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In 2009, The New Yorker ran a deeply reported story on Florida and its economy that was headlined “The Ponzi State.” The state’s economy depends almost entirely on …

A Life Well Lived and a Loss Worth Remembering

Judge Thomas Gallen was one of the first people I met when I came to work for The Bradenton Times in 2010. Gallen may have been small in stature, but he was a giant of a man. The judge passed away …

This weekend I was driving through Central Florida on U.S. 301, so I just HAD to stop at the Orange Shop in Citra. It was as if my car was pulled into their parking lot by one of those giant magnets …

Florida is such an exciting place to live. Alligators lurk in any body of water that’s bigger than a puddle . In cold weather, iguanas fall from the trees like autumn leaves. We’ve got …

Citizens of Manatee County Made 2024 Memorable – Thank You!

In a world of news that makes one want to hide under a rock, Manatee County Citizens came together as an educated force during this election cycle. That educated force was the power of a vote, …

Jimmy Carter exemplified the role of president as diplomat

The news of Jimmy Carter’s passing takes me back to 1976, a year that marked my own passage to adulthood. As the bicentennial year dawned, I took first notice of Carter upon his victory in the …

When Defending a Florida Wetland Results in a Trip to Jail

How far would you go to protect your home from flooding? Would you be willing to go to jail? …

Saturday marked the end of our horrible 2024 hurricane season. How did you celebrate? Did you build a bonfire from the plywood you used to cover your windows? Turn your blue tarp into a party awning …

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all! Contrary to what you were told in the second grade, the first Thanksgiving took place in St. Augustine 56 years before the Pilgrims arrived. The attendees were …

The rise of flesh-eating bacteria is a true Florida horror story

Happy Halloween, everybody! I wonder how many trick-or-treaters tonight will be dressed as hurricanes, or maybe as debris piles. Maybe us grownups should dress up as FEMA officials, handing out candy …

I have a terrific moneymaking idea, and I’ll let you readers in on it. I want to create and sell a desktop calendar called, “The Silliest Things Your Governor Has Said.” I know …

Post traumatic Stress (PTS) has become a more common current-day conversation than when I became immersed into the subject four decades ago. I experienced post-traumatic stress as a result of a …

What this campaign has taught me

The impact of Hurricane Milton on our community has taught me things that I will never forget. After sheltering in place, if these past two weeks have taught me anything, it has reinforced three …

Will You Trade Three Hours for a Lifetime of Water Protections?

This October and November are our best chances to exercise our rights to self-governance and create the highest level of water and wetlands protection in Western law for future generations of …

Like most journalists, I keep in my head a list of the best journalism movies — “Spotlight,” for instance, and “His Girl Friday.” The one I like the most is …

DeSantis ignores law requiring new rules to protect Florida springs

Gov. Ron “ Golf Means More to Me Than Your Silly State Parks ” DeSantis likes to tout himself as a serious law-and-order politician , despite endorsing a convicted felon for president.

There’s a tradition among Florida developers of naming their projects after any natural attributes obliterated by the development. That’s why you see subdivisions with such monikers as …

If you ever tire of the monotonous flatness of peninsular Florida, just drive through Polk County. The landscape there is dotted by massive mountains of phosphate waste , the result of companies …

If I were the king of Florida, there’d be a statue of J. Emory “Red” Cross in front of every government building. Red Cross was a state senator from Gainesville who became the …

Is 3H Ranch Pat Neal's Water-Loo?

At last Tuesday’s Sarasota County Commission meeting, Pat Neal’s proposal for 3H Ranch was presented. Pat Neal is entitled to build 386 homes on the 2,727 acres he bought east of I75. …

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