Joseph Battaglia
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Machines Need Permits, Too
On July 8, the Sarasota County Commission voted 5-0 to freeze the acceptance or review of data center applications for a year. One of the commissioners stated, “For me, it’s a no. Not now, not ever.” I’ve spent a number of recent blog posts writing about the AI industry and what it takes from us…
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Dear Grads (2026): I Want to Believe
“Dear Grads” is a series I publish each spring for high school graduates. Consider it unsolicited advice from a lawyer who has been around long enough to know a few things — and young enough to still remember what it felt like not to. Growing up in the 1990s, Friday nights had a shape to…
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Article X, Section 4(c): The “Actually” Guy of Florida Real Estate Law
A version of this article appeared in the April 2026 issue of Elevate, the official newsletter of the Realtor Association of Sarasota Manatee. We all know an Actually Guy. He’s the one who corrects your pronunciation of “pho” and reminds you it’s just sparkling wine if it’s not from France. Florida real estate law has…