Cathy Carter

The restaurant industry has been especially hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Like many other states, Governor Ron DeSantis recently issued an executive order that blocks Florida restaurants from serving food in their dining rooms.

As Floridians continue social distancing, many others headed out to the polls on Primary Day.

Before heading into Lakewood Ranch Town Hall to vote, Karen Toney of Bradenton took a minute to snap a selfie. The 27-year old said, yes, she was a bit concerned about venturing out -- but not enough to stop her from casting her ballot. 

Manatee County Commissioners have declared a local state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The move comes as the total cases in Manatee County climbed to five over the weekend.

As the spread of coronavirus worsens, faith leaders across Florida are taking steps to keep followers safe and that includes making changes to worship services.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg – which has 74 parishes in the region — has issued new directives in response to the virus.

Inside a Venice airport hangar, about a dozen volunteers for Agape Flights have run into a problem. They need to load a generator on to a cargo plane but it’s on a forklift and the driver can't quite maneuver around several large pallets of bottled water.

Ambassador Wendy Sherman served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs during the Obama administration.

She was also an advisor to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

On Monday, the former diplomat was in Sarasota to speak on foreign policy issues as part of the Ringling College Library Association Town Hall lecture series.

Sarasota Police have completed the fatal crash investigation which killed well-known philanthropists Charles and Margery Barancik.

The couple died in December after a Longboat Key Police SUV collided with the Barancik's Tesla. Charles Barancik, 91, died the night of the crash. His wife Margery, 83, suffered serious injuries and was transported from the scene to Sarasota Memorial Hospital where she died the next day.

Investigative journalist and author Bob Woodward of the Washington Post spoke in Sarasota Monday.

Perhaps best known for teaming up with fellow reporter Carl Bernstein in uncovering the Watergate scandal, Woodward has also written books about the last nine U.S Presidents.

The movie industry’s marquee celebration happens on Sunday and there’s a good chance former students from Sarasota’s Ringling College of Art & Design will be a part of the team behind some of the award-winning films.

State leaders have agreed to acquire more than 5,000 acres of land in Sarasota County for conservation.

Environmentalists have long had their eyes on Orange Hammock Ranch in North Port because of its proximity to other preserved lands in the Myakka River watershed.

People are lined up at 'Our Daily Bread' food pantry in Bradenton, and Maureen Mack of Turning Points, a local non-profit that helps the homeless, is giving directions to a group of volunteers for the annual Point-in-Time Count.

The first thing former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly addressed in Sarasota was the hat. It's unusual to see the retired Marine general wearing a baseball cap as he did on stage at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, but as he told the audience, he recently had a run-in involving a chainsaw and a tree in his backyard.

Hedda Sharapan worked with Fred Rogers for more than 50 years, but one thing in particular stands out. It was a typical day on the set of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and the cameras were rolling when the beloved host started buttoning one his signature sweaters.  

The Sarasota Concert Association was launched in 1938 with a mission to bring affordable world-class musicians to Sarasota. 

This year, the long-running cultural group is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

A proposed fish farm in federal waters is nearing its next regulatory hurdle. On Tuesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will host a public hearing on the proposal at Mote Marine Lab and Aquarium in Sarasota. 

According to the Florida Department of Education, nearly 87% of Florida teenagers earned a high school diploma last year, an increase of close to 1% over the previous school year.

Hillsborough County, the state’s third largest school district saw a slight graduation rate increase of 0.4%. The region’s largest bump was in Pinellas County which climbed by 2.5% to a total graduation rate of more than 88%.

Seattle and Sarasota have at least one thing in common: each are just one of eight cities to host the largest public photography exhibition in North America.

'The FENCE" presents a series of large-scale images printed on vinyl mesh and displayed on an 800-foot fence beside the lake at Nathan Benderson Park. The traveling show is back in Sarasota for its second year.

This week on Florida Matters, we share some of our favorite discussions about plants, animals and environmental challenges facing our state.