Hurricane Milton’s devastating landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast hit one of the most popular areas for temporary residents who spend the winter months living in the Sunshine State.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said, “It’s too dangerous to evacuate safely," and urged Floridians to shelter in place as Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane near Siesta Key in Sarasota County.

A tiny Florida college is once again at the center of the state's culture wars after a dumpster left the campus library filled with hundreds of books.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said as of Tuesday morning, there were still 110,000 customers in Florida that were without power after Debby blew through the state.

Tropical storm Debby made landfall as a hurricane in one of the least populated areas of Florida, but it's been blamed for at least four deaths in that state.

Tropical Storm Debby slammed Florida with torrential rain, high winds and flooding, contributing to at least five deaths as it turned menacingly toward the Eastern Seaboard’s low-lying regions and threatened to flood some of America’s most historic Southern cities.

St. Johns County was selected as one of the four finalists to be the home of the first Florida Museum of Black History, according to a release.

The historic event resulted when arctic air pushed temperatures below freezing through Florida with ice accumulating down to Miami.

Auto repair shops would have to request crash reports or file a form with authorities before repairing damaged vehicles, under a new bill filed by Florida Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota.

Teddy Foster becomes Florida's 20th commitment for the class of 2024.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday held an education-related bill signing ceremony on the campus of New College of Florida in Sarasota.

Federal investigators say an air traffic controller cleared one plane to land and another to take off from the same runway in Florida last month.

Residents are complaining about burning eyes and breathing problems.

A U.S. congressman from Florida who was seriously injured in a tree-trimming accident in Sarasota says he has been discharged from the hospital and is recovering at home.

U.S. Rep. Greg Steube sustained “several serious injuries” when he fell off a ladder while cutting trees at his property on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

U.S. Rep. Greg Steube sustained “several serious injuries” when he fell off a ladder while cutting trees at his property on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Former national security adviser Michael Flynn has had his Twitter account reinstated as the United States marked the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Let it snow! Let it snow!

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that he was initiating an executive order to help ensure voters in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties have adequate access to voting in the 2022 election after Hurricane Ian ripped caused major devastation in those areas.

The devastation from Hurricane Ian has left schools shuttered indefinitely in parts of Florida, leaving storm-weary families anxious for word on when and how children can get back to classrooms.

An elderly woman died Friday in Englewood near Sarasota after falling into a pond and being grabbed by two gators, according to Sarasota’s sheriff officials.

Every little movement has a consequence in a boat this small. That’s what makes the teamwork and chemistry so important.

Baseball’s regular season begins this week, so that means the abbreviated spring training session for teams, which started late due to the offseason lockout, is over.

Automatic runners in extra innings are sticking around for a third straight season.

Even for a Sarasota area lauded by many for having one of the most exquisite and diverse set of restaurants in the country, it’s a place and occasion on Sundays that still stands out.

Video showing a Mustang driver losing control of the vehicle and nearly plowing down several bystanders is circulating on social media and already has tens of thousands of views.

The number of Florida school districts facing sanctions at Thursday’s State Board of Education meeting over mask policies is now down to nine.

In a story published Oct. 6, 2021, about Florida allowing harvesting goliath grouper, The Associated Press erroneously reported the state is lifting its ban on catching the species.

Police in Florida searched a vast wildlife reserve near the Gulf Coast for 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito.

The State Attorney General's Office says a man who was convicted of abducting, raping and killing an 11-year-old Florida girl as she walked home in 2004 has died in prison.

Four men were killed while trying to change a tire along a busy Florida interstate when a vehicle veered onto the roadway’s shoulder.

Three days a week, Buffy greets visitors at the entrance to Doctors Hospital of Sarasota. If they grant permission, she sniffs their feet seeking a whiff of active COVID-19 infection.

Hours after one area team claimed a Pop Warner football championship, another one followed. The mitey mite Forestview Outlaws beat the Sarasota Sun Devils 19-0 to win the Mid-America/Southeast championship on Wednesday in Winter Garden. The Outlaws beat Sarasota 39-8 in the regional championship. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the full Pop Warner Super Bowl and moved what championships were left out of Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. Instead of a traditional Super Bowl which includes qualifiers from eight regions across the country, only two regions played this year.

SARASOTA, Fla. – A Florida man who had been storing a trash can for a friend for more than two months, found a badly decomposing body inside when he opened it, authorities said. Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said the unidentified man had been holding the 55-gallon container for a friend who promised to retrieve it later. But that person never returned and after about two months, the man smelled a foul odor and opened the container. Inside were human remains that had been wrapped up. The Herald-Tribune reported Tuesday that the sheriff's office is investigating the identify of the remains and how they died.

SARASOTA, Fla. – Ryan Lochte is launching his bid to make a fifth Olympic team in the first major U.S. meet since the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports in mid-March. He’s seeded third in the 100 and 200 backstrokes, fifth in the 100 freestyle and sixth in the 200 free. The 12-time medalist is the second-most decorated Olympic swimmer behind Michael Phelps. Lochte has competed in few events since the 2016 Rio Games, where he won a gold on the 4x200 freestyle relay. Lochte gained infamy in Rio after an incident at a gas station that resulted in a 10-month suspension.

There’s a growing consensus amongst educators and parents that remote learning is harder on students than most people anticipated. In Sarasota and Manatee counties there are still hundreds, if not thousands, of students who don’t always have access to their classes because of slow or no internet or a lack technology. Of the 12,539 parents or guardians who responded to the survey, 12% have either slow internet or no internet at all. And when the district isn’t able to provide a solution, it connects students and families with local nonprofits that can help out. But, like in Manatee where the hotspots don’t work for everyone, even the best possible solutions don’t always solve a family’s problems.

VENICE, Fla. – A woman was fatally shot at a bank in Venice on Monday morning, sheriff’s officials said. The shooting happened just after 9 a.m. Monday at a BB&T bank branch in Venice, which is near Sarasota on Florida's Gulf Coast, the Sarasota Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. Arriving deputies found the woman dead at the scene. The sheriff's office hasn't released many details about the shooting. But officials said “all involved parties are accounted for," the post said,Investigators are working to notify the woman's relatives.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. St. Johns County School District Deputy Superintendent Brennan Asplen on Tuesday was unanimously selected as the next superintendent of Sarasota County schools. Asplen has worked for the St. Johns County School District as a principal and county administrator for 14 years. I can really bring that to the Sarasota school district and continue to move them in the right direction.Asplen said 31 candidates applied for the job to lead Sarasota County Schools, which was rated as an A school district in 2019. Its unclear who will take over his role in St. Johns County. In March, Deputy Superintendent of Operations for St. Johns County schools Cathy Mittelstadt was chosen as Flagler Countys next school district superintendent.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla - Hurricane supplies tax holiday next season may be extended for a longer period if Florida lawmakers come to agreement. A bill SB 524. filed by Sarasota Senator Joe Gruters would cut sales tax on disaster supplies from May 29 through June 15, 2020. The legislation, would still need to pass the bill that does not give a break on school supplies tax. While it would not be tied into a school supplies tax break like the previous season, the disaster sales tax holiday would be more than twice as long as 2019. Most disaster supplies are included in the tax break but items must fall under certain price thresholds.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A U.S. Navy sailor based at Mayport was arrested and charged with three felonies including soliciting a child to commit sex acts. Chief Hospital Corpsman Travis Deel, 40, admitted to Sarasota County authorities that he traveled from Jacksonville to Sarasota to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex, according to court records. According to the Sarasota County arrest report July 17 Deel exchanged phone numbers with an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old girl on a website. According to the arrest report, Deel told authorities he purchased condoms at the Navy Exchange in Jacksonville before traveling to Sarasota. Jefferson believes if Deel is convicted, he will be dishonorably discharged from the Navy.

VIDEO: A Jacksonville Navy chief was arrested and accused of traveling to Sarasota to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex, according to court records. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

2002: Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, recognized as the first pitcher to save 200 games in his career and the first pitcher to appear in 1,000 games, dies at age 80 in Sarasota, Florida. One of the oldest players to have pitched in the major-leagues, last pitching just 16 days short of his 50th birthday, he retired in 1972 with the lowest career earned run average of any major-league hurler after 1927 who pitched more than 2,000 innings. Wilhelm pitched for 10 different teams in his career, earning an All-Star berth eight times and winning a World Series title with the New York Giants in 1954. Hide Caption