Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Manatee County commissioners approved more than $100 million in federal disaster recovery funding for 22 stormwater and flood-mitigation projects, including a $24.9 million automated outfall project at Pearce Drain that officials say could reduce repeated flooding in Center Lake.
Local Government
The School District of Manatee County is exploring a $2.5 million to $4 million upgrade to Rangeland High School's planned auditorium that would create an 800-to-900-seat performing arts theater open to community groups, with a funding decision expected by December or January.
Local Government
Sharon Jefferson, a 27-year Manatee County teacher and Lakewood Ranch parent, is running for the District 2 school board seat on a platform of teacher retention, Title I school support and restorative discipline ahead of the August 18 primary.
Local Government
The Lakewood Ranch YMCA hosts a free "Endless Summer" community event on Saturday, August 1, from 9 a.m. to noon, with activities, snacks, and free school supplies for families nine days before the August 10 first day of school.
Local Government
HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital and Sarasota Memorial Health Care System are expanding physician residency programs with new specialties and training facilities, aiming to retain more doctors in a region where demand for healthcare already outstrips supply.
Local Government
Sarasota County voters will decide on November 3, 2026, whether to extend a 0.25-mill property tax for 20 more years and authorize up to $250 million in bonds to continue protecting environmentally sensitive land, a program that has shielded more than 42,000 acres since 1999.
Local Government
The Bradenton Police Department's Elder Fraud Unit says it has investigated more than $11.4 million in losses to seniors since early 2024, with cryptocurrency scams increasingly hard to recover, and is urging Lakewood Ranch-area residents to learn the "five P's" of fraud.
Local Government
Seven candidates are competing for three open Sarasota County School Board seats in the Tuesday, August 18, primary as the district faces $45 million in lost voucher revenue, 259 job cuts, and the expiration of $115 million in federal COVID relief.
Local Government
Lawn watering complaints tripled across Sarasota County after Phase III drought restrictions took effect in April 2026, with fines of $100 to $500 now issued without prior warning on both the Sarasota and Manatee County sides of Lakewood Ranch through Thursday, October 1.
Local Government
Three candidates are competing for the open Manatee County School Board District 5 seat covering Lakewood Ranch High School, with fundraising leader Jonathan Mullis at roughly $28,000, Camden Bedinghaus at $5,800, and Chantal Wilford at $4,000 heading into the August 18 primary.
Local Government
Manatee County residents protested Legacy Village Two, a proposed 72-unit workforce housing complex off Braden Avenue, on Thursday, July 23, citing traffic safety concerns near Easterseals facilities, while developer Scott Eller defended the project as needed affordable housing.
Local Government
Manatee County commissioners are set to vote Tuesday, July 28, on whether to place a $75 million environmental lands bond and 0.16 mill property tax on the November 3 ballot, a move that could cost Lakewood Ranch homeowners roughly $115 a year.
Local Government
Florida's Second Chance Act, which took effect July 1, requires all incoming freshmen and first-time high school athletes to undergo an ECG cardiac screening before participating in FHSAA sports, affecting every program in the state including Lakewood Ranch High.
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