Manatee County

Incumbent Republican Vern Buchanan will once again represent District 16 after defeating Democrat Jan Schneider.

More than 540 homes were destroyed and thousands were damaged by Helene in Manatee County. The cost is estimated at about $353 million, and is expected to rise.

The hurricane brought levels of storm surge that communities haven't seen in years. Crews are continuing to assess damage in neighborhoods that got hit with flooding.

Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Sarasota and Manatee counties are in an area with 37 other Florida counties now considered for a state of emergency due to Potential Tropical Cyclone 9.

Hurricane Debby caused upwards of $57 million in damage to Manatee County homes, according to the county.

The new Atala Hall marks a new chapter for what used to be a commuter school. Officials hope this will raise the profile of the tight-knit campus along Sarasota Bay.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, GOP political consultant Anthony Pedicini, and a trio of prominent local developers were not candidates themselves, yet voters delivered them a clear rebuke, with six out of seven candidates they supported facing defeat.

The Disaster Recovery Center will open Saturday, Aug. 17 from 1 – 7 p.m. at the Lakewood Ranch Library (16410 Rangeland Pkwy, Bradenton, FL., 34211). The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily after that.

Vias at Bradenton LLC, the buyer, will pay $14.1 million for the property and demolish City Hall and other structures to build residential, hotel and commercial/retail spaces.

In Manatee County, a drone delivery system recently started to speed up the arrival of lifesaving treatment for medical emergencies in which every second counts.

Expanded development and lack of prescribed burns have been hurting scrub jay habitats throughout Florida.

A Manatee County woman with no training in mental health services pretended to be a licensed social worker during online therapy sessions with Brightside Health patients.