The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "sarasota" ...
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Paying out millions, and playing favorites
The series explored favoritism and ethical lapses in the way Sarasota County government awarded lucrative contracts to private vendors. We found that the county relied too much on "piggybacking," a purchasing shortcut that allowed low and middle-level employees to essentially award contracts to whoever they wanted without bids.
Tags: Sarasota County; private vendors; piggybacking; contracts
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FBI found direct ties between 9/11 hijackers and Saudis living in Florida; Congress kept in dark
Disclosing the existence of a decade-old FBI investigation into the abrupt departure of a Saudi family from the luxury home in a gated community near Sarasota, FL. two weeks before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Law enforcement later used gatehouse security records to determine the home was visited by vehicles used by the hijackers. Despite FBI claims that Congress has been briefed, no documentation proving that statement has been provided.
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Bennie's Deal
In this story, the reporters discover how a former Tampa police chief violated a Law Enforcement ethics code written by a committee of which he was the member. The violation took place when he appeared in a series of ads for a company that supplied the department with millions of dollars of equipment. It did not end there. Not only were there problems with this equipment, but the company also received a soul source provider contract from the department.
Tags: Bennie Holder; Sarasota; Gyrocams; Aerial Films; Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio
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Sacrificial Lamb
Carolyn Mason, the black mayor of Sarasota, had a problem. She was up for re-election in less than a month, and her constituents, mostly low income African-Americans, were angry with her. Within a few days, Jody Hudgins, who by all accounts was one of the compassionate, ethical, and honorable men in town, was not reappointed to his position on the Housing Authority. The reporter followed his news sense to find the story of how one man lost his position in order to quell the attacks against the mayor.
Tags: Jody Hudgins; Housing Authority; Carolyn Mason; race
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Pretrial Release: Has the system gone awry?
The Herald-Tribune uses a computer analysis to reveal "laws on pretrial release are ripe for abuse." A defendant awaiting trial can be "Released on Recognizance" (ROR) under Florida law -- allowed to remain free without having to post any type of bond. But an analysis of 2,430 people granted ROR in Sarasota County over a period of one year found nearly 200 people were released without bail "were arrested on new charges and given ROR again," that hundreds were granted ROR despite "a history of serious crimes or of failing to appear for trial," and that "some judges routinely bend the rules when it comes to releasing longtime or violent crooks." The investigation also revealed that "blacks stand a much worse chance of being granted ROR because the conditions are skewed in favor of middle-class whites."
Tags: bail; release; release on recognizance; judges; pretrial; arraignment; prosecution; defendant; ROR; computer-assisted reporting; CAR
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BENCH: Trial judges often keep their seats without facing election. So when a Florida lawyer challenged an incumbent, he rocked the de facto merit selection system.
In Manatee County, Florida (a town near Tampa Bay), the judicial system has come under fire. According to the article, "Until recently, a judge hadn't been knocked off the bench in an election for 30 years." The article describes how difficult it is for a lawyer to compete for a bench position that's already occupied.
Tags: Manatee County; Florida; trial judges; Tampa Bay; lawyers; law; judges; bench; Matthew McMillan; Matthew E. McMillian; Sarasota County; Desoto County; scandal; election; de facto merit selection system; incumbent
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Sludge: 'We're being poisoned'
An investigation by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune found that the sludge industry is largely self-regulated -- despite the fact that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that sewage sludge can be dangerous.
Tags: sludge industry; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; self-regulated; public health; sickness
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Water under the bridge
Florida has over 100 communities with bridges that need replacing. Sarasota is a perfect example of what can go wrong in these situations. The city spent money fighting a high-span bridge that local businesses wanted.
Tags: bridges; business; transportation; environment
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Justice for Sheila?
"Sheila Bellush, a wife and mother of six children including quadruplets, was found murdered in her Sarasota home in 1997. The murderer was so cold-blooded that he shot and stabbed Bellush in front of her quadruplets who were then just toddlers. As far as investigators could tell, there was no motive and nothing was stolen. ... During our investigation 48 Hours revealed evidence that had not made it into the public accounts - investigators knew of the evidence but Allen Blackthorne (Bellush's ex-husband) didn't until 48 Hours confronted him with it on camera. ... Blackthorne was found guilty of Sheila Bellush's murder and sentenced to life in prison."
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; murder; crime; Sheila Bellush; Allen Blackthorne
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No title (id: 10033)
Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune investigates the deterioration of that city's housing projects, finding that the housing authority and the Housing and Urban Development agency had allowed public housing to seriously deteriorate for 20 years even though they both had the money to do something about it, August - November 1993.
Tags: FL Park 26 pages