Good morning, Sarasota.

Residents gathered Thursday morning for Longboat Key’s final ‘Blue Sky’ sandbag event of the hurricane season — town officials offered 10 free sandbags per resident while those who already claimed theirs needed to bring their own bags and tools to use the free sand.

A popular New York pizza chain will open its Sarasota location soon — offering coal-fired pies to local diners — as part of a five-restaurant expansion in Florida.

Members of the business community can now register for the free Let's Talk Business forum hosted by the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce at 8:30 a.m. on Sept.

16 at Town Hall (501 Bay Isles Road) where they can share ideas with local leaders.

Dr. Arthur MacArthur (Mac) Miller died Aug.

28; he was a cherished professor emeritus at New College who taught from 1964 until 2005 and inspired students to explore their interests. Alumni honor his legacy as a mentor who always promoted independent learning.

Florida residents should expect periodic downpours and thunderstorms through Labor Day weekend as three tropical waves are tracked by the National Hurricane Center; Gov. DeSantis declared September Preparedness Month to remind locals to review emergency plans (stay tuned for updates).

The Atlantic hurricane season may set a modern record if no storm reaches hurricane strength by Sept.

11, as five named storms have formed by Sept. 2. NOAA says strong El Niño winds and dry air have delayed development, suggesting a below-normal season.

A federal search tool for migrant health services in Sarasota sends users to congressmen's websites instead of the correct provider pages; officials have yet to explain the error + the misdirected links are causing confusion for people seeking help.

North Port commissioners advanced an 18-month moratorium on data centers while reviewing a proposal for a 7-building complex affecting 4.5 acres of wetlands.

Residents voiced environmental concerns and a public workshop is scheduled Thursday with a final vote expected on Sept. 22.

Local officials are offering free sandbags at designated centers to help residents prepare for upcoming storms.

The service starts today to secure homes against potential flood damage.

Wellen Park Eagles beat the DeSoto Bulldogs 40-0 on Thursday, Sept.

3 to improve to 3-0 in their first season.

High school football games in Sarasota and Manatee are being tracked live (Week 3 contests on Sept.

3 and today) with real-time score updates for fans as local teams compete.

Venice football will play Lakeland today in an important playoff qualifier, with coach John Peacock saying his mostly junior team aims to reduce mistakes and build momentum.

The game between two top-10 high school teams could decide the Indians’ chance for the Open Division playoffs.