Yes, you can be happily single in Sarasota, if you’re accomplished, confident and know who you are and what you’re looking for. We found five high-achieving, high-style Sarasota singles, dressed them up and asked them about life, love and tales from the hunt.

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MORE FUN AND GAMES

The "Thank Goodness Valentine's Day is Over" fund raiser for United Cerebral Palsy, Friday, Feb. 20 at Michael’s On East will include a special live staging of "The Dating Game," and the players will include some of the singles in this story. The party goes from 8 p.m. until 11 p.m., and tickets are $20. For more information, call 957-3599.

Angela Smith

Age: 25

Children: None

Pets: One cat

Interests: Sports, dancing, running

Attorney Angela Smith always looks at first dates as great opportunities to meet new friends. "How can that be bad?" she asks. Is it harder to date here? As a young professional, it’s difficult to have the time to meet new people. Plus, the younger community within Sarasota is a small and tight group. When you find someone it is almost guaranteed that a friend of yours has dated that person or that person's friend. Places to connect? Groups like the Young Professionals and Young Lawyers Division. What do you look for? Someone who can make me laugh and yet be sensitive and compassionate. What turns you off? Arrogance.

FOR ART: ANGELA SMITH 365-7171 

Robert Gordon, DMD

Age: 37

Children: Two

Pets: None

Hobbies/Interests: Scuba diving, photography, painting, running, travel

Cosmetic dentist Robert Gordon loves women who wear high heels (and can walk in them). Also, he says, "A woman who commands attention but does not always need to be the center of it, who believes that she is complete and a man is just an accessory." Where do you meet such commanding females? Everywhere I go. I enjoy introducing myself and delving into the lives of other people. What turns you off? A woman who does not know when to turn off her cell phone and considers a good day one that has been spent at International Mall. Also, ferrets. Ferrets? At the end of a wonderful evening, my date invited me in for a drink. She had a ferret. After 15 minutes, my eyes began swelling shut, my throat began to constrict and she had to call 911. I left in an ambulance and spent the night in the emergency room.

FOR ART: ROBERT GORDON 383-1776 

Lori Steiner

Age: 41

Children: None

Pets: None

Interests: Movies, books, travel, skiing

"My style is always changing," says Foxy Lady West manager and buyer Lori Ann Steiner. "I love fashion and enjoy wearing all the newest trends. Where do you meet men? Through friends, at the gym, around town. Are they plentiful? Dating is the same here as any other place. Sometimes we are too busy with life to make real connections with the people we meet. What was your worst connection? My date got so drunk that we couldn’t let him drive. My roommate and I put him in my bedroom. In the morning, I was glad to see him gone, but so were my sheets and comforter. He had gotten sick all over them. Any other turnoffs? Smoking. What turns you on? Someone with integrity, who’s kind and fun-loving, and has a sense of humor and adventure.

FOR ART: LORI STEINER 388-5293 (CELL) OR 349-3871. TRY CELL FIRST. 

Douglas Swimm

Age: 33

Children: None

Pets: Two Boston terriers

Hobbies/Interests: Boating, travel, football

Doug Swimm, owner of Miradecks (which won the Chamber of Commerce’s 2003 Small Business award) thinks the thing most people would be surprised to learn about him is that he’s still single, and believes that what Sarasota needs most is another Azure Tides beach bar. Where do you hang out now? The 5 O’Clock Club. I also meet a lot of people through work, friends, committees and clubs. What do you look for in the women you meet there? A big smile. Long hair. Holding a conversation is mandatory. I also like someone who’s aggressive about life, adventurous and outgoing. What turns you off? A bad attitude, multiple piercings and high-maintenance snobs.

FOR ART: DOUG SWIMM 378-4365 

Rochelle Currey

Age: 24

Children: None

Pets: None

Hobbies/Interests: Reading, politics, travel, decorating

If you’re an insecure control freak, walk on by model and Wells Fargo customer service rep Rochelle Currey. She’s looking for respect, intelligence and—sorry guys—"monogamy." Someone "who’s protective, but not cocky," says the Jamaican stunner. Where should they take you? Anywhere I can get a great chocolate dessert. I have an incessant sweet tooth! Is dating like food? One of my favorite restaurants has been called a meat market, and not because of their prime rib. It might be easier to find a date there, but what is the point of dating if you can’t take home the leftovers? So how do you dress for "dinner?" As a shopping addict with no intention of recovery, I combine classic pieces with funky creations. I like sexy but not oversexed.

FOR ART: ROCHELLE CURREY 953-2237, EXT. 100

Photography by Mary McCulley, Clothing by Saks Fifth Avenue