Sarasota, Florida
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Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of
Sarasota County, Florida Sarasota County is a county located in Southwest Florida. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 US census, the population was 434,006. Its county seat is Sarasota, Florida, Sarasota and its largest city is North Port, Florida, North Port. Sara ...
, United States. It is located in
Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is the region along the southwest Gulf coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is known for its beaches, subtropical landscape, and winter resort economy. Definitions of the region vary, though its boundaries are genera ...
on
Sarasota Bay Sarasota Bay is a lagoon located off the central west coast of Florida in the United States. Though no significant single stream of freshwater enters the bay, with a drainage basin limited to 150 square miles in Manatee and Sarasota counties, it ...
, a lagoon on the
Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...
. The population was 54,842 at the 2020 census, while the
Sarasota metropolitan area The Sarasota metropolitan area is a metropolitan area located in Southwest Florida. The metropolitan area is defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropoli ...
with an estimated 935,000 residents is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Florida and 61st-largest in the United States. The Sarasota area was settled by Spanish explorers in the 16th century and officially established as a town in the late 19th century. Sarasota's development accelerated in the early 20th century, particularly with the influence of the Ringling family as the home of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Today, the city's economy is based on tourism, healthcare, education, and real estate. Its cultural attractions include the
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the official state art museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, Florida. It was established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable Burton Ringling and John Ringling for the people of Florida. Florida State Uni ...
,
Sarasota Opera Sarasota Opera is a professional opera company in Sarasota, Florida, USA, which was founded as the Asolo Opera Guild and, until 1974, presented a visiting company's productions. Between 1974 and 1979, it set about mounting its own productions in t ...
, and numerous galleries and theaters. Sarasota city limits contain several barrier islands between Sarasota Bay and the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
, including
Lido Key Lido Key (LEE doh KEE) is a barrier island off the coast of Sarasota, Florida, in the United States. It is part of the city of Sarasota and is connected to mainland Sarasota by John Ringling Causeway. Nearby keys To its north is Longboat Key ...
,
St. Armands Key St. Armands Key is an island in Sarasota Bay off the west coast of Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alaba ...
,
Bird Key Bird Key is a barrier island in Sarasota Bay, south of the John Ringling Causeway, between mainland Sarasota and St. Armands Key. Originally a small barrier island connected to the Ringling Causeway by a tree lined causeway of its own, it was ...
, and the northern portion of
Siesta Key A siesta (from Spanish, pronounced and meaning "nap") is a short nap taken in the early afternoon, often after the midday meal. Such a period of sleep is a common tradition in some countries, particularly those in warm-weather zones. The "si ...
. Its coastline, including nearby
Siesta Beach Siesta Beach (sometimes known as Siesta Key Beach) is a beach located on Siesta Key in the U.S. state of Florida. Unlike beaches elsewhere that are made up mostly of pulverized coral, Siesta Beach's sand is 99% quartz, most of which comes fro ...
, draws visitors year-round.


Etymology

The origin of the name is disputed and has fostered a number of theories. Two theories involve Hernando de Soto's visit to the area in 1539. One holds that he named it after his daughter, Sara; however, he had no children. George F. Chapline created this story in 1906, including an ill-fated romance between Sara and a Seminole prince. Another holds that it was named "Zara Soto", Arabic for the "Radiance of Soto". Other theories take into account the substantial beaches and indigenous mounds, with early Spanish explorers being reminded of the
Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
, combined with "zota", the indigenous word for "blue waters". Others claim that it comes from "sara-de-cota," meaning "an area of land easily observed" in the language of the
Calusa The Calusa ( , Calusa: *ka(ra)luś(i)) were a Native American people of Florida's southwest coast. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. Previous Indigenous cultures had lived in the area for thousands o ...
indigenous tribe. The area known today as Sarasota appeared on a sheepskin Spanish map from 1763 with the word over present-day Sarasota and
Bradenton Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a principal city in the Sarasota metropolitan area. Dow ...
. In 1776, a British map by Bernard Romans lists a "Boca Sarasota" in the local area. Maps in the 1700s showed the area as "Sarazota" or "Porte Sarasote". A fishing camp and trading post on Longboat Key was also called "Saraxota". The name Sarasota appears on the first maps of the state of Florida in 1839, after having passed into the ownership of the United States. People from Sarasota are generally known as "Sarasotans".


History

Around 1883 to 1885, The Florida Mortgage and Investment Company of Edinburgh bought 60,000 acres for development in what is now Sarasota. Many Scottish people began to arrive in Sarasota in December 1885. The municipal government of Sarasota was established when it was incorporated as a town on October 14, 1902. John Hamilton Gillespie was the first Mayor of the town government. When reincorporated with a city form of government on May 13, 1913, A. B. Edwards became the first mayor of the city government. The city limits expanded significantly with the real estate rush of the early twentieth century, reaching almost . The speculation boom began to crash in 1926 and the city limits began to contract, shrinking to less than a quarter of that area.


Geography and climate

Sarasota has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(Koppen ''Cfa'') with hot, humid summers and cooler, milder winters. The high temperatures and high humidity in the summer regularly push the
heat index The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shade (shadow), shaded areas, to posit a human-perceived equivalent temperature, as how hot it would feel if the humidity were some other value in the Shade (s ...
over . There are distinct rainy and dry seasons, with the rainy season lasting from March to November and the dry season from December to February. According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is the name given to the many natural deep water sections as well as humanmade channels, canals, and cuts that link the entire Sarasota Bay system.


Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 54,842 people, 25,209 households, and 12,474 families residing in the city. Of that population in 2020, 3.9% were under 5 years old, 14.6% were under 18 years old, and 28.0% were 65 years and older. 52.5% of the population were female persons. As of 2020, 4,056 veterans lived in the city and 16.7% of the population were foreign born persons. In 2020, the median gross rent was $1,177. 92.5% of the households had a computer and 84.2% of the households had a broadband internet subscription. In 2020, 90.0% of the population over 25 years had completed a high school education, and 37.2% of the population over 25 years had a bachelor's degree or higher. In 2020, the median household income was $56,093 with a per capita income of $43,387. 15.6% of the population lived below the
poverty threshold The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 51,917 people, 22,775 households, and 11,603 families residing in the city.


Arts and culture


Attractions

Sarasota is home to
Mote Marine Laboratory Mote Marine Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit, marine research organization based on City Island in Sarasota, Florida, with additional campuses in eastern Sarasota County, Boca Grande, Florida, and the Florida Keys. Founded in 1955 by Eug ...
, a marine rescue, research facility, an aquarium, the
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden located at 900 South Palm Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The Gardens are located on the grounds of the former home of Marie and William Selby. The Gardens acquired the Historic Spanish Point ...
, the
Sarasota Jungle Gardens Sarasota Jungle Gardens is a tourist attraction located in Sarasota, Florida, United States, since 1939. The gardens contain over of botanical plantings along with bird and animal shows. It is open to the public for a per-use ticket fee and also ...
and the Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary.


Circus

One of Sarasota's nicknames is "Circus City", or alternatively "The Circus Capital of the World", owing in part to John Ringling's decision to move the winter quarters of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to Sarasota in 1927. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art houses the Circus Museum and the Tibbals Learning Center, established in 1948. Sarasota is also home to The Circus Arts Conservatory, which is responsible for the
tent show Tent shows have been an important part of American history since the mid-to-late nineteenth century. In 1927, Don Carle Gillette gave "statistical evidence that the tented drama constituted 'a more extensive business than Broadway and all the rest ...
Circus Sarasota and the "oldest youth circus", Sailor Circus. In 2017, The Circus Arts Conservatory took part in the Smithsonian Folk Festival. The Showfolks Club, a social organization that also puts on an annual circus performance billed as "Sarasota's longest running circus event", is located in Sarasota. The
Circus Ring of Fame St. Armands Key is an island in Sarasota Bay off the west coast of Florida in the United States. It is part of the city of Sarasota, Florida. The island is connected to the mainland by the John Ringling Causeway. History A Frenchman named Char ...
is a series of
commemorative plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...
s in St. Armand's Circle, honoring prominent figures in circus history, similar to the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
. Honorees include Paul Binder,
Nik Wallenda Nikolas Wallenda (born January 24, 1979) is an American acrobat, aerialist, daredevil, high wire artist, and author. He is known for his high-wire performances without a safety net. He holds 11 Guinness World Records for various acrobatic feat ...
, and the King Charles Troupe, among over 150 others. Residents of Sarasota that have been associated with the circus include daredevil and
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
holder
Bello Nock Bello Nock (born September 27, 1968), often known simply as Bello, is an American daredevil and circus performer. Nock has been listed in the ''Guinness Book of World Records'' for his highwire walk over a cruise ship. He has performed several ...
, himself an honoree of the Circus Ring of Fame, as well as aerialist and circus proprietor
Dolly Jacobs Dolly Jacobs (born c. 1957 in Sarasota, Florida) is an American circus aerialist. She is the daughter of famed circus clown Lou Jacobs and former New York fashion model turned circus performer Jean Rockwell Jacobs. She began her circus career in ...
, who cofounded The Circus Arts Conservatory.


Festivals

Since 1998, the city has hosted the
Sarasota Film Festival The Sarasota Film Festival is a film festival located in Sarasota, Florida and held in April. Its mission is "to celebrate the art of filmmaking and the contribution of filmmakers by hosting an international film festival and developing year-long ...
annually. The festival attracts independent films from around the world. It claims to be one of Florida's largest film festivals. In 2009 the annual
Ringling International Arts Festival The Ringling International Arts Festival is an annual festival at the Ringling Museum of Art. The first three years the festival was a collaboration with the Baryshnikov Arts Center, but currently is curated solely by the John and Mable Ringling ...
, held its premier and held its closing event in the historic Asolo theater, which had been moved and rebuilt again. The historic Venetian theater now is housed in the reception building for the museum where it is used for special events as well as performances, informative purposes, and another seasonal film series hosted by the museum. Florida Studio Theatre produces the annual Sarasota Improv Festival. Founded in 2009 by Rebecca Hopkins, FST's annual Sarasota Improv Festival brings together improvisers from across the country and worldwide. The Festival has become a destination event, drawing thousands across Florida and beyond. Past performers have come from as far as Mexico, Canada, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom to perform on Florida's Gulf Coast. In 2010, the
Sarasota Chalk Festival Sarasota Chalk Festival is an American cultural event of public art that celebrates a performing art form of pavement art also known as Italy, Italian street painting. It was founded in Sarasota, Florida by Denise Kowal. During the festival art ...
that is held yearly in the historic area of Burns Square became the first international
street painting Street painting, also known as screeving, pavement art, street art, and sidewalk art, is the performance art of rendering artistic designs on pavement such as streets, sidewalks, and town squares with impermanent and semi-permanent materials s ...
festival in the United States of America. Celebrating the sixteenth-century performance art of Italian street painting, the festival hosted Maestro Madonnaro Edgar Mueller from Germany, who created the first street painting that changed images from day to night. The festival has a different theme each year and has introduced new techniques in street art. Other applications of street art such as
murals A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...
and "cellograff graffiti" have become companion events also produced by
Avenida de Colores, Inc. Avenida de Colores, Inc. was founded in 2010 by Denise Kowal as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, based in Sarasota, Florida in the United States. The corporation produced the Sarasota Chalk Festival, a cultural event designed to celebrate the sixt ...
The murals are part of the "Going Vertical" project, and although it sometimes coincides with the chalk festival, it is distinct from it and often continues throughout the year. Except for a few commissioned on public property in the Palm Avenue Parking Garage, the murals are on private property and are in many sections of Sarasota and Manatee County. the Sarasota Chalk festival has relocated to
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
, south of Sarasota. The name Sarasota Chalk Festival remains the same. It is also home to the Fabulous Arts Foundation, formerly the Harvey Milk Festival, an independent music festival in support of
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
, focusing on the
LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...
community. It has been celebrated in May annually since 2010 on the weekend closest to
Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised i ...
's birthday. It is currently the largest independent music festival in Sarasota, with thousands of attendees throughout the free, public, multi-day event that also includes gallery showings, film, and other live performances.


Film

In 1952,
Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...
filmed and premiered ''The Greatest Show on Earth'' (with
James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...
,
Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...
,
Betty Hutton Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 12, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. She rose to fame in the 1940s as a contract player for Paramount Pictures, appea ...
) in Sarasota. In 1998, two studio films were filmed in Sarasota:
Alfonso Cuaron Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. I ...
's ''
Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...
'', with
Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor, author, and film director. He made his film debut in ''Explorers (film), Explorers'' (1985), before making a breakthrough performance in ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989). Hawke starr ...
,
Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow ( ; born September 27, 1972) is an American actress and businesswoman. The daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, she established herself as a leading lady appearing in mainly mid-budget and perio ...
,
Hank Azaria Henry Albert Azaria ( ; born April 25, 1964) is an American actor and producer. He is known for voicing many characters in the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' since 1989, including Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Superintendent Chalmer ...
,
Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, tw ...
and
Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
; and
Volker Schlondorff Volker may refer to: * Volker (name), including a list of people with the given name or surname * Volker, Kansas City, a historic neighborhood in Kansas City * Volker Boulevard, Kansas City * ''Alien Nations'' (German: ''Die Völker''), a real-time ...
's ''Palmetto'', starring
Woody Harrelson Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor. He first became known for his role as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1985–1993), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ...
,
Elisabeth Shue Elisabeth Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an American actress. She has starred in films such as '' The Karate Kid'' (1984), '' Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987), ''Cocktail'' (1988), ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989), '' Back to the Future P ...
, and
Gina Gershon Gina L. Gershon (; born June 10, 1962) is an American actress and singer. She has starred in such films as ''Cocktail'' (1988), ''Red Heat'' (1988), '' Showgirls'' (1995), '' Bound'' (1996), '' Face/Off'' (1997), '' The Insider'' (1999), '' Dem ...
. ''Out of Time'' (2003), a crime drama starring
Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...
and
Eva Mendes Eva de la Caridad Méndez (, ; born March 5, 1974), known professionally as Eva Mendes, is a retired American actress. Her acting career began in the late 1990s with a series of roles in films such as '' Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror ...
used the Blackburn Point Bridge, Boca Grande and Cortez. In 2013,
Taylor Hackford Taylor Edwin Hackford (born December 31, 1944) is an American film director and former president of the Directors Guild of America. He won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for '' Teenage Father'' (1979). Hackford went on to dire ...
's action movie ''Parker'', with
Jason Statham Jason Statham ( ; born 26 July 1967) is an English actor. He is known for portraying tough, gritty, or violent characters in various action thriller films, and has been credited for leading the resurgence of action films during the 2000s and 2 ...
,
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
,
Nick Nolte Nicholas King Nolte (; born February 8, 1941) is an American actor. Known for his leading man roles in both dramas and romances, he has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. Nol ...
had scenes filmed at Ca' d'Zan in Sarasota. In June 2017, director
Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...
shot his 2022 film, '' KillRoy Was Here'', in Sarasota.


Music

Sarasota is the home of the
Sarasota Orchestra The Sarasota Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Sarasota, Florida. The orchestra is administratively based at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center. The orchestra performs concerts in Sarasota at several venues: * Holley Ha ...
, which was founded by Ruth Cotton Butler in 1949 and known for years as the ''Florida West Coast Symphony''. It holds a three-week ''Sarasota Music Festival'' that is recognized internationally and boasts it attracts renowned teachers and the finest students of chamber music. Sarasota also boasts a symphonic chorus, Key Chorale, and professional vocal ensemble, Choral Artists of Sarasota. The Jazz Club of Sarasota is one of the largest and most active jazz clubs in the United States and has promoted jazz events in Sarasota for 39 years. Joe Perry of
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...
,
Brian Johnson Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. In 1980 at the age of 32, after the death of Bon Scott, he became the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC. Johnson was one of the founding members of th ...
of
AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
,
Dickey Betts Forrest Richard Betts (December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as a longtime member of the Allman Brothers Band. A co-founder of the band when it formed in 1969, he was central ...
of the
Allman Brothers Band Allman may refer to: Music *The Allman Brothers Band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame southern rock band, formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Allman Joys, an early band formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Gregg Allman Band People *Allman (surnam ...
,
Donald Dunn Donald Dunn may refer to: * Donald "Duck" Dunn Donald "Duck" Dunn (November 24, 1941 – May 13, 2012) was an American bass guitarist, session musician, record producer, and songwriter. Dunn was notable for his 1960s recordings with Booker T. & ...
of the
Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers (formally, The Fabulous Blues Brothers’ Show Band and Revue) are an American blues and soul revue band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, who met and began collaborating as original cast members of ...
and
Graeme Edge Graeme Charles Edge (30 March 1941 – 11 November 2021) was an English musician, songwriter and poet, best known as the co-founder and drummer of the English band the Moody Blues. In addition to his work with the Moody Blues, Edge worked as th ...
of the
Moody Blues Moody may refer to: Places * Moody, Alabama, U.S. * Moody, Missouri, U.S. * Moody, Texas, U.S. * Moody County, South Dakota, U.S. * Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada * Hundred of Moody, a cadastral division in South Australia ** Moody, Sout ...
have all settled in Sarasota.


Performing and visual arts

Sarasota is home to a vibrant performing arts scene, with numerous venues dedicated to music, dance, theatre, circus arts, and more. Among its many institutions are the
Sarasota Ballet The Sarasota Ballet is an American ballet company based in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded in 1987 by former ballet dancer Jean Weidner Goldstein and is now acclaimed for its performances of Sir Frederick Ashton's ballets under its director Iai ...
,
Sarasota Opera Sarasota Opera is a professional opera company in Sarasota, Florida, USA, which was founded as the Asolo Opera Guild and, until 1974, presented a visiting company's productions. Between 1974 and 1979, it set about mounting its own productions in t ...
,
Asolo Repertory Theatre The Asolo Repertory Theatre or Asolo Rep (AKA: Asolo Theatre Company, Inc.) is a professional theater in Sarasota, Florida. It is the largest Equity theatre in Florida, and the largest Repertory theatre in the Southeastern United States. Asolo ...
,
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is a performing arts venue located at 777 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida neighboring the Sarasota Bay. The main theater of the facility contains 1,741 seats. History The initial construction of the 1, ...
, and
Florida Studio Theatre Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is a professional, non-profit theater company located in Sarasota, Florida that represents one of the major cultural institutions in the Gulf Coast region. Founded in 1973 as a touring troupe, FST is currently a Regio ...
. These venues, along with others like the Players Centre for Performing Arts and Sarasota Contemporary Dance, contribute to a culturally rich and diverse arts community. Several of Sarasota's theaters have historical significance. The
Sarasota Opera House The Sarasota Opera House (originally the Edwards Theatre) is a historic theater building used as an opera house at 61 North Pineapple Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The building was the vision of A.B. Edwards, the first mayor of Sarasota. It opene ...
began as the Edward Theatre in 1925, hosting stars like
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
and
Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...
before becoming a permanent home for the Sarasota Opera. The Historic Asolo Theater, imported from
Asolo Asolo () is a town and ''comune'' in the Veneto, Veneto Region of northern Italy. It is known as "The Pearl of the province of Treviso", and also as "The City of a Hundred Horizons" for its mountain settings. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'It ...
, Italy, and reconstructed by the Ringling Museum in the 1950s, originally served Queen
Catherine Cornaro Catherine Cornaro (; or ; ; 25 November 1454 – 10 July 1510) was the last monarch of the Kingdom of Cyprus, also holding the titles of Queen of Jerusalem and Queen of Armenia. She became queen consort of Cyprus by marriage to James II of ...
of Cyprus. In the 1980s, another Asolo Theater, part of the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts, was constructed around the historic Dunfermline Opera House from Scotland, housing the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training and hosting film festivals and theatrical performances.
Florida Studio Theatre Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is a professional, non-profit theater company located in Sarasota, Florida that represents one of the major cultural institutions in the Gulf Coast region. Founded in 1973 as a touring troupe, FST is currently a Regio ...
(FST) has preserved and repurposed several historic buildings. Its Keating Theatre, once the Sarasota Woman's Club founded in 1903, served as the town's first library and community hub before being saved from demolition in 1976. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and later expanded. FST also acquired the Gompertz Theatre, originally a 1920s movie house that underwent various transformations before becoming part of FST in 2003. Sarasota and the Cultural Coast are home to fine art, film-making, circus history and performance, and decorative arts. The Sarasota Art Museum and the
John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the official state art museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, Florida. It was established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable Burton Ringling and John Ringling for the people of Florida. Florida State Uni ...
are both in Sarasota.


Architecture

A large number of homes and buildings are designed in the Italian style. Italian architecture and culture are present in the area including at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Ringling's home,
Cà d'Zan Cà d'Zan () is a Mediterranean Revival architecture, Mediterranean revival residence in Sarasota, Florida, adjacent to Sarasota Bay. Cà d'Zan was built in the mid-1920s as the winter retreat of the American circus mogul, entrepreneur, and art c ...
, was mostly modeled on the Venetian. Examples of those more typically seen in the same style are the residences of Edith Ringling and of Hester Ringling Lancaster Sanford, that also are among the structures in the
Caples–Ringling Estates Historic District The Caples'–Ringlings' Estates Historic District comprises the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, John Ringling Estate, the New College of Florida, Edith and Charles Ringling and Hester Ringling Lancaster Sanford Estates, and the Ellen a ...
. Italian inspired statues are also common and the copy of Michelangelo's David at the museum is used as the symbol of Sarasota. The
Sarasota School of Architecture The Sarasota School of Architecture, sometimes called Sarasota Modern, is a regional style of post-war modern architecture (1941–1966) that emerged on Florida's Central West Coast, in and around the city of Sarasota, Florida. It is characterize ...
developed as a variant of mid-century modernist architecture. It incorporates elements of both the
Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...
and
Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...
's "organic" architecture. The style developed as an adaptation to the area's
sub-tropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 3 ...
climate and used newly emerging materials that were manufactured or implemented following World War II.


Historic buildings and sites

By the end of the twentieth century, many of Sarasota's more modest historical structures were demolished. Recently, two historic buildings, the Crocker Church and the Bidwell-Wood House (the oldest remaining structure in the city), first restored by Veronica Morgan and members of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation that she founded, became city property. These structures were relocated to this park, despite protests from residents who objected to the loss of park area. In the late 1970s, Sarasota County purchased the Terrace Hotel that Charles Ringling built and renovated it for use as a county government office building. The adjacent courthouse that he donated to the new county in 1921 has been listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. The courthouse complex was designed by
Dwight James Baum Dwight James Baum (June 24, 1886 – December 14, 1939) was an American architect most active in New York and in Sarasota, Florida. His work includes Cà d'Zan, the Sarasota Times Building (1925), Sarasota County Courthouse (1926), early resid ...
. In the next decade, the landmark hotel built by Owen Burns, the El Vernona, which had been turned into apartments, became endangered. By then, it was called the John Ringling Towers and was purchased by a phosphate miner, Gardinier, who wanted to turn it into his corporate headquarters. Plans were made to restore the building. The city commissioners initially supported the plan, but lobbying to undermine the project began, and one of the commissioners changed her vote. The project was denied at the final hearing. Remarkable preservation success occurred during the 1990s when the community exhibition hall, the Municipal Auditorium, designed by
Thomas Reed Martin Thomas Reed Martin (April 28, 1866 in Menasha, Wisconsin – February 1949) was an architect who was brought to Florida by one of its major developers during the turn of the twentieth century. He designed some 500 residences and various publi ...
and Clarence A. Martin, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and meticulously restored to its depression recovery era, 1937 WPA community project, completion status, and its architectural glory—both inside and out. The city boasts that 100,000 people use it every year and it is a boon to the community for recreation, lawn sports, as well as being heavily attended for auctions, concerts, conventions, flea markets, galas, graduations, lectures, orchid and flower shows, and a full range of trade shows of interest to the community. Later the
Federal Building A federal building is a building housing local offices of various government departments and agencies in countries with a federal system, especially when the central government is referred to as the "federal government A federation (als ...
, designed by George Albee Freeman (the designer of Seagate for industrialist Powell Crosley Jr.) and Louis A. Simon, which initially had served as the post office was restored as well. Most of the luxurious historic residences from the 1920s boom period along the northern shore of Sarasota Bay also have survived. This string of homes, built on large parcels of elevated land along the widest point of the bay, is anchored by the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art at its center. Many significant structures from the comparatively recent "Sarasota School of Architecture" period of the mid-twentieth century, however, have not survived. Since they do not qualify under the age criteria set for historic preservation nominations, their historical aspect often escapes public recognition. Others frequently are threatened by demolition plans for new development without consideration of their cultural and historical importance to the community instead of motivating the implementation of plans to retain the buildings and integrate them into new plans. In 2006, the Sarasota County School Board slated one of Paul Rudolph's largest Sarasota projects, Riverview High School, for demolition. The board decided despite protests by many community members, including architects, historic preservationists, and urban planners. Others supported the demolition as they believed the structure was no longer functional. The issue was divisive. The
World Monuments Fund World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training ...
included the school on its ''2008 Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites'' in the category ''Main Street Modern''. Following a March 2007
charrette A charrette (American pronunciation: /ʃɑːˈrɛt/; French: aʁɛt, often Anglicized to charette or charet and sometimes called a design charrette, is a collaborative, intense period of design or planning activity. The term was introduced to m ...
led by the
National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...
, a proposal was advanced to renovate and preserve Rudolph's buildings. The school board decided to allow a year to consider implementing the innovative plan proposed to preserve the buildings, which would include building a parking garage with playing fields above it rather than demolishing the structures. In early June 2008, the school board voted in a 3–2 decision to allow the demolition; School board members Shirley Brown, Caroline Zucker and Frank Kovatch voted against preserving the historic high school. This decision was that school would be demolished and that a parking lot would replace it. One year later, in June 2009, Riverview High School was demolished. In December 2019, a former
Sarasota High School Sarasota High School is a public high school of the Sarasota County Public Schools in Sarasota, Florida, United States, a city by the Gulf of Mexico. The school colors are black and orange and the mascot is a sailor. The school was segregated a ...
facility was transformed into the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College. The 93-year-old building was renovated to include 80,000 square feet for the museum's campus with about 15,000 square feet for exhibitions, costing about $30 million according to the president of Ringling College, Larry Thompson.


Other notable cultural features

The Sarasota neighborhood of
Pinecraft Pinecraft is a census-designated place located in Sarasota County, Florida, Sarasota County. The population was 486 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the North Port, Florida, North Port-Bradenton, Florida, Bradenton-Sa ...
is home to a relatively liberal
Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...
-Mennonite community which is unusual compared to other Amish communities as it consists mainly of elderly who moved to Florida because of its mild climate, of Amish people who are on holiday and of Amish who do not fit in easily in other communities. '' Breaking Amish: Brave New World'', a television series of
scripted reality Scripted reality (sometimes also euphemized as structured reality or constructed reality) in television and entertainment is a subgenre of reality television with some or all of the contents being scripted or pre-arranged by the production company. ...
is set in Pinecraft. It is a spin-off of ''
Breaking Amish ''Breaking Amish'' is an American reality television series on the TLC television network that debuted September 9, 2012. The series revolves around five young Anabaptist adults (four Amish and one Mennonite) who move to New York City in order t ...
''. The Rosemary District was an African American community and is home to the Boulevard of the Arts. Newtown is predominantly and historically African American.


Sports and recreation

Sarasota is home to the
Sarasota Paradise Sarasota Paradise is an American soccer club based in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, competing in the South Florida Division of USL League Two. The club began play in 2023 and plays their home matches at Premier Sports Campus. The club is partly owned ...
, an amateur team that plays in the
USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...
, founded in 2023, the team plays its games at Charlie Cleland Stadium at Ihrig Field. In 2013, Sarasota became the home of the Sarasota Thunder, which was to play in the
Ultimate Indoor Football League The Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) was a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18, 2011 as the Ultimate Indoor Football League before playing as the United Indoor Football League in 2012 ...
, but the team folded. Sarasota and
Bradenton Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a principal city in the Sarasota metropolitan area. Dow ...
together held the 2021 U-18 Baseball World Cup. In 1937 the
Municipal Auditorium-Recreation Club The Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, listed in the National Register as Municipal Auditorium-Recreation Club, is a historic multi-purpose facility built-in 1938. It is located at 801 Tamiami Trail North and is owned/operated by the municipal governme ...
was built with funds provided by the
Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...
, the municipal government, and local residents and business owners. It became a center for sports, entertainment, and recreation. The sports activities have ranged from badminton, basketball, boating, lawn bowling, and shuffleboard, to tennis. The auditorium hosts clubs for cards, dancing, games, gardening, and numerous hobbies as well as having become the community meeting place for commercial and educational shows and the venue for local schools and charities to hold events and dances. Tourists are attracted to exhibitions provided by local businesses as well as vendors from national circuits. This building was listed in the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
because of its architecture and for providing the enormous range of community activities that are scheduled at it every week. Sarasota is home to
Ed Smith Stadium Ed Smith Stadium is a baseball field located in Sarasota, Florida. Since 2010, it has been the spring training home of the Baltimore Orioles. History Ed Smith Stadium was built in 1989 to replace Payne Park as a Spring Training and Minor League ...
where the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
have held
spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
since 2010. The Orioles also have minor league facilities at the Buck O'Neil Baseball Complex at Twin Lakes Park. Previously,
Ed Smith Stadium Ed Smith Stadium is a baseball field located in Sarasota, Florida. Since 2010, it has been the spring training home of the Baltimore Orioles. History Ed Smith Stadium was built in 1989 to replace Payne Park as a Spring Training and Minor League ...
was the spring training home of the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...
and the minor league Sarasota Reds. The warm climate helped the Sarasota area become a popular
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
destination. John Hamilton Gillespie was an early pioneer of the game in Sarasota. The Sara Bay course in the Whitfield area was designed by golf architect Donald Ross. Bobby Jones was associated with the community course in Sarasota. Many courses dot the area, including the one originally laid out for the hotel John Ringling planned on the southern tip of
Longboat Key A longboat is a type of ship's boat that was in use from ''circa'' 1500 or before. Though the Royal Navy replaced longboats with launches from 1780, examples can be found in merchant ships after that date. The longboat was usually the largest boa ...
.
Sport fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is occupational fishing activities done for profit; or subsistence fishing, ...
attracts enthusiasts to Sarasota as a result of the action that the bay offers.
Tarpon Tarpon are fish of the genus ''Megalops''. They are the only members of the family Megalopidae. Of the two species, one (''M. atlanticus'') is native to the Atlantic, and the other (''M. cyprinoides'') to the Indo-Pacific Oceans. Species and ...
was the biggest draw, but gigantic
gar Gars are an ancient group of ray-finned fish in the family Lepisosteidae. They comprise seven living species of fish in two genera that inhabit fresh, brackish, and occasionally marine waters of eastern North America, Central America and Cuba ...
as well as many other species abounded to attract the notable Owen Burns and
Powel Crosley Powel Crosley Jr. (September 18, 1886 – March 28, 1961) was an American inventor, industrialist, and entrepreneur. He was also a pioneer in radio broadcasting and owner of the Cincinnati Reds major league baseball team. In addition, Crosley's ...
. The Sarasota Marathon started in 2005. In 2010, declining sponsorship and marathon registration led organizers to change the event to a half marathon. The race begins and ends near the John and Mable Ringling Museum. In 2014, Sarasota hosted the
modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Summer Olympics, Olympic multisport that consists of five events: fencing (one-touch épée followed by direct elimination), freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, Laser pistol (sport), laser pistol shooting, and ...
World Cup Final. Sarasota is home to two swim teams. The Sarasota Sharks have won national championships. A newer team, the Sarasota Tsunami, was founded by the former Sharks head coach and is also nationally competitive. The teams maintain a rivalry. The Sarasota Sailing Squadron is a highly active facility that has hosted many nationally renowned regattas for both dinghies and larger vessels.
Nathan Benderson Park Nathan Benderson Park, previously known as North Metro Park and Cooper Creek Park, is a park in the U.S. state of Florida, owned by Sarasota County. It incorporates a artificial lake in northern Sarasota County, Florida, Sarasota County, direct ...
contains a lake with a specialized 2,000 meter eight-lane rowing course. It was the venue for the
World Rowing Championships The World Rowing Championships is an international Rowing (sport), rowing regatta organized by International Rowing Federation, FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer ...
in 2017, held on September 23 – October 1, 2017. The park has been the site of
USRowing The United States Rowing Association, commonly known as USRowing, is the national governing body for the sport of Rowing in the United States. It serves to promote the sport on all levels of competition, including the selection and training of ...
's Youth National Championship Regatta in June 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2023 and has hosted the NCAA women's rowing national championship ( Division I, Division II and
Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...
) in 2018, 2021 and 2022. The park has also hosted trials of the men's and women's U.S. teams for the Summer Olympic Games of
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
and
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
. Sarasota is home to the Whiskey Obsession Festival, the largest whiskey festival in Florida. Established in 2013, the festival features several hundred whiskies from around the world. Dozens of professional brand ambassadors and distillers participate in the festival by engaging in panel discussions, leading classes, and tastings.


Government

The municipal government of Sarasota was established when it was incorporated as a town on October 14, 1902. Sarasota was reincorporated as a city on May 13, 1913. Thereafter, it was called the "City of Sarasota". Sarasota later was designated as the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
when
Sarasota County Sarasota County is a county located in Southwest Florida. At the 2020 US census, the population was 434,006. Its county seat is Sarasota and its largest city is North Port. Sarasota County is part of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota, F ...
was carved out of
Manatee County Manatee County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee County is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat and largest ci ...
in 1921 during the creation of several new
counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
. In 1945 the commission-manager government form was adopted for the city and it is governed by a five-person commission elected by popular vote, two members of which serve in the ceremonial positions of "mayor" and "vice-mayor", as chosen by the commission every April. Two at-large commissioners are elected by all voters and the city is divided into three districts for which the residents of each elect one district representative to the five member commission. Liz Alpert was voted Mayor for 2024-2025 period. Sarasota has an official seal which was adopted in 2022 replacing the original seal that was adopted in 1902. Sarasota's seal also has the city motto on it: "May Sarasota Prosper". The city seal consists of a silhouette of the Statue of David. Many aspects of the city are overseen by the
county government A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...
ranging from the schools, the libraries, the bay, major waterways, county-designated roads, the airport, fire departments, property and ''
ad valorem An ''ad valorem'' tax (Latin for "according to value") is a tax whose amount is based on the value of a transaction or of a property. It is typically imposed at the time of a transaction, as in the case of a sales tax or value-added tax (VAT). A ...
'' taxes, voting, the health department, extension services, stormwater control, mosquito control, the courts, and the jail.


Mayors of Sarasota

The municipal government of Sarasota was established when it was incorporated as a town on October 14, 1902. Sarasota was then reincorporated as a city on May 13, 1913. Since its incorporation, Sarasota has been governed by a commission–manager form of government. There are a total of five city commissioners: two that are elected "at large" and three from single-member districts. The mayor and vice mayor are selected from the five city commissioners. Mayors of Sarasota, Florida include: *
J. Hamilton Gillespie Colonel John Hamilton Gillespie (14 October 1852 – 7 September 1923) was a Scottish-American soldier, land developer, businessman and politician, who settled in Sarasota, Florida, becoming Sarasota's first mayor. Biography Gillespie was born ...
(1902 - 1907), property developer * J. B. Chapline (1907 and 1908), a real estate agent * G. W. Franklin (1908 and 1909), a furniture store owner * J. Hamilton Gillespie (1909 and 1910) * Hamden S. Smith (1910 and 1911), ice company owner *
Harry H. Higel Harry may refer to: Television * ''Harry'' (American TV series), 1987 comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (New Zealand TV series), 2013 crime drama starring Oscar K ...
(1911 to 1914), property developer and
Great Floridian Great Floridian is a title bestowed on citizens of Florida by the Florida Department of State. There were actually two formal programs. The Great Floridian 2000 program honored deceased individuals who made "significant contributions in the histor ...
* A. B. Edwards (1914 to 1916), realtor * Harry H. Higel (1916 and 1917 second stint) * G. W. Franklin 1917-1919 * A. B. Edwards (
Arthur Britton Edwards Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...
) 1919-1921 * E. J. Bacon 1921-1931 * E. A. Smith 1931-1937 * Verman Kimbrough 1937-1939 * E. A. Smith 1939-1945 * J. Douglas Arnest 1945-1948 * J. Fite Robertson 1948-1951 * John L. Early 1951-April 1953 * Leroy T. Fenne April 1953- December 1953, owner of the Sarasota Hotel * Ben Hopkins, Jr. 1953-1955 * John D. Kicklighter 1955-1956 * A. Ray Howard 1956-1957 * Frank L. Hoersting 1957-1958 * Col. Fred W. Dennis 1958-1959 * Frank Hoersting 1959-1960 * Marshall E. Marable 1960-1961 * John 0. Binns 1961-1962 * Herschel C. Hayo 1962-1964 * David Cohen 1964-1966 * Jack Betz 1966-1969 * D. William Overton 1969-1970 * Jack Betz (John C.) 1970-1971 * Gerald E. Ludwig 1971-1972 * Fred E. Soto 1972-1973 * J. "Tony" Saprito 1973-1975 * Elmer G. Berkel 1975-1976 * Ronald Norman 1976-1978 * Elmer G. Berkel 1978-1979 * Fred E. Soto 1979-1981 * Ronald W. Norman 1981-1982 * Rita J. Roehr 1982-1983 * Annie M. Bishopric 1983-1984 * Lou Ann Palmer 1984-1985 * William G. Kline 1985-1986 * Kerry G. Kirschner 1986-1987 * Fredd G. Atkins 1987-1988 * Rita J. Roehr 1988-1989 * Lou Ann Palmer 1989-1990 * Kerry G. Kirschner 1990-1991 * Fredd G. Atkins 1991-1992 * Jack Gurney 1992-1993 * Gene M. Pillot 1993-1994 * Nora Patterson 1994-1995 * David Merrill 1995-1996 * Mollie C. Cardamone 1996-1997 * Gene M. Pillot 1997-1998 * Jerome Dupree 1998-1999 * Mollie C. Cardamone 1999-2000 * Gene M. Pillot 2000-2001 * Albert F. Hogle 2001-2001 * Carolyn J. Mason 2001-2003 * Lou Ann Palmer 2003-2004 * Richard F. Martin 2004-2005 * Mary Anne Servian 2005-2006 * Fredd G. Atkins 2006-2007 * Lou Ann Palmer 2007-2009 * Richard Clapp 2009–2010 * Kelly Kirschner 2010-2011 * Suzanne Atwell 2011-2013 * Shannon Snyder 2013-2014 * Willie Charles Shaw 2014-2017 * Shelli Freeland Eddie 2017-2018 a lawyer * Liz Alpert 2018-2019, an attorney * Jen Ahearn-Koch 2019-2020, a marketing consultant * Hagen Brody 2020-2021 * Erik Arroyo 2021-2022 * Kyle Battie 2022, former television show host * Liz Alpert 2023-2024


Education

Public primary and secondary education is provided by the
Sarasota County Public Schools The District School Board of Sarasota, commonly known as Sarasota County Schools, is a public school district serving Sarasota County, Florida. As of 2017, it serves approximately 43,150 students. The school district's leadership is often know ...
school district. The district includes 15 elementary schools, five middle schools, and the following secondary schools: Booker High School,
Pine View School for the Gifted Pine View School for the Gifted, or simply known as Pine View School, is a public, college-preparatory, coeducational school located in Osprey, Florida. Pine View serves students from 2nd through 12th grades. History In 1969, the school was fo ...
, Riverview High School,
Sarasota High School Sarasota High School is a public high school of the Sarasota County Public Schools in Sarasota, Florida, United States, a city by the Gulf of Mexico. The school colors are black and orange and the mascot is a sailor. The school was segregated a ...
, Suncoast Polytechnical High School,
Sarasota Military Academy Sarasota Military Academy (SMA) is a military academy charter school founded in 2002 in Sarasota, Florida. The academy consists of a middle school and a high school. The school's athletic teams compete as the Eagles. Other extracurricular activit ...
, and Oak Park School. Sarasota was also home to the Flint School, a preparatory school for boating. Private education includes Ascension Lutheran School, The Classical Academy of Sarasota, Sarasota Christian School, Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School and Out-of-Door Academy. In higher education, Sarasota is home to
New College of Florida New College of Florida is a public university, public liberal arts college in Sarasota, Florida, United States. The college is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. New College has the smallest student enrollment in the State U ...
, a public liberal arts college and the honors college for the
State University System of Florida The State University System of Florida (SUSF or SUS) is a system of twelve public universities in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2018, over 341,000 students were enrolled in Florida's state universities. Together with the Florida College Sy ...
. Additional colleges in Sarasota include
Keiser University Keiser University is a private university with its main campus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and flagship residential campus in West Palm Beach, Florida. Additional campuses are located in other parts of Florida and internationally. Keiser provides ...
of Sarasota (a private, not for profit university); FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training (
Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...
's MFA Acting Conservatory in conjunction with the
Asolo Repertory Theatre The Asolo Repertory Theatre or Asolo Rep (AKA: Asolo Theatre Company, Inc.) is a professional theater in Sarasota, Florida. It is the largest Equity theatre in Florida, and the largest Repertory theatre in the Southeastern United States. Asolo ...
);
Ringling College of Art and Design Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD; stylized as Ringling College of Art + Design) is a private art and design school in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded by Ludd M. Spivey as an art school in 1931 as a remote branch of Southern College b ...
, a school of visual arts and design; and satellite campuses of
Eckerd College Eckerd College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. Founded in 1958, part of the campus is waterfront (area), waterfront and beach on Boca Ciega ...
, based in
St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...
; and
Florida State University College of Medicine The Florida State University College of Medicine, located in Tallahassee, Florida, is one of sixteen colleges composing the Florida State University. The college, created in 2000, is an accredited medical school, offering the Doctor of Medicine ...
, based in
Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...
. Other colleges in the city include East West College of Natural Medicine, an accredited college of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Nearby educational institutions with regional draw include
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country ** Nation state, ...
, and a commuter branch of the
University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...
, with the main campus located in
Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
.


Media


Television

Sarasota is part of the Nielsen-designated Tampa-Saint Petersburg-Sarasota television market. The local television stations are
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
-affiliate
WWSB WWSB (channel 40) is a television station licensed to Sarasota, Florida, United States, serving the Suncoast portion of the Tampa Bay market as an affiliate of ABC. Owned by Gray Media, WWSB maintains studios on 10th Street in the Rosemary Dist ...
and the SNN: Suncoast News Network, a continuous local cable news operation run by
Comcast Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings,Before the AT&T Broadband, AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, not th ...
,
Frontier A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. Australia The term "frontier" was frequently used in colonial Australia in the meaning of country that borders the unknown or uncivilised, th ...
FiOS and the ''
Sarasota Herald-Tribune The ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'' is a daily newspaper, located in Sarasota, Florida, United States, founded in 1925 as the ''Sarasota Herald''. History The newspaper was owned by The New York Times Company from 1982 to 2012. It was then owned by ...
''. WWSB is the only network station with studios in Sarasota. Other network and public television programming serving the community is offered by
Fort Myers A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...
and Tampa television stations. Comcast provides
cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...
service.
DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...
and
Dish Network DISH Network L.L.C., often referred to as DISH, an abbreviation for Digital Sky Highway, is an American provider of satellite television and IPTV services and wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. The company was originally establ ...
direct broadcast satellite Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location.ITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems ...
television including Tampa Bay Area local and national channels to Sarasota residents. Sarasota made national headlines in July 1974 when
WWSB WWSB (channel 40) is a television station licensed to Sarasota, Florida, United States, serving the Suncoast portion of the Tampa Bay market as an affiliate of ABC. Owned by Gray Media, WWSB maintains studios on 10th Street in the Rosemary Dist ...
(then called WXLT) news anchor
Christine Chubbuck Christine Chubbuck (August 24, 1944 – July 15, 1974) was an American television news reporter who worked for stations WTOG and WXLT-TV in Sarasota, Florida. The first person to die by suicide on a live television broadcast, Chubbuck sh ...
shot herself live on-air.


Radio

Arbitron Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...
has identified the Sarasota-Bradenton radio market as the seventy-third largest market in the country, and the sixth largest in the state of Florida. There are eight radio stations in the city: WSMR (89.1FM, classical music),
WSLR-LP WSLR-LP (96.5 FM, "WSLR-LPFM") is a listener-supported, low-power community radio station based in Sarasota, Florida, United States. The station also streams on line. See also *List of community radio stations in the United States Followi ...
(96.5FM, variety-talk and community issues),
WKZM KZM was an early radio broadcasting station, initially licensed to Preston D. Allen in Oakland, California. It was issued its first license in December 1921, moved to nearby Hayward, California in 1928, and was deleted in mid-1931. History 6XAJ ...
(104.3FM, religious; repeating
WKES WKES (91.1 Hertz, MHz) is a commercial radio, non-commercial, listener-supported FM broadcasting, FM radio station broadcasting a Christian talk and teaching radio format. City of license, Licensed to Lakeland, Florida, it serves the Tampa Bay a ...
Lakeland), WSRZ (107.9FM, oldies), WLSS (930AM, talk), WSRQ (1220AM, 98.9FM, 106.9FM, talk),
WTMY WTMY (1280 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station, licensed to Sarasota, Florida, and broadcasting a Regional Mexican radio format. It is owned by Tomas Martinez and Mercedes Soler with the license held by Solmart Media, LLC. The studios are on ...
(1280AM, talk),
WTZB WTZB (105.9 FM "Z105") is a commercial radio station licensed to Englewood, Florida, and serving the Sarasota - Bradenton area of Central Florida. It airs a hard-edged mainstream rock format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and ...
(105.9FM, rock music; commonly known as The Buzz) and
WSDV WSDV (1450 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Sarasota, Florida, and broadcasting to the Sarasota - Bradenton radio market. The station airs a hot adult contemporary format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and Decemb ...
(1450AM, adult standards).
WHPT WHPT (102.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Sarasota, Florida, and serving the Tampa Bay area. Owned by Cox Media Group, it broadcasts a hot talk format. It is also the flagship station for Tampa Bay Lightning hockey and carrie ...
(102.5 FM, Hot Talk) and WRUB (106.5FM, Spanish) are licensed to Sarasota and have broadcasting facilities in the Sarasota / Bradenton area, but have studios in the Tampa Bay area and are focused on that region. The community also is served by most radio stations from the Tampa Bay radio market, as well as some stations from the nearby Fort Myers radio market.


Newspaper

The ''
Sarasota Herald-Tribune The ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'' is a daily newspaper, located in Sarasota, Florida, United States, founded in 1925 as the ''Sarasota Herald''. History The newspaper was owned by The New York Times Company from 1982 to 2012. It was then owned by ...
'' is the daily newspaper published in the city and the weekly newspaper is the ''
Sarasota Observer The ''Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer'' is one of seven community and business publications published by The Observer Group, which was formed in 1995, and whose headquarters are located in Sarasota, Florida. Established in 2004 to serve downtown Sara ...
''. From neighboring Manatee County, the ''
Bradenton Herald ''The Bradenton Herald'' is a newspaper based in Bradenton, Florida, in the United States. History On September 15, 1922, Volume 1, Number 1 was published as ''The Evening Herald''. It was a merger of two weekly papers: the ''Manatee River Jou ...
'' also is distributed daily in the area and ''
The Bradenton Times ''The Bradenton Times'' is an online newspaper founded and continuously published on the Internet from Bradenton, Florida. It is a web news and community resource site for Bradenton and Manatee County designed to supply broad coverage of inform ...
'' is an electronic weekly newspaper that covers Sarasota topics as well. ''Sarasota Magazine'' also served the community.


Transportation


Airports

The major airport in the area is Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) which is shared by
Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Ba ...
and
Manatee Manatees (, family (biology), family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivory, herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing t ...
counties. Since being opened in 1941, it has been the area's major airport. Before this,
Lowe's Field Lowe's Companies, Inc. ( ) is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States. As of October 28, 2022, Lowe's and its ...
functioned as the main airport for the Sarasota Area from 1929 to 1941. Five airlines offer service out of the airport to locations primarily in the United States and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. The airport serves more than 1,300,000 passengers per year. The airport holds full
port of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border control, border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not impo ...
status providing U.S. Customs inspections for international travelers. St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport and
Tampa International Airport Tampa International Airport is an international airport west of Downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA)., effective May 15, 2025. The airp ...
are located about an hour north from Sarasota, and
Southwest Florida International Airport Southwest Florida International Airport is a major county-owned airport in the South Fort Myers area of unincorporated Lee County, Florida, United States. The airport serves the Southwest Florida region, including the Cape Coral-Fort Myers ...
in Ft. Myers an hour and 45 min south of Sarasota. All 3 offer a wider range of national and international flights.


Public transit

Sarasota County Area Transit Breeze Transit (previously Sarasota County Area Transit, or SCAT) provides public transportation for Sarasota County, Florida and is operated by the county. Breeze maintains 14 fixed-line bus routes, four curb-to-curb service zones, and a dial-a-r ...
has a bus service called ''Breeze'' which offers service throughout the county and also offers limited connections with
Manatee County Area Transit Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT) provides public transportation for Manatee County, Florida Manatee County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 399,710. Manatee C ...
. Sarasota County has joined the
Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, or TBARTA, was a regional transportation agency of the U.S. state of Florida which was created on July 1, 2007. The transportation agency ceased all operations on December 31, 2023, after the govern ...
to plan and build future transportation infrastructure including
light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
,
commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
and longer range bus service.


Rail

A key issue is providing Sarasota with access to the
Florida High Speed Rail The Florida High-Speed Corridor is a canceled once-publicly funded high-speed rail project in the U.S. state of Florida reestablished as private enterprise. Initial service would have run between the cities of Tampa and Orlando, with plans to t ...
. The
Seaboard Coast Line The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate li ...
ran intercity train service to the city until 1971. There is no
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
train which stops in Sarasota, but Amtrak provides
Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...
at Sarasota Station, located approximately from the city limits of Sarasota, to the nearest Amtrak terminal in Tampa. A freight-only rail line operated by
Seminole Gulf Railway The Seminole Gulf Railway is a short line railroad, short line freight and passenger excursion railroad headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, that operates two former CSX Transportation railroad lines in Southwest Florida. The company's Fort M ...
does serve industries in Sarasota. The
Seaboard Coast Line The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate li ...
ran the last passenger train, the ''
West Coast Champion The ''Champion'' was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Florida East Coast Railway between New York City and Miami or St. Petersburg, Florida. It operated from 1939 until 1979, continuing under the S ...
,'' to the company's
depot Depot may refer to: Places * Depot, Poland, a village * Depot Glacier (disambiguation) * Depot Island (disambiguation) * Depot Nunatak * Depot Peak Brands and enterprises * Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in Chicago, United States * Of ...
on 1971.


Water

As a city located on the Gulf of Mexico, water transportation is a key consideration. The
Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a Navigability, inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, the ...
is a
waterway A waterway is any Navigability, navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other ways. A first distinction is ...
providing water access to and from the Atlantic coast for tugs, barges, and leisure boats.
Port Manatee SeaPort Manatee is a county-owned deepwater seaport located in the eastern Gulf of Mexico at the entrance to Tampa Bay in northern Manatee County, Florida. It is one of Florida's largest deepwater seaports and also regarded as the closest U.S. d ...
and the
Port of Tampa Port Tampa Bay, known as the Port of Tampa until January 2014, is the largest port in the state of Florida and is overseen by the Tampa Port Authority, a Hillsborough County agency. The port is located in Tampa, Florida near downtown Tampa's Ch ...
both provide nearby deep water ports. Port Manatee provides cargo service primarily while the Port of Tampa is more diverse. Port Manatee formerly even had a cruise line, ''
Regal Cruise Line Regal may refer to: Companies * Regal Beloit, usually referred to as Regal, an American manufacturer of electric motors * Regal Cinema (disambiguation), several cinemas of that name * Regal Cinemas, a major American theater chain * Regal Cinema ...
'' from 1993–2003. It was seized by U.S Marshals on April 18, 2003, for not being maintained. The waterway enters
Sarasota Bay Sarasota Bay is a lagoon located off the central west coast of Florida in the United States. Though no significant single stream of freshwater enters the bay, with a drainage basin limited to 150 square miles in Manatee and Sarasota counties, it ...
which provides access to downtown Sarasota at the city pier.


Roads

Because of its location on the Gulf of Mexico and its proximity to several other large metropolitan areas, road transportation is critical to the Sarasota area. The major roads in the area include: *
I-75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Southeastern United States, Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end ...
– the only freeway in the area, I-75 is located east from the center of Sarasota and is a major interstate leading south to Miami and north to
Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
* U.S. 41
Tamiami Trail The Tamiami Trail () is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) from State Road 60 (SR 60) in Tampa to US 1 in Miami. A portion of the road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90 (SR 90). The north ...
– a major north-south route through Sarasota enters the city from the south before heading west at the south end of U.S. 301; after briefly following Bayfront Drive the Trail heads north again paralleling the coast * U.S. 301 – heading north from its intersection with U.S. 41, U.S. 301 follows Washington Boulevard running parallel to U.S. 41 until the two roads merge again in Manatee County * SR 780 – Fruitville Road (Third Street) – a main east-west thoroughfare linking U.S. 41, U.S. 301, and Interstate 75 * SR 789 – starts out as John Ringling Causeway before heading to
Bird Key Bird Key is a barrier island in Sarasota Bay, south of the John Ringling Causeway, between mainland Sarasota and St. Armands Key. Originally a small barrier island connected to the Ringling Causeway by a tree lined causeway of its own, it was ...
and
Lido Key Lido Key (LEE doh KEE) is a barrier island off the coast of Sarasota, Florida, in the United States. It is part of the city of Sarasota and is connected to mainland Sarasota by John Ringling Causeway. Nearby keys To its north is Longboat Key ...
, SR 789 turns north and becomes Gulf of Mexico Drive, a major road on the islands between Sarasota and Bradenton


Sister cities

The U.S. sister city program began in 1956 when President
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
proposed a people-to-people, citizen diplomacy initiative. The Sarasota chapter was established in 1963. A sister city, county, or state relationship is a broad-based, long-term partnership between two communities in two countries. A relationship is officially recognized after the highest elected or appointed official from both communities sign off on an agreement to become sister cities. Sarasota's
sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...
are: *
Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...
,
Pyrénées-Orientales Pyrénées-Orientales (; ; ; ), also known as Northern Catalonia, is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France, adjacent to the northern Spain, Spanish ...
, France (1994) *
Vladimir Vladimir (, , pre-1918 orthography: ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, widespread throughout all Slavic nations in different forms and spellings. The earliest record of a person with the name is Vladimir of Bulgaria (). Etymology ...
,
Vladimir Oblast Vladimir Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Vladimir, which is located east of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census, the oblast's population was 1,443,693. The UNESCO World Heritage L ...
, Russia (1994) (suspended) *
Tel Mond Tel Mond () is a town in the Sharon region of Israel, located east of Netanya and north of Kfar Saba. In it had a population of .. History Tel Mond was founded on 16 June 1929 by Alfred Mond, 1st Baron Melchett. Lord Melchett was a British in ...
, Central District, Israel (1999) *
Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...
,
Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...
, Scotland, UK (2001) *
Siming District Siming District is an urban district of the city of Xiamen, Fujian province, China. It includes the territory of the old town of Xiamen and the government offices of the modern sub-provincial city. Geography Siming occupies the southern half ...
,
Xiamen, Fujian Xiamen,), also known as Amoy ( ; from the Zhangzhou Hokkien pronunciation, zh, c=, s=, t=, p=, poj=Ē͘-mûi, historically romanized as Amoy, is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Str ...
, China (2007) * Mérida,
Yucatán Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. ...
, México (2010)


Friendship cities

* Rapperswil-Jona, Kanton St. Gallen, Switzerland (2017) * Busseto, Emilia-Romagna, Italy (2020)


See also

* List of people from Sarasota * Newtown


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Sarasota, Florida, Cities in Florida Cities in Sarasota County, Florida County seats in Florida Sarasota metropolitan area Populated coastal places in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico