Just days after the Sarasota County School Board sued Tax Collector Mike Moran over millions of dollars withheld from a voter-approved school tax, county commissioners Tuesday voted to reverse course and resume covering the cost of collecting the tax.
The 3-2 vote marked a shift from a decision commissioners made in August to stop paying the fee for collecting the tax — a move that triggered the escalating dispute between the school district and Moran.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is expanding its surveillance capabilities, tapping a state fund to purchase a software platform that offers AI-powered data analysis with the stroke of a key.
Promising to use the technology to investigate serious international crimes like human trafficking, the agency netted nearly $1 million to procure software from Peregrine Technologies during the latest round of funding in February from the State Board of Immigration Enforcement.
But critics warn that what makes this kind of technology attractive to law enforcement — its ability to rapidly merge and analyze disparate data sources — threatens to erode individuals’ privacy.
The Sarasota County School Board and two county taxpayers have filed a lawsuit against Tax Collector Mike Moran and the constitutional office he controls alleging “unlawful diversion” of taxpayer funds that were supposed to support local students.
The Sarasota County School Board and two county taxpayers have filed a lawsuit against Tax Collector Mike Moran and the constitutional office he controls alleging “unlawful diversion” of taxpayer funds that were supposed to support local students.
A long-running battle over a proposed subdivision next to Celery Fields has taken a new turn, with D.R. Horton walking away from arbitration and suing Sarasota County instead.
The move is the latest in a series of attempts to develop housing next to the former celery farm, which is now a 400-acre restored wetlands park, regional stormwater facility and beloved bird sanctuary east of Interstate 75.