Sarasota is no stranger to being No. 1. Siesta Key is a perennial first placer in beach rankings, and just last year, U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks our region a best place to live in all of Florida.

But Sarasota is also one of the worst cities in the U.S. for allergies, with a "worse than average" ranking on the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA)'s 2026 list of U.S. “allergy capitals.” It's is a comprehensive study of the most challenging places to live with allergies. 

In fact, our region has three of the top 30 cities in America with the worst allergies (Lakeland and Tampa are the others). Some  of that is likely because of all the people moving down here, adding to the amount of people suffering from allergies, but there is another reason why allergies getting worse in the United States. According to the AAFA, it's climate change. 

Atmospheric rivers, drought and longer, warmer weather are major culprits behind more intense pollen season. "Climate scientists have been tracking pollen seasons for many years," the report says. "One study estimated that by the end of the century, warmer temperatures could make spring pollen season start 10-40 days earlier and summer/fall pollen seasons end 5-15 days later." These trends are expected to continue. If climate warming continues on its current path, pollen production in North America could be 200 percent higher by the end of the century.

But hey, at least we are no longer the meanest city in America. That honor now belongs to Miami.