Even though business seems to be booming, one of the largest private employers in Sarasota County is laying off up to 150 workers. We have the details. Next: Thanksgiving is approaching, and - in the wake of an intense hurricane season - more people in the region are going hungry. Then: How did Black Friday sneak up on us as a Thanksgiving tradition? A WMNF reporter is looking for answers. Then: How are flooded homeowners reacting to disaster? Noah Vinsky talked to two of them, trying to underst...
Nov 27, 2024•31 min•Ep. 302
A Sarasota County board stacked with pro-development characters voted down a housing proposal. To everyone's surprise. A sign of change? Next: Sewage has been in a lot of people's noses and on many people's minds during the recent flooding. So when the Sarasota County utility director talks about wastewater, WSLR listens closely. Next: Transit rarely gets much attention by the Sarasota County Commission. Raising fares for an on-call service did on Wednesday. We have the details....
Nov 22, 2024•30 min•Ep. 301
MCR Health has fallen on hard times and has filed for bankruptcy. How will this affect their 100,000 uninsured patients? Then: A new Sarasota County Commission was sworn in on Tuesday. We are looking for signs of change - and found them. Next: Affordable housing was on the Sarasota County Commission’s agenda. An annual report prompted a scolding. Finally: A local theater is telling the true stories of immigrants.
Nov 20, 2024•31 min•Ep. 300
Climate change and human health are closely linked - think along the lines of heat stroke, mosquito bites, and your and my sanity after this storm season. Florence Fahringer was at a conference in Sarasota, and we'll have her report. Then: So your home has been flooded. What's next? Noah Vinsky talked to one homeowner on a barrier island, and one near a river, to find out how they're holding up, and what their thoughts and plans are for the future.
Nov 16, 2024•34 min•Ep. 299
Less than 100 hours after U.S. voters returned Donald Trump to the White House, and two citizen-initiated amendments in Florida failed, a bunch of teenagers and twenty-somethings assembled at a church in Sarasota to plot their next steps. We have a report about what's called Forward Together. Then: The flooded VanWezel Performing Arts Center. Handing over a downtown street to a developer. And is 10 percent affordable housing enough in a big new mixed-use project? WSLR reporter Della Hale followe...
Nov 13, 2024•29 min•Ep. 298
After hurricane Milton, a black teenager who walked through his own neighborhood in suburban Sarasota in search of a phone signal was harassed by neighbors. Now, the Sarasota Sheriff's Department announced it dropped its investigation into assault charges. But they did more than that, and Jamee Kerber has a report about why that upsets community advocates. Then: We interview a close observer about the election results in Manatee County. He is not surprised about the Republican sweep, but within ...
Nov 08, 2024•31 min•Ep. 297
First, we'll bring you a summary of the most important results statewide, with a take by one of the few winning Democrats in the state. Then: The balance of the Sarasota City commission may have changed yesterday. Florence Fahringer tells you why. Next: The closest partisan race in Sarasota brought us Mike Moran as the next Tax Collector. We are looking at Moran's recent clashes with tax collectors in Florida, and his role at the PACE funding agency. Finally: Gretchen Cochran has a peek under th...
Nov 06, 2024•31 min•Ep. 296
Mobile home park residents are usually among those hardest hit by hurricanes. But this storm season has been particularly hard, as Della Hale reports. Next: Sarasota County commissions an annual survey, and for the fifth year in a row, overdevelopment is the top concern of people living in Sarasota. We talk to a community activist. Then: For six years, Greg Steube has represented Sarasota County and portions of Charlotte and Lee in the U.S. House of Representatives. Manny Lopez is the underdog c...
Nov 01, 2024•31 min•Ep. 295
Flooding and winds have caused more than $1 billion in damage in Sarasota-Manatee this year. How will we rebuild? WSLR reporter Mark Warriner is asking the hard questions, and we will air part one of his three-part report now. Next: NASA has been watching Sarasota from space. The idea: Identifying local hotspots in a heating climate. NASA has series of recommendations, and two representatives will present them at a sustainability workshop next week. Then: Big Mama's Collard Green Festival is ind...
Oct 30, 2024•30 min•Ep. 294
What caused a quite new subdivision in suburban Sarasota to be under water after Tropical Storm Debby? An expert found a smoking gun, and he has a series of recommendations for Sarasota County on how to prevent similar damage during the next floods. Ramon Lopez has the details. Next: Two hundred and sixty five warehouse workers in Sarasota scored one of the biggest wins for private-sector unions in decades in this region. Then: The Sarasota County commission wants to steer millions of federal di...
Oct 25, 2024•30 min•Ep. 293
Sarasota City Commissioners were going to get a presentation about water quality in the Bay after recent storms. But Dr. Dave Tomasko went beyond that and made the commissioners look at the big picture: Climate change. Then: Red Tide is looming again for Southwest Florida. Next: Dunes are a first line of defense for beach communities. But following back-to-back hurricanes, the dunes along the coastlines in Southwest Florida experienced significant damage. Then: The recent storms caused serious d...
Oct 23, 2024•31 min•Ep. 292
On Thursday, the governor stopped in Sarasota again, to talk about robust hurricane response and school reopening. We asked Ron DeSantis about climate change and the lack of flood insurance. Next: A video has gone viral about a black teenager being harassed by neighbors when he went searching for a phone signal in his gated Sarasota neighborhood after Hurricane Milton. Jamee Kerber has the details. Then: 250 warehouse workers at a big food distributor in Sarasota are voting this week to join a u...
Oct 18, 2024•31 min•Ep. 291
A week after the direct hit, WSLR News reporter Ramon Lopez brings you a roundup of the area's robust recovery after Milton. Next: At a protest in St. Petersburg, elected officials and community activists press Gov. Ron DeSantis to recognize climate change as a fact of life. Partner station WMNF reports. Then: Insurance is on everybody's mind. We have a look at FEMA application lines, and we talked to an adjuster while he was stuck in traffic to the islands as well as to an advocate for insuranc...
Oct 16, 2024•31 min•Ep. 290
Coming up: A summary of Milton's impact. Then: WSLR reporter Ramon Lopez made it to Casey Key, after its second flooding. Then: We talk to community organizer Lourdes Ramirez whose home on Siesta Key was flooded twice. Next: Water service is essential, but it has been interrupted in several areas of the region during the storm. Then: WSLR reporter Ramon Lopez puts the focus on airports. Then: WSLR reporter Noah Vinsky has the latest on traffic, roads and bridges. Finally: A bit of normalcy - Flo...
Oct 12, 2024•32 min•Ep. 289
Not just two, but six constitutional amendments will be on the ballot in Florida on Nov. 5. We'll give you a roundup of the four state-initiated amendments, plus we'll talk about the chances the two citizen-initiated amendments have of making it. Next: One of Sarasota's biggest and oldest retirement communities would like to build a major expansion. But they would like to do that near an area that was completely under water during the recent storm. Ramon Lopez has the details. Then: A national o...
Oct 04, 2024•31 min•Ep. 288
If it happens, a new performing arts center would be the most expensive project in the history of the City of Sarasota. The project took another step closer to becoming reality this week, and our reporter Della Hale has the details. Next: In the City of Sarasota's weak-mayor system, the city manager plays a key role. The city is facing a difficult transition after Marlon Brown's surprising retirement announcement, and Ramon Lopez is updating us on this. Then: Helene, Debby, and before that, anot...
Oct 03, 2024•30 min•Ep. 287
Hurricane Helene sideswiped us at a good distance in the Gulf. But that's little consolation to thousands of barrier island residents here who suffered flooding from a historic storm surge. We have a first damage assessment. Next: WSLR News reporter Florence Fahringer puts the focus on the storm surge, talking to victims and experts. Then: An environmental group lauds the achievements of former Governor Bob Graham for planning in Florida. That nostalgic view of past achievements contrasts with r...
Sep 27, 2024•31 min•Ep. 286
First, we’ll hear how New College student and alumni journalists are launching an independent newspaper; next, an incumbent city commissioner answers criticisms from his challenger; then, we’ll learn how Sarasota schools are dealing with staffing shortages; next, we’ll share why a new docuseries is bringing animal rights activists back to Sarasota; and finally, we’ll get a look at early designs for a new performing arts center.
Sep 20, 2024•30 min•Ep. 285
The Sarasota County Commission has $15 million to allocate for job training in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Some commissioners were ready to give it all to the Suncoast Builders Association. The West Coast Black Theater Troupe took a creative approach to getting out the vote with a presentation of a one-woman show called “The Fannie Lou Hamer Story.” Democrat Derek Reich is once again challenging Republican Fiona McFarland for the District 73 seat in the Florida House. He thinks he has a better ch...
Sep 16, 2024•30 min•Ep. 284
The Sarasota County Commission has $15 million to allocate for job training in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Some commissioners were ready to give it all to the Suncoast Builders Association. The West Coast Black Theater Troupe took a creative approach to getting out the vote with a presentation of a one-woman show called “The Fannie Lou Hamer Story.” Democrat Derek Reich is once again challenging Republican Fiona McFarland for the District 73 seat in the Florida House. He thinks he has a better ch...
Sep 16, 2024•30 min•Ep. 284
We will hear about what the Sarasota County School Board picked as their legislative priorities for the coming year. Next up, we discuss the latest updates in the saga to save the historic Colson Hotel. We dig deeper into the Sarasota City Commission District 1 race, as two candidates move forward. Then, our team heads down to Tiger Bay debate to hear from the Sarasota County Tax Collector candidates. Finally, a report from the campaign stop of the Democratic Candidate in Florida for US Senate a...
Sep 06, 2024•30 min•Ep. 283
The Sarasota County Commission approves a massive new housing development just weeks after floodwaters subside in nearby neighborhoods; residents of Calusa Lakes respond to another new development proposal in their neck of the woods; candidates for tax collector to face off before the Tiger Bay Club; Governor DeSantis pulls the plug on a controversial proposal to build golf courses and hotels in state parks; and the Uhuru 3 face trial next week.
Aug 31, 2024•30 min•Ep. 282
Sarasota is seen by many as a testing ground for the right-wing Project 2025. But these elections sent a strong signal of pushback, and that came - in a big part - from high school students. We have that story. Next: Kamala Harris picked up the baton from Joe Biden, and the Democratic National Convention has turned into an unexpectedly spirited event. WSLR reporter Mark Warriner is in Chicago, where he caught up with Sarasota delegates, as well as protesters in the streets. Then: The City of Sar...
Aug 23, 2024•31 min•Ep. 281
Yesterday we had a primary election, and our Manatee County analyst says the sweep by grassroots candidates was historic. We're dedicating this newscast to the elections, beginning with a roundup by Bradenton Times Editor Mitch Malley. Next, we'll interview one of the winners of the Sarasota school board elections. Then, Florence Fahringer reports about Sarasota County Commission elections. Then - is it the end of General Flynn's "Medical Freedom" movement? We'll have a roundup of the Sarasota H...
Aug 21, 2024•34 min•Ep. 280
The historic flooding in Sarasota County put our plumbing to the test. The stormwater system, that is. The county's plumber-in-chief is Spencer Anderson. WSLR reporter Mark Warriner had a chance to interview the public works director. More plumbing: The City of Sarasota has been the poster boy of good behavior when it comes to wastewater treatment. But two weeks ago, that advanced treatment plant spilled close to 18 million gallons during Tropical Storm Debby. We have the story. Staying with the...
Aug 16, 2024•31 min•Ep. 279
The historic flooding in Sarasota County last week put the spotlight on neighborhoods with homes knee-deep under water. Ramon Lopez pays close attention to one community where the water barely reached the doorsteps. Even though those experiences were less traumatic, the challenges arising even from them look daunting. Then: The questions and outrage prompted by the Sarasota flood coincide with the primary elections next week. We have a close look at the political ripples of the disaster. Next: M...
Aug 14, 2024•31 min•Ep. 278
Ringling College of Arts is an engine of the Culture Coast. But that engine has been sputtering lately, and that has to do with the Culture Wars emanating from Tallahassee. Florence Fahringer had a conversation with the president of that college. Then: When flooding happens, the first thought is about people and their homes. But cars are another big casualty, as Tyler Oldano reports. Next: The re-developer of a 63-year old mall in Sarasota convinced city commissioners that more than 10% attainab...
Aug 10, 2024•31 min•Ep. 277
The aftermath of Hurricane Debby. Our Johannes Werner tells you the stories of residents experiencing rising waters just outside of Philippi Creek. Then: A former Sarasota Commissioner talks about the county’s development plan. Our report tells you what’s going wrong, and how it even plays into the damage caused by Hurricane Debby. Next: We give you an Update on the 6 New College Students who’re potentially facing punishment for their support of Palestine during graduation. WSLR’s Florence Fahri...
Aug 07, 2024•30 min•Ep. 276
The public hospital board is hotly contested electoral terrain, as "Medical Freedom" activists are trying to gain control of Sarasota Memorial Hospital in these upcoming elections. In the middle of all this, one of four Democratic candidates passed away last week. Ramon Lopez looked at the ripple effects. Next: Plans for a new Performing Arts Center are creeping forward, and it could become the most expensive project in the history of the City of Sarasota. The city is on the hook for half of the...
Aug 02, 2024•31 min•Ep. 275
At a rally this weekend at Robarts Arena, the Sarasota Republican Party chief expelled two Republicans - one candidate, and one activist. Ramon Lopez has that story. Next: Mike Moran has raised his profile as a defunder of childcare programs, an emergency helpline, public housing, and arts organizations, and by professing to be a good steward of taxpayer money. Now, an investigative report revealed that as the head of a state agency, he oversaw $36,000 in spending on entertainment, meals and tra...
Jul 31, 2024•31 min•Ep. 274
