Josh Salman

3 days ago | tampabay.com | Josh Salman |Derek Gilliam

A Naples developer had big plans in 2022 to bring more than 850 homes to a rural area of DeSoto County, betting the region’s unprecedented housing demand would continue stretching further east into Arcadia. With no connections to municipal sewers, the homebuilder wanted the authority to tax future residents for the cost of a new utility plant needed to bring basic plumbing to their homes. So the company petitioned local officials to establish a new special government that it would control.

4 days ago | wslr.org | Josh Salman |Derek Gilliam |Marianne Barisonek

‘Community Development Districts’ have mushroomed on the Suncoast. By Josh Salman and Derek Gilliam/Suncoast SearchlightOriginal Air Date: May 9, 2025Host: If you buy a home in the suburbs, beware: Dozens of new local governments have popped up in Sarasota and Manatee Counties recently. They are not led by elected officials but by corporations that make a profit from residents. Josh Salman with Suncoast Searchlight reports.

5 days ago | mysuncoast.com | Josh Salman |Derek Gilliam

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - As more new special development districts break ground across the Suncoast, area officials warn they could mean higher tax bills and traffic congestion for those buying into these communities. From state lawmakers to county commissioners and national reform leaders, stakeholders reacting to a recent Suncoast Searchlight investigation into the potential dangers of these independent government districts called the reporting revealing.

1 week ago | yoursun.com | Josh Salman

A Naples developer had big plans in 2022 to bring more than 850 homes to a rural area of DeSoto County, betting the region’s unprecedented housing demand would continue stretching further east into Arcadia. With no connections to municipal sewers, the homebuilder wanted the authority to tax future residents for the cost of a new utility plant needed to bring basic plumbing to their homes. So the company petitioned local officials to establish a new special government that it would control.

1 week ago | mysuncoast.com | Josh Salman |Derek Gilliam

By Josh Salman and Derek GilliamSuncoast SearchlightA Naples developer had big plans in 2022 to bring more than 850 homes to a rural area of DeSoto County, betting the region’s unprecedented housing demand would continue stretching further east into Arcadia. With no connections to municipal sewers, the homebuilder wanted the authority to tax future residents for the cost of a new utility plant needed to bring basic plumbing to their homes.