SARASOTA,  Fla. (SNN) — In a harrowing account from the Supernova Music Festival in Israel, one attendee who faced a nightmare during the surprise attack by Hamas told SNN his story. Among the 3,500 young people at the Festival was Yuval Simon Tov. He recounted how moments of confusion and mistaking lights in the sky for fireworks, quickly escalated into sheer terror.  He and his friends fled the festival in their car, attempting to seek safety, only to be attacked by members of Hamas.  “There were eight motorcycles and then two semi-trailers full of the terrorists, and they wer ..read more

Related video: Property insurance crisis: what's really being done to fix it? SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida's west coast is seeing a surge in housing supply and many sellers are cutting prices, but demand is lackluster according to a new report by Redfin. Redfin says Florida is one of two states (Texas being the other) where the home supply is growing but homes are having trouble selling thanks in part to high insurance rates and many potential buyers being priced out of the market. In Florida, Cape Coral (51%), Sarasota (48%), Fort Lauderdale (30%), Tampa (29%), Orlando (23%), and West Palm ..read more

SARASOTA COUNTY (WFLA) — As we inch closer to some of the rainiest months of the year, residents can expect to see more mosquitoes out and about. Sarasota County is preparing to respond as needed, but they're asking the public to prepare as well. You may recall last year, Sarasota County saw seven malaria cases. It was the first time in 20 years that the state of Florida had any confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne illness. Crews treated more than 580,000 acres and more than 2,400 miles of ditches. "With all of those efforts, we still cannot reduce the risk of mosquito-borne viruses and paras ..read more

NORTH PORT, Fla. (WFLA) — Mary DiSanzo celebrated her 79th birthday last week. She is incredibly grateful to have another year after a close call earlier this month. DiSanzo was shopping at the Walmart on Tamiami Trail in North Port when she started to feel dizzy. "All I remember is a lady coming up to me saying 'are you OK?'," recalled DiSanzo. Next thing she remembers is waking up in the hospital. She had experienced a cardiac arrest while in the store, which caused her to collapse. Fortunately, store employees Suzan Martucci and Tanya Frener knew what to do and immediately jumped into actio ..read more

Video above: 40-year study gives Mote researchers insight on sea turtle populations TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- Mote Marine Laboratory's Sea Turtle Patrol documented their first nest of the 2024 season on Sunday. Sea turtle nesting season begins May 1, but it's not unusual to see some early arrivals on Sarasota County beaches. Sea turtle nesting season begins in Florida: Here’s what to know “Even though sea turtle nesting season isn’t officially supposed to start until May 1, we like to be prepared and patrol early to make sure we catch the first signs of nesting on our beaches,” Melissa Macksey, Se ..read more

SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — A man who claims he was sexually abused by a Florida priest as a child spoke publicly for the first time in Sarasota on Friday. Investigators said Father Leo Riley, 68, faces allegations of sex abuse. The alleged incidents occurred in Iowa and date back to the 1980s, before the church transferred him to Florida. A 32-year-old man said he was sexually abused by Father Riley in the early to mid-2000s. Tragically, this is part of a larger issue within the Catholic Church, something we've seen before. “As a child, I attended Saint Charles School in Port Charlotte, where Fa ..read more

SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — If you are looking for weekend plans, take the kids to this outdoor Gem of Tampa Bay. Established in 1939, Sarasota Jungle Gardens is known as one of the oldest tourist attractions in the state. "That’s the great thing about this, because it’s multi-generations," Sarasota Jungle Gardens Lead Entertainment Host Alan Gillespie said. "So many people came here as kids and now they’re bringing their kids." Visitors have the opportunity to walk around the 10-acre park and even feed flamingos out of the palm of their hands. “When people come here for the first time, literally ..read more

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Walmart employees at a North Port store saved a customer's life after they went into cardiac arrest earlier this month. On the evening of April 10, North Port Fire Rescue responded to a Walmart located at 17000 Tamiami Trail regarding a reported cardiac arrest ..read more

SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) -- One person was hospitalized after a fire broke out at a Sarasota apartment complex Thursday afternoon. The Sarasota County Fire Department was dispatched to the 6000 block of Medici Ct. around 12:43 p.m., according to authorities. ‘I had no idea’: Woman discovers $1M lottery ticket hidden inside Tupperware container SCFD said the blaze was contained to a balcony, where cooking equipment was located, and was extinguished around 12:57 p.m. According to officials, one person was taken to the Sarasota County Memorial Hospital. The severity of their injuries is unknown at t ..read more

SARASOTA, Fla. (SNNTV) — Some of the world’s top male gymnasts are in Sarasota, training hard to secure their spots on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team. EVO Gymnastics boasts two 2020 Olympians and three other USA Senior National Team Members, some of whom have recently won gold medals in world competitions leading up to the Paris Olympics, scheduled between July 27 and Aug. 5. According to EVO Gymnastics: The current number one gymnast in the world on parallel bars and pommel horse trains at EVO Gymnastics. Two EVO gymnasts were on the 2020 Men’s Gymnastics Olympic Team and one was an alternate. T ..read more