Meet some people who keep Sarasota buzzing while the rest of us sleep.

"When I first started, I talked between every song to show it wasn't a computer—I'm an actual person! I tell stupid stories, silly jokes, and play great freakin' music. My regulars call every week—paper carriers, cabbies, a drunk couple that always wants to hear sappy-ass love songs." –Bill Massie, host of "FM in the AM with Mr. Bill" on WSLR 96.5

 

"At night it's always something different, vs. the day-to-day monotony of spays, neuters, shots. I had to amputate a tail on a pet rat once. Around 5 a.m. I start getting cold and jittery, and sometimes you realize 'Oh, I haven't eaten in 15 hours.'"–Dr. Nicole Kennedy, Sarasota Veterinary and Emergency Specialty Center

 

"You'd be surprised who's driving a cab out here: a stockbroker from New York, some CPAs. I do free-lance media production during the day, but I needed something stable. The first two months I felt like I was on drugs. People get in the back of the cab, they just start telling you everything."–Charles Robert Neuf, Yellow Cab of Sarasota

 

"You're dealing with a different kind of person, especially when they come in drunk or high. It's like working with a bunch of toddlers; half the time they can't remember what they ordered. In here, the customer is not always right."–Ashley Montressor, Munchies 420 Café

 

"The later the night gets, the demographic shifts younger, and there's less inhibition—even without alcohol. Anything goes, because people feel less like society is watching you." –Cabe Unger, bartender, Growler's Pub

 

"If I stay constantly busy and nobody gets hurt, that's a good night. A bad night is a boring night, where eight hours feels like 12 or 14. I don't think God made anybody for third shift; my body wants to sleep. Day shift would be OK, but man, it's hot."–Rick Higgs, officer in charge, Ringling College of Art and Design

 

"When a baby's born and the dad puts his head on my shoulder and bawls, that's why I'm a nurse for life. Working nights, there's less stress, less noise—and it pays well. But I don't sleep well, and my diet is awful." –Marie Francois-Zimmerman, labor and delivery nurse, Sarasota Memorial Hospital

 

"Most tattoo shops lock up at 9, but we cater to a different crowd. It can be a circus after the bars close. People get that liquid confidence and get tattoos they wouldn't otherwise, or in a more provocative location." –Jason Hensley, owner, Blue Water Tattoo Studio

 

"Regular work atmospheres have drama, but after midnight here it's just me and security. I can do whatever I want. When I started, I thought I would die around 5; there's only so much you can do on the Internet. It took me six months to adjust to the fact that I won't get a full night's sleep without a night off." –Roderick Hobbs, Hyatt Regency Sarasota