Solitary, concrete cages have kept #Florida's Suncoast Primate Sanctuary from qualifying as a real sanctuary or shaking its reputation as a rundown roadside zoo. tampabay.com/news/clearwate… via Tracey McManus

Tropical Storm Debby caused so much sewage to bubble from manholes in Clearwater that workers ran out of vacuum trucks. They had to use sandbags to hold off polluted water until they could suck it up. Important reporting by Emily L. Mahoney Max Chesnes tampabay.com/hurricane/2024…

2020 election deniers vie for control of #Florida’s ballot box tampabay.com/news/florida-p… via Lawrence Mower, Romy Ellenbogen & Tracey McManus

Former Clearwater police officer Nicolas Paloma was recently acquitted in one rape case but three more women told police that Paloma also pressured them into sex acts in exchange for leniency, according to records obtained by Brandon Kingdollar tampabay.com/news/clearwate…

Boy Scouts in talks to sell 50-acre slice of #Florida reservation -- despite the explicit instructions of the man who donated the land tampabay.com/news/hernando/… via Tracey McManus & Barbara Behrendt

When a man gifted 1,300 acres in Hernando County to the Boy Scouts 45 years ago upon his death, he wanted the land to be preserved forever. Now the Scouts are in talks to sell a 50-acre slice to the Withlacoochee Electric Cooperative for commercial use. tampabay.com/news/hernando/…

“It takes more than a noun and a verb and preposterous claims of voter fraud to win an election in Pinellas County" -- Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus on her victory over activist Chris Gleason, who accused her of fraud. w Justin Garcia tampabay.com/news/florida-p…

In early 2023, the Tarpon Springs City Commission was largely in step, made up of four commissioners Mayor Costa Vatikiotis had encouraged to run for office or endorsed. Their allegiance has gradually dissolved since then. tampabay.com/news/pinellas/…

This week, in a genuinely stunning series of events, a bill that was written to save local journalism from big tech was gutted in a backroom deal—and wound up bailing out Google and *boosting AI* instead. You can't make this stuff up. Here's how it happened.

ICYMI: When Larry DiePolder died in 1978, he gifted 1,300 acres in Hernando County to the Boy Scouts with explicit instructions for the land to stay a natural oasis forever. Now the Boy Scouts are in talks to sell 50 acres for commercial development. tampabay.com/news/hernando/…

We reported last week that the Boy Scouts were in talks to sell 50 acres of Sand Hill Reservation to Withlacoochee Electric. Now the board will decide Sept. 19 whether to market another 450 wooded acres for residential and commercial development. tampabay.com/news/hernando/…

The insurer mentioned, Heritage, is a major donor to Florida politicians — they were a sponsor of DeSantis' reelection inauguration. Its lobbyist is close to Jimmy Patronis, whose office investigated this alleged fraud. Patronis was also against the state fining Heritage $1m.

Today is my first day with The Dallas Morning News as the Dallas County government accountability reporter. Please send any tips to: [email protected] I loved my 9 years at the Tampa Bay Times, but now I’m looking forward to digging into Texas journalism.