News & City Life

Listening to Black Voices

Francina Hollaway on Growing Up in Segregated Florida and Integrating Her Elementary School

Throughout her education, Hollaway focused on excelling at math. "Writing can be critiqued because it's subjective," she explains. "But in math, there’s only one right answer.”

06/12/2023 By Heather Dunhill

Flashback

Photo: An Aerial View of the John Ringling Causeway, 1946

A look back on a bridge that changed Sarasota's keys—and has been rebuilt twice since its first construction in 1926.

06/09/2023 By Bethany Ritz

Grant Report

Thunder by the Bay Festival Raises $315,000 for Suncoast Charities for Children

Plus, the Barancik Foundation approves more than $20 million in grants and Ringling College is selected as the home of the Carl Foreman Award.

06/05/2023 Photography by Staff

Fast Track

Ron Turner Named President of Florida Supervisors of Elections

Plus, Selby Foundation awards "Selby Scholars" and the School Board of Manatee names Jason Wysong its next superintendent.

06/05/2023 By Staff

Mr. Chatterbox

'My Weekend as a Tourist in Pinecraft'

What's a Sarasota vacation like for the Amish and Mennonites? Our humor columnist aims to find out.

06/05/2023 By Robert Plunket

Oh, Great

That Huge Sargassum Bloom Is Filled with Plastic and Possibly Deadly Bacteria

Research shows there are massive quantities of plastic floating in the seaweed that encourage the presence of deadly flesh-eating bacteria.

06/02/2023 By Isaac Eger

They Only Come Out at Night

The Night-Blooming Cactus Is Here

Here are the five best spots in town to see these ethereal flowers, which bloom just once a year.

05/26/2023 By Isaac Eger

Flashback

Photo: A Sarasota Beach Bathhouse, Circa 1925

This private bathhouse was owned by the Edson Keith family, who were part of the elite Chicagoan clique migrating to Sarasota at the time.

05/25/2023 By Bethany Ritz

Memorial Day

Memorial Day Takes on a British Accent in Arcadia

An annual observance honors RAF cadets who died in Central Florida while training for World War II.

05/25/2023 By Jim DeLa/Community News Collaborative

The Inescapable Sport

Can a Millennial Love Pickleball?

Pickleball grew nearly 40 percent between 2019 and 2021, making it the fastest growing sport in America, and nearly 5 million people now play the game.

05/25/2023 By Isaac Eger

New Hires

Sarasota Magazine Names New Publisher

SagaCity Media recently appointed Dan Starostecki as the new publisher of Sarasota Magazine.

05/22/2023 By Staff

Weather Patterns

What Does El Niño Mean for Sarasota?

Grave warnings of record heat for the next five years have scientists concerned, but weather doesn't affect everyone equally. What will that mean for the Suncoast?

05/19/2023 By Isaac Eger

Flashback

Myakka River State Park, Circa 1950

One of the first protected lands in our area, the park opened in 1942.

05/18/2023 By Bethany Ritz

Heroes in a Half Shell

Mote Releases Two Rehabilitated Sea Turtles

Lilly and Farmer recovered from red tide toxins at Mote's Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital.

05/16/2023 By Staff

City Love

Sarasota Ranked No. 5 Best Place to Live in the U.S.

The ranking comes from U.S. News & World Report's annual list. Our region was also named the No. 1 best place to live in Florida.

05/16/2023 By Staff

Grant Report

Manatee Credit Union Receives $2.1 Million Grant

Plus, the Selby Foundation awards more than $1 million in grants, the Sarasota Audubon Society receives $75,000 for its Quad Parcels re-wilding project, and more.

05/15/2023 By Staff

Fast Track

Hugh Culverhouse Inducted to University of Alabama’s Inaugural 1831 Society

Plus, the finalists for the Sarasota Chamber's 2023 Frank G. Berlin Sr. Small Business Awards and more.

05/15/2023 By Staff

Tamiami Tales

Central Cocoanut Residents Relieved About Scrapped Carwash Plans

Tommy’s Express Car Wash withdrew a proposal for a new location in the historic Central Cocoanut neighborhood, just north of downtown Sarasota.

05/11/2023 By Kim Doleatto

Flying Colors

The Progress Pride Flag is Flying at City Hall This Week. Here’s What It Stands For.

"We’re not a political party. We are humans, and this is about a community coming together to show support," says Shannon Fortner, executive director and founder of the Fabulous Arts Foundation. 

05/10/2023 By Bethany Ritz

Listening to Black Voices

Longtime Educator Dr. Caryl J. Sheffield on the Power of Culturally Sensitive Teaching

Sheffield, a retired professor, also shares the story of her paternal grandfather, Caesar Sheffield, who was lynched in the early 1900s, and how his death resonated in her family.

05/09/2023 By Heather Dunhill