- December 21, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Observer stories publish on the web first, before the print versions hit the street. And many of the articles you see on YourObserver.com are specific for online consumption.
This digital effort is an important piece of how we deliver news to our community.
But unlike the print version of the Observer, we can track what stories are read online, and after analyzing the data, the most-viewed stories of 2024 reveal some not-so-surprising observations:
According to the data, 13 of the 25 most-viewed stories of 2024 were hurricane-related, several were food/restaurant stories, four were business/development related, and one was a breaking news story about a father and son dying in a Manatee County boating accident.
Here is a sampling of the top stories of 2024 on YourObserver.com.
According to the web, the biggest story of 2024 was the weather. In 66 days, three hurricanes slashed through the area, wreaking havoc on the barrier islands and low-lying areas of the mainland.
Observer staff were some of the first people on the ground after each of the storms rolled through. The sights of wind and water damage captured by reporters and residents made for compelling viewing.
Before becoming a hurricane and making landfall in the Panhandle, Tropical Storm Debby whirled past Longboat Key's coast Aug. 5, bringing heavy winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge.
After expecting a normal rainy weekend in Florida, the aftermath of the tropical storm-turned-hurricane took aback residents.
Debby’s impact surprised Longboater Karen Pashkow. She said the seawall flooded along the walkway of Longboat Harbour Condominium and heavy debris prevented many cars from exiting the parking lot.
Monday morning, Pashkow found herself still watching the rain on Sarasota Bay and thought, “When is this going to stop?”
Rain fell for two days, inundating already-flooded roads on Longboat and Siesta keys.
Low-lying areas, including the Pinecraft neighborhood off Bahia Vista Street, experienced heavy flooding.
On Sept. 26, Helene, a Category 4 hurricane, also brushed past Longboat and Siesta keys, sending 3-5 feet of water into homes and businesses.
Longboat Key Fire Rescue Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator Paul Dezzi was stunned by what crews assessing damage were seeing.
“It was shocking with what we found as we moved north,” Dezzi said. “We found that there were homes that were damaged, a few destroyed, lots of debris, lots of sand, lots of construction material.”
The storm made landfall on Sept. 26, and its main impact to Longboat Key came from the high storm surge. Some residents reported 3-5 feet of water intrusion in their homes.
The day after the storm, Siesta Key was closed off as rescuers combed through the area. County Commissioner Mark Smith described the scene, saying, “There’s a lot of property damage. Siesta Village is wiped right now. It’s going to take a while for it to come back.”
Sarasota County Fire Chief David Rathbun said firefighters were as prepared as they could be before the storm hit. “Areas had water of six feet where our vehicles could not go through, so unfortunately those residents who chose to stay behind had to tough it out until the waters began to recede,” he said.
This amount of water flooded out many in Longboat Key’s low-lying areas like Buttonwood, Sleepy Lagoon and the Village. Many homeowners tried to get back to the island as quickly as possible to begin ripping out drywall and restoration.
The town followed a tiered re-entry protocol after Helene, which resulted in residents being allowed back Sept. 29.
According to estimates from the town of Longboat Key, about 2,200 properties in the town were damaged, which resulted in $176 million worth of damage. Some homes, like beachfront properties along Gulfside Road, were almost completely destroyed.
Barely two weeks later, Hurricane Milton made landfall near Lido and Siesta keys at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 9 as a Category 3 storm.
Debris that had been piled up for pickup after Helene was scattered again from Hurricane Milton.
The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall suffered significant water intrusion damage from Hurricane Milton, as did the Little Ringling Bridge.
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport was closed for several days after it sustained major damage at the passenger terminal and on buildings surrounding the airfield, including two sections of roof over the main concourse and several private hangars destroyed or damaged.
More than 226,000 FPL customers lost power at some point, 76% of all county customers.
Everyone loves seeing a celebrity in their backyards, and in February, Lakewood Ranch residents got the chance to see eight of the biggest stars in TV, the Budweiser Clydesdales, up close.
Clydesdales are one of the largest horse breeds in the world. And to be a Budweiser Clydesdale, a horse has to stand at least 18 hands — that’s 6 feet — tall and weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds.
So, when the team made famous by Super Bowl commercials and parades made a series of public appearances in the area, hundreds turned out on Lakewood Ranch’s Main Street to see them, and thousands more viewed on YourObserver.com.
An inlet between Siesta Key and Casey Key, Midnight Pass was closed 40 years ago due to human intervention after two homeowners feared the impacts of erosion to their properties.
It also caused decades of protest from environmentalists who said the closure prevented the exchange of tidal waters in the area, resulting in poor water conditions in Little Sarasota Bay.
This fall, Mother Nature took matters into her own hands and used hurricanes, Helene and Milton, to reopen Midnight Pass.
Hundreds converged on the site Oct. 26 to join in a massive boat parade celebrating the reopening.
Our readers are always on the lookout for a new epicurean experience and 2024 saw some new restaurant debuts. Accordingly, we offered readers some advice on where to find the best of whatever you may have a hankering for.
Our community is a magnet for awesome culinary endeavors, with new restaurants seemingly opening every day. But the success of these newbies stands on the shoulders of a few historic eateries.
In January we offered an appreciation of six longtime favorites that have paved the way for the rest and put Sarasota on the map as a foodie destination.
In March we told you about a new upscale sports bar in East County. The Greyson offers every sports package available for viewing. There are 28 TVs inside and eight on the dog-friendly patio, with canopy and roll-down screens.
In June, we dug into some of the culinary comfort food that made its way across the pond and into our Gulf-side community: fish and chips. It definitely struck a chord with readers.
In July, you read about Jason Starkman adding to his family’s legacy in the restaurant business with a new The Original Wolfie’s grab ‘n’ go and delivery service in Lakewood Ranch.
And, of course, after the hurricanes, we kept an eye on when things were reopening.
In December, you read that Shore, a longtime restaurant and retail store on St. Armands Circle, is leaving after hurricane dame was too much to overcome, and that Cafe L’Europe, a 51-year staple on the Circle, is coming back in 2025 with a new name and concept.
Development and housing has always been a hot topic in our area, and our readers proved it remains so with traffic to stories on the subject.
In April, we learned the Bradenton-Sarasota-North Port region led the nation in residential housing market price reductions, according to a report from real estate data company Redfin.
That data said 48% of all real estate listings in our area experienced a price cut, followed by Tampa, where 44% of listings had a price cut, Indianapolis with 43% and Cape Coral with 41%.
South Sarasota will have a new mixed-use town center in the coming years as the Sarasota County Commission gave the go-ahead to redevelop the largely vacant Sarasota Square Mall.
The project hopes to convert the 93-acre site into a mix of retailers, restaurants, offices and apartments, bringing an upscale lifestyle experience to the site just south of the city adjacent to Palmer Ranch.
In March, it was announced that the Heritage Golf Group purchased the Lakewood Ranch Country Club and its amenities, the country club, its three 18-hole golf courses and its tennis center.
"This is a monumental day. This will be our flagship club," Heritage Golf Group CEO and President Mark Burnett said. "This is one of the best residential communities in the U.S. and this is what we do. We focus on high-end clubs."
Lakewood Ranch Country Club will be the Heritage Golf Group's 37th club in the eastern and central U.S. to go along with three clubs in Denver. The Lakewood Ranch Country Club will be its eighth in Florida.
A father and his young son died in a boating accident April 13 on Ward Lake in east Manatee County, a story that garnered sympathy from readers.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the bodies of Wayne Raber, 36, and Josiah Raber, 4, of Wilmot, Ohio, were recovered from behind the water treatment facility on Ward Lake, a freshwater reservoir fed by the Braden River.
Authorities said fishermen often navigate into a lagoon behind the treatment plant to catch shad using cast nets.
