Sarasota News Leader

11/13/2025

Looking for a fun and educational family event for Saturday, Nov. 15?

The Sarasota County Fire Department will host an Open House that day at Fire Station 11, which stands at 2200 Stickney Point Road, near Gulf Gate.

This free, family-friendly event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Community members will be able to meet their local firefighters, get car seat safety inspections, see fire apparatus, and learn about fire safety, hands-only CPR, fire prevention and more!

SunCoast Blood Centers will be on-site for those interested in donating blood. Community members also may donate whole blood by visiting a nearby SunCoast Blood Center donation location, finding a local blood drive on the SunCoast Blood Center website, stopping by any Sarasota County Fire Department Open House, or calling 1-866-97-BLOOD.

Whole blood donation takes around 15 minutes and can be done every 56 days. Learn more about donor eligibility on the SunCoast Blood Center website.

Learn more about SCFD Open Houses at www.scgov.net/fire.

11/10/2025

Sarasota County Emergency Management officials have coordinated with municipal and community partners to provide cold weather shelter for those individuals in need because of the predicted drop in temperatures, county staff has announced.

The Salvation Army Center of Hope, located at 1400 10th St. in Sarasota, will began its intake at 4:40 p.m. Dinner will be served from 5 to 5:30 p.m. Guests will need to leave campus afterward and may return at 7 p.m. for shelter entry, the advisory said.

Showers will be available from 7 to 8:30 p.m. All guests will be required to present a valid ID for identification at check-in.
Breakfast will be provided to-go in the morning, and all guests will need to depart campus by 6 a.m.

Breeze Routes 2, 7, 8, or 99. operating on normal schedules, will arrive within about two blocks of the Salvation Army on 10th Street.

Additionally, a cold weather shelter is open tonight, Monday, Nov. 10, at 100 Church, which stands at 14525 Tamiami Trail in North Port

Breeze Route 9, operating on a normal schedule, will arrive within about one block of 100 Church. Those in the North Port service area could also use the Breeze OnDemand service.
Visit www.scgov.net/breeze for information on Breeze services. The Breeze Rider app also can be used to check bus arrival times and plan routes.

Emergency Management officials are reminding residents that pets should not be left outside during the cold weather.

Those persons who need to be outside overnight or during the early morning hours are encouraged to dress in several warm layers and limit skin exposure to the wind.

Sarasota County Fire Department officials advise using extreme caution when heating your home, as the risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning increases during very cold weather due to the improper use of heating devices.

Main webpage for Breeze Transit, the public transit system operated by Sarasota County. It includes Breeze bus & trolley routes, Breeze OnDemand rideshare zones, and Breeze Plus paratransit programs.

11/10/2025

The Sarasota Police Department is warning the public to be alert to road closures for the Tuesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day Parade in downtown Sarasota:

The City of Sarasota, in conjunction with the Sarasota Patriotic Observance Committee, will co-host the annual Veterans Day Parade at 10 a.m. on Nov. 11.

The parade will begin at the intersection of Orange Avenue and Main Street, a news release notes. Several road closures “will be in effect for the parade beginning at 3 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11,” the release adds, with emphasis:

From 3 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Main Street will be closed from Links Avenue to Bayfront Drive.
From 3 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Osprey Avenue will be closed from Ringling Boulevard to Second Street.
“Vehicles not removed by the posted time of 3 a.m. will be towed at the owner’s expense,” the release points out. For additional information on towed vehicles, the release says, contact Upman’s Towing at 941-365-7084.

11/06/2025

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office is assisting the Florida Highway Patrol in investigating a fatal accident at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Colonial Lane East in Nokomis, it has announced.

Both southbound lanes of South Tamiami Trail are closed while the Florida Highway Patrol conducts its investigation, the Sheriff's Office says.

Motorists are encouraged to find an alternate route.

One victim was pronounced deceased. An additional victim was transported by ambulance for further medical treatment.

10/20/2025

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office will host its Sixth Annual Halloween Drive-Thru event on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the agency’s headquarters, which is located at 6010 Cattleridge Blvd. in Sarasota, the Sheriff’s Office announced this week.

Attendees will be directed to Cattleridge Boulevard between Arby’s restaurant and the BP convenience store, before they head north toward the event, a news release points out. Because this is a drive-thru event, no on-site parking will be provided, the release emphasizes. “All attendees are asked to remain in their vehicles.”

“We received great feedback from our community following last year’s event,” said Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman in the release, “which is why we decided to open this event up again to the residents we serve. It’s an easy, safe, quick and fun experience for families that allows our specialty units and agency members to interact with the community,” he added.

The event will feature costumes, decorations, K-9s, Mounted Patrol members and more. “Did we mention we have close to 100,000 pieces of candy?!” it adds.

For more information, contact the agency’s Community Affairs Office at 941-861-4005.

10/16/2025

On Oct. 16, Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner announced “the launch of a completely redesigned SarasotaVotes.gov website."

It “offers enhanced mobile responsiveness, improved search functionality and a more intuitive user experience,” a news release explains. “The site also provides accessibility automation functionality that ensures the content is compliant with the Americans with Disability Act’s (ADA) standards,” the release points out.

“I am excited to finally be launching the new website,” Turner said in the release. “We know that many in our community are interested in the work we do at the elections office. Having a platform where individuals can easily access information is critical to maintaining the trust of our voters,” he added in the release.

“The project to redesign the website began following a busy 2024 General Election in November, allowing for a seamless transition between major election years,” the release notes.

“Our goal is to be the source of election information in Sarasota County,” Turner said in the release. “The new website gives us the opportunity to better inform voters about the election process and will hopefully make it easier for voters to do business with our office.”

Visit SarasotaVotes.gov to view the website. Anyone with questions about the new website or elections in Sarasota County may call 941-861-8619, the release points out.

10/13/2025

Members of the public are invited to join Sarasota County Emergency Management personnel for a discussion about hurricane preparedness that will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 15, at Siesta Key Chapel, which stands at 4615 Gleason Ave. on Siesta Key.

The seminar will include information that will help people understand the impacts and risk of future storm surge, personal and home preparation, evacuation center options, and community resources, a news release says.

To learn more today about how to prepare for a storm, visit scgov.net/beprepared.

10/12/2025

Clay Jones suffered a stroke this past week, and faces hard work at occupational and physical therapy to get him back to drawing his award-winning cartoons. Please help meet his medical expenses.

Clay Jones is probably the hardest working cartoonist in the biz, if … Kevin Necessary needs your support for Help cartoonist Clay Jones recover from a stroke

10/01/2025

Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Ron Turner has announced a 2026 competition for middle school and high school students to design an "I Voted" sticker that will be given to citizens who participate in the 2026 elections. We have all the details:

https://sarasotanewsleader.com/?p=73641&preview_id=73641&preview_nonce=34ad8c5f66&post_format=standard&_thumbnail_id=-1&preview=true

09/29/2025

On Saturday, Oct. 4, the Phillippi Creek Coalition will host a Stormwater Panel Discussion at South Gate Community Center in Sarasota. Sarasota County's new Stormwater Department director, Ben Quartermaine, will be one of the featured speakers. We have all of the details in our article:

https://sarasotanewsleader.com/phillippi-creek-coalition-to-host-stormwater-panel-discussion-on-oct-4-at-south-gate-community-center/

09/23/2025

If you routinely drive in the area of the intersection of Honore Road and Clark Road, you need to know this information from FDOT:

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will conduct overnight traffic signal upgrades at the intersection of Honore Avenue and Clark Road from 7:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting on Sept. 24. Traffic signals will be turned off while crews conduct electrical work on the new signals.

Law enforcement personnel will be posted within the intersection to assist with traffic flow, and temporary lighting will be in place for additional illumination. The lanes will be reduced to two on eastbound and westbound Clark Road, while northbound and southbound traffic on Honore Avenue will be directed by flaggers to make right turns only onto Clark Road.

Please slow down and watch for workers in the project area.

Travelers may prefer to take an alternate route or allow for additional travel time during this operation.

For real-time traffic updates, visit https://fl511.com/.

08/25/2025

Sarasota County Public Utilities contractors worked through Sunday night to fill in a portion of Bahia Vista Street damaged by a water main break on Sunday, Aug. 24, county staff is reporting. As the repairs continue, staff says, the eastbound lanes of Bahia Vista Street remain closed. Motorists are encouraged to find alternate routes. There are 41 addresses that have been notified they are under a boil water notice due to the water main break.