month that the state’s current smoke–free law […]
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SARASOTA – So far this year Florida has seen strong tourism numbers. Florida drew an estimated 33.2 million visitors from January through March, a 7.4 percent increase over the same period in 2017 and a record for any quarter, Gov. Rick Scott and the tourism–marketing agency Visit Florida said Tuesday. The increase this year was […]
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SARASOTA – Sarasota School Board Chairwoman Bridget Ziegler is now saying she wants to meet about school security. Ziegler credits a conversation with Andrew Pollock who is the parent of a student who was a victim of the Parkland shooting. “Talked a lot about that and I think it comes down to you cant communicate […]
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SARASOTA – Hagan Brody who serves as Sarasota City Commissioner at large says there is a ban that prohibits vending in the streets… This ban includes ice cream trucks.. Brody tells SNN the city council is leaning toward lifting the ban to allow ice cream trucks and should make a final decision soon. The conversation […]
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LEON COUNTY – Social media continues to drive gun control supporters to boycott Publix stores this Memorial Day weekend. It’s to protest the company’s financial support of an NRA backed candidate for Florida governor. An online petition and posts flooding Twitter, Facebook and Instagram urged shoppers to stay away from Publix’s 800 Florida stores because […]
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SARASOTA – Sarasota State Representative Joe Gruters and two other individuals nominated by President Trump for transportation related appointments were questioned by members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation in Washington. Gruters is seeking an appointment to the Amtrak board. Safety is a pressing issue for the train service after a […]
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SARASOTA- On a pit-stop on his campaign trail for Senate, Governor Rick Scott visited PGT Industries in Venice Wednesday afternoon. Scott spoke to hundreds of employees and supporters in the warehouse of the largest employer in Sarasota County. He claims since taking office in 2010, PGT almost tripled employment at the Venice facilities. Scott will […]
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SARASOTA – The Humane Society of the United States honors a Suncoast congressman. The humane society awarded U.S. House Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, with the Legislative Leader award for his work to protect endangered species and prevent cruelty to animals. The organizations presented the award to Buchanan during a ceremony on Wednesday. Buchanan has worked […]
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SARASOTA – In this edition of Political Corner, SNN’s Grant Boxleitner and Herald-Tribune Political Editor Zac Anderson discuss the showdown senate race between Florida Governor Rick Scott and Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson. Governor Scott, who is wrapping up his final term this year, made the announcement earlier this week that he will challenge Nelson […]
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SARASOTA – The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help to identify a vehicle involved in an aggravated battery incident that occurred Sunday, April 8, in Sarasota. According to a release from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, at around 5:00 p.m., deputies were called to a possible road rage incident near the […]
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