Local Government
The Sarasota Record
88°F
Sarasota — your local wire.
Sarasota — your local wire.
Local Government
Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Local Government
Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Local Government
Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Local Government
Lynette Herbert takes over as Sarasota County health officer
The Sarasota County Commission confirmed Lynette Herbert as the county's new health officer on Aug. 25, replacing 15-year veteran Chuck Henry who retires Sept. 30.
.jpeg)
Local Government
Glover, Brandt advance to Nov. 3 Sarasota school board runoff
Democrat-backed Jimmy Glover and Republican-backed Heidi Brandt will compete Tuesday, Nov. 3, for the Sarasota County School Board District 1 seat vacated by Bridget Ziegler, with Brandt distancing herself from the outgoing conservative majority's policies.
Sarasota, FL
88°F
Sunny
Feels like 100° · 10% rain
SatMostly Sunny93°F38%
SunMostly Sunny92°F76%
MonMostly Sunny92°F81%
TueMostly Sunny92°F83%
WedMostly Sunny91°F72%
ThuScattered Showers And Thunderstorms91°F68%
FriIsolated Showers And Thunderstorms90°F60%
Local Government
Lynette Herbert takes over as Sarasota County health officer
The Sarasota County Commission confirmed Lynette Herbert as the county's new health officer on Aug. 25, replacing 15-year veteran Chuck Henry who retires Sept. 30.
Local Government
Glover, Brandt advance to Nov. 3 Sarasota school board runoff
Local Government
Sarasota County opens $100M administration center east of I-75
Sarasota, FL
88°F
Sunny
Feels like 100° · 10% rain
SatMostly Sunny93°F38%
SunMostly Sunny92°F76%
MonMostly Sunny92°F81%
TueMostly Sunny92°F83%
WedMostly Sunny91°F72%
ThuScattered Showers And Thunderstorms91°F68%
FriIsolated Showers And Thunderstorms90°F60%
Local Government
Lynette Herbert takes over as Sarasota County health officer
The Sarasota County Commission confirmed Lynette Herbert as the county's new health officer on Aug. 25, replacing 15-year veteran Chuck Henry who retires Sept. 30.
Local Government
Glover, Brandt advance to Nov. 3 Sarasota school board runoff
Local Government
Sarasota County opens $100M administration center east of I-75
Sarasota, FL
88°F
Sunny
Feels like 100° · 10% rain
SatMostly Sunny93°F38%
SunMostly Sunny92°F76%
MonMostly Sunny92°F81%
TueMostly Sunny92°F83%
WedMostly Sunny91°F72%
ThuScattered Showers And Thunderstorms91°F68%
FriIsolated Showers And Thunderstorms90°F60%
Local Government
Rise Above opens 'Into the Woods' in larger Siesta Key venue
Rise Above Performing Arts opens Sondheim's "Into the Woods" on Thursday, Aug. 13, in a 193-seat converted restaurant at The Crossings at Siesta Key, featuring what co-founder Brian Chinn calls the largest LED screen backdrop in Sarasota outside Bayside Community Church.
Local Government
Sarasota commissioners reject freeze on six downtown projects, demand specifics before September budget vote
The Sarasota City Commission unanimously rejected City Manager Karie Friling's recommendation to freeze six major "generational" projects and directed her to specify which aspects of each can move forward before the September 2026 budget adoption.
Local Government
Downtown Sarasota parking hours rolled back: what to know before you go
The Sarasota City Commission unanimously suspended downtown's controversial extended parking enforcement hours on Aug. 3, restoring a 10 a.m.–8 p.m. weekday schedule and free Sundays, though elevated citation fines remain; residents can weigh in at an Aug. 24 open house and Aug. 31 workshop.
Local Government
Developer seeks to fill 3 acres of Sarasota Bay wetlands; public comments due Aug. 7
A developer seeking to modify the already-approved Aqua by the Bay project near Sarasota Bay wants to fill more than three acres of wetlands and build a gabion wall along the shoreline; the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program warns the bay's fragmented ecosystem cannot absorb more losses, and public comments are due by Friday, Aug. 7.
Local Government
Sarasota secures $4 million in state funding for St. Armands evacuation routes, bayou dredging
The City of Sarasota announced $4 million in state funding for three infrastructure projects: $2.5 million for Whitaker Bayou dredging, $1.25 million for St. Armands Key evacuation route upgrades, and $250,000 for citywide ADA improvements, adding to a growing stack of resilience investments for the flood-battered commercial corridor.
Local Government
Ringling exhibit traces photography's fight to be called fine art
The Ringling Museum's "Evocative Lens" exhibition, on view through Sept. 16, showcases Pictorialist photography from the museum's permanent collection and traces the movement that first argued cameras could make fine art.
Local Government
Sarasota holds property tax rate flat despite $16 million in hurricane costs
The Sarasota City Commission voted unanimously July 31 to hold the property tax rate flat at 3.2730 mills for FY 2026-27, keeping rates steady as the city recovers from $16 million in hurricane costs and rebuilds reserves ahead of two September public hearings.
Local Government
Free arts celebration for families coming to North Sarasota on Aug. 29
The Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation will host a free family arts event at Harvest House Family Center on Saturday, Aug. 29, offering hands-on activities, music, dancing, and free books and supplies for children in pre-K through fifth grade.
Local Government
Sarasota Audubon joins two lawsuits to block D.R. Horton development near Celery Fields
The Sarasota Audubon Society has obtained intervenor status in two lawsuits involving D.R. Horton's proposed development at Smith Farm near Celery Fields, fighting both a rezone challenge and an 864-unit apartment plan filed under Florida's Live Local Act.
Local Government
Virginia Haley inducted into national tourism Hall of Fame
Virginia J. Haley, former president of Visit Sarasota County, was inducted into Destinations International's Hall of Fame at the organization's 2026 convention in Portland, Oregon, capping a 24-year tenure that grew the county's Tourist Development Tax revenue from $5.4 million to $40 million annually.
Local Government
Florida Studio Theatre closes summer season with romantic comedy 'The Last Romance'
Florida Studio Theatre's "The Last Romance," a 90-minute romantic comedy about an 80-year-old widower finding love in a dog park, closes the summer mainstage season at the Gompertz Theatre in downtown Sarasota through August 16, with tickets from $25 to $46.
Local Government
Sarasota County maps 10-year plan for Snook Haven park ahead of November tax vote
Sarasota County staff has proposed a three-phase, 10-year concept plan for Snook Haven Regional Park in Venice, with improvements funded largely by a 0.25-mill property tax that voters will be asked to extend from 2029 to 2049 on the November ballot.
©2026 The Sarasota Record
Powered by Surround Sound Media
©2026 The Sarasota Record
Powered by Surround Sound Media
©2026 The Sarasota Record
Powered by Surround Sound Media