Episode 393: WSLR News Wed., Oct. 29: Legislators seek to take control over port from Manatee County; Sarasota takes back Polytech consolidation plans; Thaxton surprises; Ukraine activists

29/10/2025 30 min Episodio 393
Episode 393: WSLR News Wed., Oct. 29: Legislators seek to take control over port from Manatee County; Sarasota takes back Polytech consolidation plans; Thaxton surprises; Ukraine activists

Listen "Episode 393: WSLR News Wed., Oct. 29: Legislators seek to take control over port from Manatee County; Sarasota takes back Polytech consolidation plans; Thaxton surprises; Ukraine activists"

Episode Synopsis


Manatee County’s state legislators opened yet another front in what many in the Republican county believe is a war against home rule: This time, it’s about taking away local control over one of the area’s biggest economic generators.Next: The Schools of Hope law forces districts to hand over buildings of underused schools to private operators. That, in turn, has prompted the Sarasota school district into a flurry of reorganization plans to fill school buildings with low enrollment. But now, the superintendent retracted a consolidation plan - the second turnaround within a week. Then: Jon Thaxton was an unusual recent addition to the Sarasota County Planning Commission. The former county commissioner and long-time environmental activist was expected to change the public perception that this appointed advisory board is a rubber stamp for developers. But his first vote took many by surprise.Finally: At a film screening and panel discussion about the war in Ukraine, we asked the panelists about their reactions to Trump’s peacemaking efforts. 

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