Read the latest articles about topics that are effecting our community.
Local government works best in the open and transparent, and most of the time, it is. Agendas get posted and backup materials go out before a vote. Residents get a chance to speak throughout the process and before decisions become final.
But this year in Sarasota County, that process has broken down in ways that should concern every resident.
On Aug. 25, Sarasota County commissioners unanimously voted to strip the annual public performance review requirement out of the contracts for the County Administrator and the County Attorney. They did it without placing the item on the public agenda. Commission Chair Ron Cutsinger knew, as he always does, that these reviews come due every October. He had the chance to put this on the agenda and let residents weigh in before the vote. He chose not to.
Five years ago, The Argus Foundation launched the Sarasota Schools Data Dig social media campaign with a simple goal: keep our school district honest about its own numbers, and pull the public conversation around school board races back toward academic achievement instead of the social issues that too often dominate the debate.
The Argus Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award honors prominent business and community leaders in Sarasota who make lasting contributions through their professional and personal lives. Established in 2002, the annual distinction recognizes individuals who build enterprises, generate jobs and support local philanthropy. This year, Mike Quillen, founder of Gecko’s Hospitality Concepts in 1992, Watershed Hospitality Concepts in 2019 and Cashiers Restaurant Holdings in 2023, is honored alongside the late Roland George Caldwell, founder of Caldwell Trust Company, who was recognized posthumously.
Read our latest column on affordable housing and what 120% Area Median Income (AMI) really means. “It is outlandish and very out of touch for any elected official or candidate to infer our nurses, teachers, deputies, and firefighters are having an easy time finding...
Florida has a housing affordability crisis, and the state legislature did something about it. The Live Local Act is one of the most significant housing reforms in Florida’s recent history, written to cut through local red tape and give property owners a clear path to build affordable housing. It is not a suggestion. It is the law.
