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Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota Skyline.jpeg
Skyline of Sarasota from Bird Key (September 2017)
Flag of Sarasota, Florida
Flag
Official logo of Sarasota, Florida
Nickname(s): 
Paradise, SRQ
Motto(s): 
"Where Urban Amenities Meet Small-Town Living"
Location in Sarasota County and the U.S. state of Florida
Location in Sarasota County and the U.S. state of Florida
Sarasota, Florida is located in the United States
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Location in the United States
Country United States United States
State Florida Florida
County Sarasota
Zarazote 1763
Fort Armistead 1840
Sara Sota 1842
Sarasota 1902
Government
 • Type Commission–manager government
Area
 • City 24.08 sq mi (62.38 km2)
 • Land 14.70 sq mi (38.07 km2)
 • Water 9.39 sq mi (24.31 km2)  42.58%
Elevation
16 ft (7 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City 54,842
 • Density 3,731.51/sq mi (1,440.74/km2)
 • Metro
720,042
Time zone UTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code
34230–34243
Area code(s) 941
FIPS code 12-64175
GNIS feature ID 0290675

Sarasota is a city in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located south of Tampa Bay area, north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Bay and several barrier islands between the bay and the Gulf of Mexico. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Sarasota had a population of 54,842. In 1986 it became designated as a certified local government. Sarasota is a principal city of the Sarasota metropolitan area, and is the seat of Sarasota County.

The Sarasota city limits contain several keys, including Lido Key, St. Armands Key, Otter Key, Casey Key, Coon Key, Bird Key, and portions of Siesta Key. Longboat Key is the largest key separating the bay from the gulf, but it was evenly divided by the new county line of 1921. The portion of the key that parallels the Sarasota city boundary that extends to that new county line along the bayfront of the mainland was removed from the city boundaries at the request of John Ringling in the mid-1920s, who sought to avoid city taxation of his planned developments at the southern tip of the key. Although they never were completed in the quickly faltering economy, those development concessions granted by the city never were reversed and the county has retained regulation of those lands.

The city limits had expanded significantly with the real estate rush of the early twentieth century, reaching almost 70 square miles (180 km2). The wild speculation boom began to crash in 1926 and following that, the city limits began to contract, shrinking to less than a quarter of that area.

History

Panoramic view of the Sarasota skyline from the John Ringling Causeway.

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city currently has a total area of 25.9 square miles (67 km2), of which 14.9 sq mi (38.6 km2) is land and 11.0 sq mi (28 km2) is water.

Sarasota has a humid subtropical climate closely bordering a tropical savanna climate, with hot, humid summers, and warm, dry winters. There are distinct rainy and dry seasons in Sarasota, with the rainy season lasting from June to September, and the dry season from October to May. The most recent officially recorded freezes in Sarasota took place on January 4 and January 5, 2012, when the temperature dropped to 32 degrees (zero degrees Celsius) at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, however Sarasota averages less than one frost annually.

Climate data for Sarasota Bradenton Airport (1981-2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 89
(32)
88
(31)
90
(32)
94
(34)
95
(35)
100
(38)
100
(38)
99
(37)
97
(36)
95
(35)
90
(32)
89
(32)
100
(38)
Average high °F (°C) 70.9
(21.6)
73.1
(22.8)
76.2
(24.6)
80.7
(27.1)
85.6
(29.8)
88.6
(31.4)
89.8
(32.1)
90.0
(32.2)
88.8
(31.6)
85.0
(29.4)
78.8
(26.0)
73.2
(22.9)
81.7
(27.6)
Average low °F (°C) 51.8
(11.0)
53.6
(12.0)
57.1
(13.9)
61.5
(16.4)
67.2
(19.6)
72.9
(22.7)
75.0
(23.9)
74.5
(23.6)
74.0
(23.3)
67.7
(19.8)
59.6
(15.3)
53.7
(12.1)
64.1
(17.8)
Record low °F (°C) 23
(−5)
24
(−4)
30
(−1)
38
(3)
46
(8)
52
(11)
62
(17)
60
(16)
59
(15)
44
(7)
29
(−2)
20
(−7)
20
(−7)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.49
(63)
2.70
(69)
3.86
(98)
2.44
(62)
2.21
(56)
7.51
(191)
7.98
(203)
9.14
(232)
7.10
(180)
3.12
(79)
1.93
(49)
2.53
(64)
53.01
(1,346)
Source: NOAA

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 840
1920 2,149 155.8%
1930 8,398 290.8%
1940 11,141 32.7%
1950 18,896 69.6%
1960 34,083 80.4%
1970 40,237 18.1%
1980 48,868 21.5%
1990 50,961 4.3%
2000 52,715 3.4%
2010 51,917 −1.5%
2020 54,842 5.6%
Source

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 57,738 people living in the city. The population density was 3,541.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,367.3/km2). There were 29,151 housing units at an average density of 1,988.5 per square mile (767.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 75.41% White, 15.11% African American, 0.43% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.22% from other races, and 2.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.63% of the population.

There were 24,416 households, out of which 19.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female head of household with no husband present, and 48.5% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city, 14.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.2% ranged from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 27.4% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.

The per capita income for residents of the city was $24,416. Females had a median income of $23,510 versus $26,604 for males. The median income for a household in the city was $47,884 and the median income for a family was $40,398. About 12.4% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.5% of those under age 18, and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Cultural attractions and events

Sarasota FL Asolo Rep Theatre01 (cropped)
Asolo Repertory Theater

In 1925, A. B. Edwards built a theater that could be adapted for either vaudeville performances or movie screenings. It is situated at the intersection of Pineapple Avenue and Second Street, having been restored and used for operas. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sarasota is the home of the Sarasota Orchestra, which was founded by Ruth Cotton Butler in 1949 and known for years as the Florida West Coast Symphony. It holds a three-week Sarasota Music Festival that is recognized internationally and boasts that it attracts renowned teachers and the finest students of chamber music.

In the early 1950s, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art purchased a historic Italian theater, the Asolo (now called the Historic Asolo Theater). A. Everett "Chick" Austin, the museum's first director, arranged the purchase and reassembly of the theater for performances of plays and opera.

Later a local architect, Stuart Barger, designed and oversaw the construction of another Asolo Theater, housed in the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts. It is a multi-theater complex, located farther east on the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art property, being placed between Bay Shore Road and Tamiami Trail, and facing south toward Ringling Plaza. It was built around a rococo, historic Scottish theater, which had been shipped to Florida. The new complex also provides venues and facilities for students of Florida State University's MFA Acting program, the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. This was the administrative home of the Sarasota French Film Festival for several years.

In the 1960s the Van Wezels enabled the city to build a performing arts hall on the bay front. The auditorium, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's successor firm, Taliesin Associated Architects team under the direction of William Wesley Peters. Wright's widow, Olgivanna Lloyd Wright, who participated in the project, selected its purple color.

Other Sarasota cultural attractions include the Sarasota Ballet, Sarasota Opera, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, the Sarasota Players, the Banyan Theater Company, and many other musical, dance, artistic, and theatrical venues. Florida Studio Theatre (FST) has been operating in downtown Sarasota since 1973. FST is a not-for-profit Theatre that produces contemporary plays, musicals, and musical revues. Currently, FST has four operational theatres; the Keating Mainstage, the Gompertz Mainstage, the Goldstein Cabaret, and the John C. Court Cabaret. Florida Studio Theatre also has three in-house restaurants, and is slated to open a new experimental space, The Bowne Lab, in early 2014. FST has the third highest subscription base of all TCG LORT Regional Theatres in the country.

Since 1998, the city has hosted the Sarasota Film Festival annually. The festival attracts independent films from around the world. It claims to be one of Florida's largest film festivals. In 2009 the annual Ringling International Arts Festival, held its premier and held its closing event in the historic Asolo theater, which had been moved and rebuilt again. The historic Venetian theater now is housed in the reception building for the museum where it is used for special events as well as performances, informative purposes, and another seasonal film series hosted by the museum.

Sphyrna tiburo mote marine
Bonnethead sharks seen at the Mote Marine Laboratory.

In 2010, the Sarasota Chalk Festival that is held yearly in the historic area of Burns Square became the first international street painting festival in the United States of America. Celebrating the sixteenth century performance art of Italian street painting, the festival hosted Maestro Madonnaro Edgar Mueller from Germany, who created the first street painting that changed images from day to night. The festival has a different theme each year and has introduced new techniques in street art. Other applications of street art such as murals and "cellograff graffiti" have become companion events also produced by Avenida de Colores, Inc. The murals are part of the "Going Vertical" project and although it sometimes coincides with the chalk festival, it is distinct from it and often continues throughout the year. Except for a few commissioned on public property in the Palm Avenue Parking Garage, the murals are located on private property and they are located in many sections of Sarasota and in Manatee County as well. As of 2014 the Sarasota Chalk festival has relocated to Venice, FL, a small town just South of Sarasota. The name Sarasota Chalk Festival remains the same.

Sarasota is home to Mote Marine Laboratory, a marine rescue, research facility, and aquarium, the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, the G-Wiz Museum, and the Sarasota Jungle Gardens. It also has many historic sites and neighborhoods.

Architecture

Italian architecture and culture is quite strong in the area because of the Ringling Museum. An unusually large number of homes and buildings are designed in the Italian style, especially Venetian as influenced by Ringling's Cà d'Zan. Italian inspired statues are also common and Michelangelo's David is used as the symbol of Sarasota.

Sarasota School of Architecture

The Sarasota School of Architecture developed as a variant of mid-century modernist architecture. It incorporates elements of both the Bauhaus and Frank Lloyd Wright's "organic" architecture. The style developed as an adaptation to the area's sub-tropical climate and used newly emerging materials manufactured or implemented following World War II. Philip Hiss was the driving force of this movement.

Fellow architects creating new adaptive designs were Paul Rudolph and Ralph Twitchell. The second generation of the school includes Gene Leedy, Jack West, Victor Lundy, Mark Hampton, William Rupp, James Holiday, Ralph Zimmerman, as well as several who still practice in the community: William Zimmerman; Carl Abbott, Edward J. "Tim" Seibert, and Frank Folsom Smith.

Rudolph's Florida houses attracted attention in the architectural community around the world. He started receiving commissions for larger works, such as the Jewett Art Center at Wellesley College. In 1958 Rudolph was selected as director of the School of Architecture at Yale, shortly after designing the school's building. He led the school for six years before returning to private practice.

Recently a bank building designed and built by Jack West was renovated and reopened as the headquarters of Gateway Bank on Tamiami Trail at the intersection with Bahia Vista. This followed a preliminary proposal to demolish the building that met with a rapid objection from a leader of historic preservation in the community, Kafi Benz, before the new project could gain approval within the city planning department. The building is graced by a sculpture by Jack Cartlidge that was installed when the building was built.

Historic buildings and sites

Sarasota FL County crths08
Sarasota County Courthouse

By the end of the twentieth century, many of Sarasota's more modest historical structures were demolished. Recently, two historic buildings, the Crocker Church and the Bidwell-Wood House (the oldest remaining structure in the city), first restored by Veronica Morgan and members of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation that she founded, became city property. These structures were relocated to this park, despite protests from residents who objected to the loss of park area.

In the late 1970s, Sarasota County purchased the Terrace Hotel that was built by Charles Ringling and renovated it for use as a county government office building. The adjacent courthouse that he donated to the new county in 1921 has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The courthouse complex was designed by Dwight James Baum.

In the next decade the landmark hotel built by Owen Burns, the El Vernona, which had been turned into apartments became endangered. By then it was called the John Ringling Towers and was purchased by a phosphate miner, Gardinier, who wanted to turn it into his corporate headquarters. All of the tenants were turned out and plans were made for the restoration of the building. The city commissioners supported the plan initially, but lobbying to undermine the project began and one of the commissioners changed her vote. The project was denied at the final hearing. The enraged miner abandoned the city and subsequent owners, seeking to demolish it, made garish changes to the building to make it unappealing before finally leaving it open for vagrants to invade and pilfer.

Remarkable preservation success occurred during the 1990s when the community exhibition hall, the Municipal Auditorium, designed by Thomas Reed Martin and Clarence A. Martin, was listed on the National Register of Historic Paces and meticulously restored to its depression recovery era, 1937 WPA community project, completion status and its architectural glory—both inside and out. The city boasts that 100,000 people use it every year and it is a boon to the community for recreation, lawn sports, as well as being heavily attended for auctions, concerts, conventions, flea markets, galas, graduations, lectures, orchid and flower shows, and a full range of trade shows of interest to the community. Later the Federal Building, designed by George Albee Freeman (the designer of Seagate for the Crosleys) and Louis A. Simon, which initially had served as the post office was restored as well.

Most of the luxurious historic residences from the 1920s boom period along the northern shore of Sarasota Bay also have survived. This string of homes, built on large parcels of elevated land along the widest point of the bay, is anchored by the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art at its center. Among them is Cà d'Zan, the home of Mable and John Ringling, which was restored recently.

Many significant structures from the comparatively recent "Sarasota School of Architecture" period of the mid-twentieth century, however, have not survived. Since they do not qualify under the age criteria set for historic preservation nominations their historical aspect often escapes public recognition. Others frequently are threatened by demolition plans for new development without consideration of their cultural and historical importance to the community instead of motivating the implementation of plans to retain the buildings and integrate them into new plans.

In 2006, the Sarasota County School Board slated one of Paul Rudolph's largest Sarasota projects, Riverview High School, for demolition. The board arrived at the decision despite protests by many members of the community, including architects, historic preservationists, and urban planners. Others supported the demolition as they believed the structure is no longer functional. The issue was divisive. The World Monuments Fund included the school on its 2008 Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in the category Main Street Modern.

Following a March 2007 charrette led by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a proposal was advanced to renovate and preserve Rudolph's buildings. The school board decided to allow a year to consider implementation of the innovative plan proposed to preserve the buildings, that would include building a parking garage with playing fields above it rather than demolishing the structures. In early June 2008 the school board announced that the school would be demolished and that a parking lot would replace it. One year later, in June 2009, Riverview High School was demolished.

Other notable cultural features

Several movies have been shot using Sarasota locations. One focusing on the Going Vertical program of street art that is held by the Sarasota Chalk Festival premiered internationally when muralist MTO released his documentary film, FL: unpremeditated movie, about some of his work in Sarasota. It is only one of many international films produced about the festival and its artists.

Breaking Amish: Brave New World is a television series set in Sarasota in the neighborhood of Pinecraft. It is a spin-off of Breaking Amish.

The show Cougar Town on TBS takes place in Sarasota, but is filmed in California.

The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe of Florida (WBTT) was founded in December 1999, by local actor, singer, director, and playwright Nate Jacobs. It is the only professional black theater company on Florida's west coast and one of two in the state. Through the years WBTT has produced many productions locally, throughout Florida, nationally, and as far away as Switzerland and Germany.

Sports and recreation

Sports

Stadiums

In 1937 the Municipal Auditorium-Recreation Club was built with funds provided by the Works Progress Administration, the municipal government, and local residents and business owners. It became a center for sports, entertainment, and recreation. The sports activities have ranged from badminton, basketball, boating, lawn bowling, and shuffleboard, to tennis. The auditorium hosts clubs for cards, dancing, games, gardening, and numerous hobbies as well as having become the community meeting place for commercial and educational shows and the venue for local schools and charities to hold events and dances. Tourists are attracted to exhibitions provided by local businesses as well as vendors from national circuits. This building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places because of its architecture and for providing the enormous range of community activities that are scheduled at it every week.

Sarasota also is home to Ed Smith Stadium, where the Baltimore Orioles currently have spring training. The Orioles also have minor league facilities at Twin Lakes Park. Previously, Ed Smith Stadium was the spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds and the minor league Sarasota Reds.

Golf

Sarasota golf 1905 SHC 83d40m crop editWp4wikip
Golf being played at Sarasota in 1905

The warm climate helped the Sarasota area become a popular golf destination. John Hamilton Gillespie was an early pioneer of the game in Sarasota. The Sara Bay course in the Whitfield area was designed by golf architect Donald Ross. Bobby Jones was associated with the community course in Sarasota. Many courses dot the area, including the one originally laid out for the hotel John Ringling planned on the southern tip of Longboat Key.

Fishing

Sport fishing attracted enthusiasts to Sarasota and the area because of the amazing bounty of the bay. Tarpon was the biggest draw, but gigantic gar as well as many other species abounded to attract people such as Owen Burns and Powel Crosley. The first settled permanently and became one of the most important developers of Sarasota and the second, who more typically, built a winter retreat here and participated in the sport via the clubs, organizations, and tournaments focused on fishing.

Marathon

The Sarasota Marathon started in 2005. In 2010, declining sponsorship and marathon registration led organizers to change the event to a half marathon. The race begins and ends near the John and Mable Ringling Museum.

Swimming

Lido Beach Pool, Sarasota, Florida (1946)
Lido Beach Pool in Sarasota, 1946

Sarasota is home to two swim teams. The Sarasota Sharks have been around for many years and have won numerous national championships. The newer team, the Sarasota Tsunami, was founded by the former Sharks head coach and also nationally competitive. The teams maintain a rivalry.

Sailing

The Sarasota Sailing Squadron is a highly active facility that has hosted many nationally renowned regattas for both dinghies and larger vessels.

Football

In 2013, Sarasota became the home of the Sarasota Thunder, which was to play in the Ultimate Indoor Football League, but the team folded.

2014 Pentathlon World Cup Final

In 2014, Sarasota hosted the modern pentathlon World Cup Final.

2017 World Rowing Championships

Benderson Park in Sarasota was the venue for the World Rowing Championships in 2017, held on September 23 – October 1, 2017.

Other recreational activities

Sarasota is home of the Whiskey Obsession Festival, the largest whiskey festival in Florida. Established in 2013, the festival features several hundred whiskies from around the world. Dozens of professional brand ambassadors and distillers participate in the festival by participating in a panel discussion, leading classes and tastings.

Transportation

Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport FL 31 Dec 1998
Aerial photo of Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport

Airports

The major airport in the area is Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport which is shared by Sarasota and Manatee counties. It has since being opened in 1941 the areas major airport. Before this, Lowe's Field functioned as the main airport for the Sarasota Area from 1929 to 1941. Five airlines offer service out of the airport to locations primarily in the United States and Canada. The airport serves more than 1,300,000 passengers per year. The airport holds full port of entry status providing U.S. Customs inspections for international travelers. St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport and Tampa International Airport are located about an hour north from Sarasota, and Southwest Florida International Airport in Ft. Myers an hour and 45 min south of Sarasota. All 3 offer a wider range of national and international flights.

Public transit

Sarasota County Area Transit has a bus service called SCAT which offers service throughout the county and also offers limited connections with Manatee County Area Transit. Sarasota County has joined the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority to plan and build future transportation infrastructure including light rail, commuter rail and longer range bus service.

Rail

A key issue is providing Sarasota with access to the Florida High Speed Rail. The Seaboard Coast Line ran intercity train service to the city until 1971. There is no Amtrak train which stops in Sarasota, but Amtrak provides Thruway bus service at Sarasota Station, located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from the city limits of Sarasota, to the nearest Amtrak terminal in Tampa. A freight-only rail line operated by Seminole Gulf Railway does serve industries in Sarasota. The Seaboard Coast Line ran the last passenger train, the West Coast Champion, to the company's depot on 1971.

Water

As a city located on the Gulf of Mexico, water transportation is a key consideration. The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile (4,800 km) waterway providing water access to and from the Atlantic coast for tugs, barges and leisure boats. Port Manatee and the Port of Tampa both provide nearby deep water ports. Port Manatee provides cargo service primarily while the Port of Tampa is more diverse. Port Manatee formerly even had a cruise line, Regal Cruise Line that operated out of in from 1993–2003 until it was seized by U.S Marshals on April 18, 2003, for not being maintained. The waterway enters Sarasota Bay which provides access to downtown Sarasota at the city pier.

Roads

Because of its location on the Gulf of Mexico and its proximity to several other large metropolitan areas, road transportation is critical to the Sarasota area. The major roads in the area include:

  • I-75.svg I-75 – the only freeway in the area, I-75 is located five miles (8.0 km) east from the center of Sarasota and is a major interstate leading south to Miami and north to Tampa
  • US 41.svg U.S. 41 Tamiami Trail – a major north-south route through Sarasota enters the city from the south before heading west at the south end of U.S. 301; after briefly following Bayfront Drive the Trail heads north again paralleling the coast
  • US 301.svg U.S. 301 – heading north from its intersection with U.S. 41, U.S. 301 follows Washington Boulevard running parallel to U.S. 41 until the two roads merge again in Manatee County
  • Florida 780.svg SR 780 – Fruitville Road (Third Street) – a main east-west thoroughfare linking U.S. 41, U.S. 301, and Interstate 75
  • Florida 789.svg SR 789 – starts out as John Ringling Causeway before heading to Bird Key and Lido Key, SR 789 turns north and becomes Gulf of Mexico Drive, a major road on the islands between Sarasota and Bradenton

Twin towns – Sister cities

The city commission has chosen to designate the following cities as sister cities, which are cooperative agreements between communities in geographically and politically distinct areas with the stated contemporary objective of promoting cultural and commercial ties. A twinning tradition began with an agreement between two towns, the German city of Paderborn and the French city of Le Mans in 836. The modern adaptation in the United States began in 1931.

Economy

Sarasota Ritz
The Sarasota Ritz-Carlton

Tourism contributes significantly to the economy of Sarasota. Companies based in Sarasota include the Boar's Head Provision Company. Major employers include Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, APAC Customer Services, The Zenith. Diversified industrial company Roper Technologies is based in Sarasota.

Education

Public education

Public education is provided and managed by the Sarasota County Public Schools school district.

Elementary schools in Sarasota include the following:

  • Alta Vista Elementary
  • Ashton Elementary
  • Bay Haven School of Basics Plus
  • Brentwood Elementary
  • Emma E. Booker Elementary
  • Fruitville Elementary
  • Gocio Elementary
  • Gulf Gate Elementary
  • Lakeview Elementary
  • Laurel Nokomis School
  • Phillippi Shores Elementary
  • Southside Elementary
  • Tatum Ridge Elementary
  • Tuttle Elementary
  • Wilkinson Elementary

Middle schools include Booker Middle, Brookside Middle, Laurel Nokomis, McIntosh Middle, and Sarasota Middle.

High schools include Booker High, Riverview High, Sarasota High, Suncoast Polytechnical High School, Sarasota Military Academy, and Oak Park School.

Sarasota was also home to the Flint School, a type of boating school.

Private education

  • The Classical Academy of Sarasota
  • Sarasota Christian

Higher education

Palm court 1995
Palm Courts at the New College of Florida.

Sarasota is home to New College of Florida, a public liberal arts college and the honors college for the State University System of Florida.

Additional colleges in Sarasota include Keiser University of Sarasota (a private, not for profit university); FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training (Florida State University's MFA Acting Conservatory in conjunction with the Asolo Repertory Theatre); Ringling College of Art and Design, a school of visual arts and design; and satellite campuses of Eckerd College, based in St. Petersburg, Florida; and Florida State University College of Medicine, based in Tallahassee, Florida. Other colleges in the city include East West College of Natural Medicine, an accredited college of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

Nearby educational institutions with regional draw include State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, and a commuter branch of the University of South Florida, with the main campus located in Tampa.

Notable people

  • Doug Band, assistant to Bill Clinton and businessman. Helped found the Clinton Global Initiative and assisted with the Clinton Foundation after his presidency
  • Freddie Bartholomew, 1930s child actor
  • Roy Basler (1906–1989), historian
  • Dickey Betts, guitarist and founding member of The Allman Brothers Band
  • Daniel Bukantz (1917–2008), Olympic fencer
  • Eugene A. Burdick, North Dakota Fifth Judicial District judge and surrogate judge for the North Dakota Supreme Court
  • William J. Burns, Director of the Bureau of Investigation, later the Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Flossie M. Byrd, home economist and academic
  • Barber Conable, New York state senator, U.S representative from New York, and World Bank President under President Ronald Reagan
  • Marlow Cook, U.S senator from Kentucky
  • Ian Desmond, professional baseball player for the Colorado Rockies
  • Lois Duncan, writer, novelist, poet, and journalist
  • Sonia Pressman Fuentes, lawyer; author and co-founder of National Organization for Women
  • Jackie Gerlich, dwarf actor and circus entertainer
  • Brian Gottfried (born 1952), tennis player, reached Nº3 in the world in 1977
  • Carla Gugino (born 1971), actress
  • James A. Haley, U.S. representative from Florida and member of the Florida House of Representatives. Vice-president and later president of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1952, 1956, and 1960
  • Denver David Hargis, U.S representative from Kansas
  • Forest Harness, U.S representative from Indiana and Sergeant at Arms of the Senate
  • Ian Hornak, founding artist of the Hyperrealist and Photorealist fine art movements. Owned a winter home in Sarasota from 1985 to 2001.
  • Brian Johnson, lead singer of AC/DC
  • Josh Kaufman, soul singer and singer-songwriter
  • Margaret Kerry, actress, radio host, and model for Tinker Bell in the 1953 Walt Disney film Peter Pan
  • David Lawrence, publisher; founded what would later become U.S. News & World Report
  • La Norma Fox, trapeze artist in RBB Circus and Sarasotan from 1949 onwards
  • Mirjana Lučić-Baroni, professional tennis player
  • Jes Macallan, actress
  • Marlon Mack, running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League
  • Myka Meier, etiquette coach and writer
  • Eric Minkin (born 1950), American-Israeli basketball player
  • Daniel Myrick, director of horror films
  • Bello Nock, daredevil and circus performer
  • Carol Perkins, fashion model
  • Jack Perkins, reporter, commentator, war correspondent, and anchorman
  • Joe Perry, lead guitarist of Aerosmith
  • Paul Reubens, actor known for creating and portraying Pee-wee Herman
  • Michael Rey, abstract painter
  • Charles Edward Ringling, one of the Ringling Brothers
  • Stephen Root, actor, voice actor, and comedian
  • Milton Rubenfeld (1919–2004), pilot and one of five founding pilots of Israeli Air Force
  • Randy Savage (1952–2011), professional wrestler
  • Sam Shields, cornerback in the National Football League
  • George Snyder, Maryland state senator and majority leader
  • Dick Smothers, actor, comedian, composer, and musician
  • Jerry Springer, television personality
  • Alex Steinweiss, graphic artist, credited with being the inventor of album cover art.
  • Mildred Ladner Thompson, journalist and writer
  • Dick Vitale, college basketball coach and broadcaster
  • Adrienne Vittadini, fashion designer
  • Joseph Volpe, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera
  • Nik Wallenda, tightrope walker
  • Iain Webb, Director of The Sarasota Ballet and former dancer with The Royal Ballet
  • Scott Weiss, venture capitalist
  • Hoyt Wilhelm, MLB pitcher and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
  • George Howard Williams, U.S Senator from Missouri
  • Robert Windom, former Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services under President Ronald Reagan
  • Linda Winikow, politician and New York State Senator
  • Roger Zare, composer and pianist
  • Bridgett Zehr, ballet dancer with the English National Ballet
  • Carla Gugino, actress

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sarasota para niños

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Sarasota, Florida Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.