Home & Real Estate

Still Laughing

Remembering Samuel Ray, the Neighbor Behind Central Cocoanut’s Laughing Buddha

After Ray’s unexpected death, Sarasota’s Laughing Buddha stands as a reminder of the Central Cocoanut neighbor who gave the landmark its watchful place in the community.

04/27/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Market Report

March's Real Estate Data Shows Sarasota Prices Are up for the First Time This Year

March median sale prices reached $485,000 for Sarasota single-family homes and $494,205 for Manatee County single-family homes.

04/21/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Gillespie Park Neighborhood

A Proposed 324-Unit Apartment Development Raises Questions in Gillespie Park

At a Gillespie Neighborhood Association meeting last night, residents and business owners pressed developers for answers about timing, traffic and the future of a longtime cluster of small businesses near downtown Sarasota.

04/15/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Suncoast Searchlight

Sarasota County Blocks ‘Live Local’ Law, Risking Clash With Developers

Commissioners said they were reacting to a steady barrage of concerns from residents over the impact of the proposed developments.

04/13/2026 By Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight and Michael Barfield/Florida Trident

Old Soul

Sarasota’s Historic Pearsall House Lists for Just Under $4 Million

In Avondale, the century-old Pearsall House blends historic detail, a sympathetic expansion and thoughtful updates that allow a 1920s home function in the present.

04/10/2026 By Kim Doleatto

April Fools' Day

A Global Developer Wants to Take Luxury Living Underwater

Poseidon’s Retreat: An Underwater Condominium Enclave would bring eight luxury condos to the floor of Sarasota Bay thanks to new amendments in the Live Local Act.

04/01/2026 By Kim Doleatto

A Native Worth Noticing

The Passionflower, Sarasota’s Most Striking Plant, Is More Than Just a Pretty Face

Florida is home to approximately seven native passionflower species with the maypop passionvine, Passiflora incarnata, by far the most striking and prevalent.

04/01/2026 By Kendall Southworth

Historic House, Held

Peek Inside a 1925 Mediterranean Revival Home in Sapphire Shores

Now on the market for $2.7 million, the historic Brody-Murrell House at 547 N. Shore Drive has been updated with care, not stripped of character.

03/30/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Mira Mar Recast

Plans for Luxury Condos Behind the Historic Mira Mar Plaza Move Ahead

After years of debate over demolition, preservation and height, the Palm Avenue project is now entering its sales phase with plans for two 18-story towers behind the restored historic structure. Prices will start in the high $3 millions.

03/24/2026 By Kim Doleatto

New Development

New Development Bringing Attainable Housing to Sarasota-Manatee Border

Milhaus plans 231 apartments near SRQ Airport, including 92 workforce units, thanks to the state's Live Local Act.

03/18/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Real Estate Report

A Split Market Emerges in Sarasota and Manatee

February home sales data showed Manatee’s single-family market rose, Sarasota’s condo market surged, prices softened in most segments and buyers gained more room to negotiate.

03/17/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Lights, Cameras, Smart Home

The Jetsons Don't Have Anything on Today's in-Home Tech

Wall switches, appliance buttons, knobs and dials are gone. Today's home technology is controlled via apps and voice.

03/04/2026 By Hannah Wallace

Glass & Grain

Let's Gawk at a Glass-Wrapped Modernist Home in Oyster Bay Landings

A Sweet Sparkman–designed home translates International Style principles into 4,042 square feet of glass, wood and modernism along Roberts Bay. It’s on the market for $7.95 million.

03/04/2026 By Kim Doleatto

A Masterful Home

Michael Ramah’s Downtown Apartment Is a Study in Urban Sophistication

Ramah’s place would be at home in London, Paris or New York. It's a visual delight of order, design, composition and balance.

03/02/2026 By Robert Plunket

Cover Story

What Does It Take to Protect Sarasota School of Architecture Homes from Climate Change?

A new generation of stewards, advocates and craftspeople is proving these landmark homes can endure.

03/02/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Neighborhood in Bloom

Spend a Day Touring Gillespie Park and Its Cottage Gardens

Tour goers will see Craftsman bungalows, Mediterranean Revival homes, farmhouse style and mid-century modern homes, too.

03/01/2026 By Marsha Fottler

Suncoast Searchlight

Judge Rejects Challenge to Controversial Siesta Key Land Swap

The ruling clears the way for a home to be built on property the county once bought to preserve.

02/20/2026 By Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight

Real Estate Report

The 2026 Real Estate Market Takes Shape

In January, the median sale price for single-family homes was $490,000 in Sarasota County and $480,495 in Manatee County, while condos and townhomes sold at median prices of $314,175 in Sarasota and $305,000 in Manatee.

02/18/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Grid Meets Gulf

House of Columns Comes to Market on Longboat Key for $22 Million

The Carl Abbott-designed home combines Sarasota School principles with a long-held bayside parcel rarely seen intact at this scale.

02/17/2026 By Kim Doleatto