They're Back!

After Nearly 12,000 Years, Coyotes Return to Florida—and Sarasota

Coyotes are so established in Florida that they've become naturalized—meaning they're a part of the ecosystem.

06/14/2022 By David Hackett

Breaking

City of Sarasota Now Requires Masks in Public

The city received hundreds of phone calls and emails about the proposed ordinance in recent days.

06/29/2020 By Cooper Levey-Baker and David Hackett

Civil Rights

Activists Launch Petition to Rename Journalism School After Sarasota Resident

Charlayne Hunter-Gault, an award-winning journalist and civil rights leader, was the first black student to integrate the University of Georgia.

06/15/2020 By David Hackett and Megan McDonald

Coronavirus

How COVID-19 Is Impacting People on the Edge

The pandemic is exacerbated by a broken Florida unemployment benefits system that has left hundreds of thousands of jobless residents still waiting for their first assistance checks.

05/06/2020 By David Hackett

Medical History

Lessons From Past Pandemics Can Provide a Road Map for the Future

Every pandemic reveals more than it creates.

04/27/2020 By David Hackett

Economy

Is an Economic Shutdown Worse Than COVID-19? A State Economist Weighs In

Sean Snaith, one of Florida’s best-known economists, says “self-inflicted” damage to the economy has become more devastating than the virus itself.

04/24/2020 By David Hackett

Unemployment Benefits

Wondering About Your Unemployment Benefits? So Are a Lot of Other Floridians

Hundreds of thousands of Florida residents, desperate for help, have been unable to get it.

04/20/2020 By David Hackett

Stardust Memories, Pickleball Dreams

A Former Navy Rear Admiral Is Behind Plans for the Nation’s Largest Pickleball Academy

Pickleball is having its moment, and Brian and Valerie McCarthy intend to seize it.

04/01/2020 By David Hackett

The IMG Effect

Every Year, Elite College Football Players Descend on IMG Academy

Bradenton’s prestigious sports academy draws the best in young football players as they prepare for the NFL.

04/01/2020 By David Hackett

Fielder's Choice

It’s All About the Green for Matt Taylor, CoolToday Park’s Head Groundskeeper

Taylor has been named the best groundskeeper in the Southern League five times.

03/01/2020 By David Hackett

Politics

How Far Will Joe Gruters Go?

Sarasota's Joe Gruters is the original Trumper and now one of Florida’s most powerful politicians. He’s not stopping there.

12/30/2019 By David Hackett

What I've Learned

Sylvia Safford Barber Blazed a Trail for Women in the Military

"I was proud to be a pioneer."

10/02/2019 By David Hackett

What I've Learned

Tennis Pro Jimmy Arias on Young Stardom, Starting Over and Coaching

"Playing to your strengths is crucial.”

09/01/2019 By David Hackett

Paper Cuts

With Layoffs and Fewer Readers, What’s the Future of Our Hometown Newspaper?

As newspaper giants merge, a look at the changing landscape for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

08/05/2019 By David Hackett

"I Wouldn't Piss Me Off"

Powerful Landowner Hugh Culverhouse Jr. Takes Aim at the Political Establishment

Wealthy donor Culverhouse Jr. makes national news after urging a boycott over Alabama’s abortion law.

06/10/2019 By David Hackett

What I've Learned

Malcolm Lazin’s Varied Career Is Grounded in Social Justice

Lazin, 75, remains active, including as president of Siesta Key’s Gulf & Bay Club condo association, where he lives part of the year.

05/30/2019 By David Hackett

What I've Learned

Love of Rock Music Launched David McGough's Starry Career

McGough, 60, has a new book, "Fame," that features his photographs and stories of Mick Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor, Donald Trump, Michael Jackson and scores of other celebrities.

04/30/2019 By David Hackett

Essential Intelligence

Fueled by an Anti-Vaccine Movement, The Measles Virus is Resurging

Only 90 percent of children of kindergarten age in Sarasota County have been vaccinated, the lowest rate of any county in the state and significantly below the goal of 95 percent needed to ensure that the disease remains dormant.

04/29/2019 By David Hackett

What I've Learned

Retired General and Venice Resident Gerald E. McIlmoyle Played a Major Role in the Cuban Missile Crisis

"I’ll never forget President Kennedy telling me eyeball to eyeball, ‘I’ll never be able to thank you enough for bringing back those pictures and allowing me to peacefully settle this crisis.’"

04/01/2019 By David Hackett

What I've Learned

Builder Tom Jackson on Sarasota's Changing Landscape

Today, Jackson lives near downtown and relishes what Sarasota has become—a vibrant, walkable culture center teeming with amenities.

02/28/2019 By David Hackett