Siesta Key

Residents in favor of forming their own government won the support of a majority of state legislators Thursday during a public hearing in Sarasota.

The incorporation bill first needed support from the local delegation to advance to the full Legislature where Governor Ron DeSantis would have to authorize a vote.

Hundreds of Siesta Key residents attended a recent town hall meeting, hosted by the local delegation, to discuss the incorporation of the island.

A toxic algae bloom is killing fish, turtles and dolphins and discouraging tourists from visiting Florida's Gulf Coast. It's not the first such event, but it is especially intense.

Authorities say lightning struck and killed someone on a Florida beach.Sarasota County Sheriff's officials say the person was struck on Siesta Key beach…