The city’s new anti-panhandling ordinance has generated a lot of commentary and criticism in the local community and may face legal challenges from the local chapter of the ACLU. In an effort to better understand the intent and ramifications of the ordinance, Joe Hendricks contacted Sarasota City Attorney Bob Fournier via email to get his thoughts.

Once upon a time, back in the mid-2000s, Joe Hendricks wrote a series of columns for The Sanford Herald. Flash forward to April 2013. With the Sarasota Film Fest, the city commission run-off and arts and cultural experiences to be had around every corner, we thought it would be a good time to bring back “Joe on the Go.”

Contributor Joe Hendricks breaks down the numbers from Tuesday’s city election results, visits the candidates at the after-parties and forecasts a very interesting run-off on May 14.

Joe Hendricks delivers a detailed report on the Feb. 26 meeting of the Sarasota City Commission meeting that produced the 3-2 vote opposing a Wal-Mart in the Ringling Shopping Center.

Every now and then, David (the underdog) defeats Goliath (the heavily-funded favorite) and that’s what happened Tuesday night when City Commissioners voted 3-2 to deny the site plan approval that would have allowed for the construction of a Wal-Mart SuperCenter in the vacant Ringling Shopping Center.

Just because a candidate is good at hanging all of the bells and whistles on the campaign trail, it doesn’t mean they are the best choice for your vote. Here is a quick, down-and-dirty way to size up the candidates. It’s very much like plotting your fantasy football team.