Suncoast Searchlight

She Paid His Bond. ICE Took Him. Bradenton Family's Saga Shows How Florida Jails Fuel Deportations

In Florida, the jail-to-deportation pipeline is one of the main engines of Trump’s mass-deportation push. Routine arrests, even for minor charges, are a direct gateway into ICE custody—the most frequent method of immigration arrests in the state.

09/19/2025 By Kara Newhouse/Suncoast Searchlight and Alice Herman/Suncoast Searchlight

Behind the Story

How Suncoast Searchlight Analyzed the Greenbelt Data

To better understand how developers in the region are leveraging a loophole in Florida's Greenbelt law, Suncoast Searchlight conducted a comprehensive analysis of business registries, property records, real estate deeds and tax bills.

02/28/2025 By Kara Newhouse/Suncoast Searchlight

Development

Sarasota, Bradenton Developers Score Big Tax Breaks with 'Rent-A-Cow' Loophole

Some of the region’s most active builders and developers used the loophole to deprive Sarasota and Manatee counties of at least $6.6 million in tax revenue last year alone, a Suncoast Searchlight investigation found.

02/28/2025 By Kara Newhouse/Suncoast Searchlight and Josh Salman/Suncoast Searchlight