Local politico Paul Caragiulo wants to talk to you about the dreaded “E” word: Elections. In a cheeky video uploaded to YouTube last week, the Sarasota County Commission chairman and former city commissioner pleads with voters to turn out for the upcoming city elections — which typically draw embarrassingly low voters compared with general elections such as … MORE>>

It’s basically official: The Atlanta Braves say they are committed to moving to North Port in 2019. But the exact designs, costs and process to making that a reality are far from over. So what’s this all about and what happens next? Here are the six main things you need to know about the Braves’ … MORE>>

Welcome to the Thunderdome! The field is officially set for the Sarasota City Commission race this spring. Eight candidates enter, two commissioners leave.** The lineup includes one incumbent, a former mayor, a pair of neighborhood leaders, city critics and a few outsiders looking to bring a fresh perspective to City Hall. At stake: The opportunity … MORE>>

City Commissioner Susan Chapman is under fire this week for sounding a siren about ambulances driving through her neighborhood on Orange Avenue. In an email last Friday with the subject line “Ambulance scofflaws,” Chapman chided two specific ambulances driving to and from Sarasota Memorial Hospital for repeatedly using Orange Avenue to bypass the Lift Station … MORE>>

Downtown leaders are pursuing a new plan to put up new signs around downtown that tell drivers they’re, well, downtown. The aptly named Downtown Improvement District signed off on the idea to install three new “gateway signs” at major intersections on the perimeter of downtown last week. The banner signs will span about 60 feet across from … MORE>>

Why’d the chicken cross the road? To move her family into a new coop in a single-family residential zoning district that she’s now allowed to live in. This week Sarasota County finally hatched new rules allowing backyard chickens in more residential neighborhoods than ever following months of incubation. The new rules allow residents to keep up to … MORE>>

Concerns about how new rules would or would not restrict food trucks’ ability to set up near neighborhoods led the Sarasota County Commission to punt on a decision to loosen those rules Monday. Now county attorneys and planners will revisit the proposed changes — again — to determine whether some variation of a minimum distance requirement between … MORE>>

Medical marijuana dispensaries will not be allowed in Sarasota city limits for nine months as city leaders plan for the possible ramifications of voters passing Amendment 2 in November. The City Commission endorsed the plan pitched by city legal and law enforcement officials late Monday to give those departments the opportunity to study how city … MORE>>

The federal government may shut down this weekend, but that ain’t gonna stop local governments from starting their own fiscal years on time. For some area residents, that’ll mean an increase to their monthly or annual garbage and recycling fees. Here is a look at some of the charges: Sarasota In the Sarasota city limits, residential … MORE>>

The next step in Sarasota’s fight to combat homelessness will almost certainly be the addition of a “come as you are” shelter, but it’s an idea that has divided government leaders for some time. At least until they saw the shelter up in Tallahassee. The Kearney Center for Comprehensive Emergency Services is a 24-hour shelter … MORE>>