Government

South Seas is seeking a zoning change to significantly expand the number of visitors on the island; Public trying to stop it.

A Florida Senate committee Tuesday will consider a plan that would make wide-ranging changes in the state’s water management districts, with backers saying the proposals would boost transparency and help the districts focus on their “core” mission.The Senate on Friday released details of the plan (SPB 7002), which will be spearheaded by Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Sanford Republican who is a top lieutenant of Senate President Ben Albritton. While the bill would make changes to the five water management districts, it also deals heavily with Everglades restoration.

The Sarasota County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday morning to stop work on a proposed agreement with Hi Hat Ranch, directing staff to cease further drafts of any agreement. The project will not move forward until a public workshop is scheduled within six months.The decision follows a Florida Trident investigative report published just a day earlier, which raised concerns about the deal’s financial impact — requiring taxpayers to cover half of a $28 million road-widening project for a segment of Bee Ridge Road between Bent Tree Boulevard to Lorraine Road.

Citizens are encouraged to participate in a brief online survey about priorities for the City of Sarasota as the City Commission prepares to establish a 2025-27 Strategic Plan.

Kings Highway between Harborview Road and Westchester Boulevard in Charlotte County will shift to one lane between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday this week for converting older streetlights to LED-type devices.

Several volunteer advisory positions are open in Collier, Charlotte and Lee counties.

Old tires are notoriously effective mosquito-breeding habitats. Lee County Mosquito Control will accept passenger car tires at an event rescheduled for Jan. 11 due to Hurricane Milton in October.

Land and conservation easements worth $318 million and designed to protect more than 85,000 acres of Florida’s most important wildlife habitats and rural ranchlands were approved for purchase by the state Cabinet Tuesday.Many of the proposed easements are part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.The purchased conservation lands cover 134 square miles, or 2.5 times the size of the City of Miami, and constitute the largest increment of conservation land and easement purchases ever proposed on a single Cabinet agenda. House and Senate leaders in the Florida Legislature included strategic appropriations for conservation land acquisitions and easements in Florida's budget—an important investment in Florida's economy, ecology, and quality of life.

Amid a long-running legal battle about the issue, a Republican state senator Tuesday proposed repealing a law that prevents people under age 21 from buying rifles and other long guns. Sen. Randy Fine, a Brevard County Republican who is running in a special election for a congressional seat, filed the proposal (SB 94) for consideration during the 2025 legislative session, which will start March 4. The bill is similar to a measure that passed the House during the 2024 session but failed in the Senate.