In Sarasota, architecture doesn’t just shelter—it seduces. With a legacy rooted in the clean lines and coastal logic of the Sarasota School, the region continues to produce work that’s both technically sharp and visually restrained.

At the 2025 AIA Florida Design & Honor Awards, a dozen projects from Sarasota, Longboat Key, Venice and Manatee County earned statewide recognition. AIA Florida has more than 3,600 members and covers the Florida/Caribbean region, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. There are 13 chapters represented; to be eligible, submissions had to come from Florida-based firms and architects, but projects could be executed anywhere in the world. 

Finalists are announced in early May and judged by a panel of out-of-state architects in categories including New Work, Interiors, Renovations and Additions, Historic Preservation, Masonry, Unbuilt Work and Test of Time. Winners will officially be honored on Saturday, Aug. 2, at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street, and featured in the fall issue of Florida/Caribbean Architect magazine.

Damien Blumetti Architect: Citation Award, Unbuilt

Damien Blumetti Architect: Citation Award, Unbuilt

Hive Architects Inc.: Citation Award of Excellence, Interiors

Halflants + Pichette: Citation Award of Excellence, New Work

Halflants + Pichette: Merit Award, Unbuilt Category

Carl Abbott, Design Architect/Leonardo Lunardi, Architect of Record: Merit Award of Excellence, New Work

Hall Darling Design Studio: Honor Award of Excellence, Renovations and Additions

Hall Darling Design Studio: Honor Award, Historic Preservation and Restoration

Hall Darling Design Studio: Honor Award, Object

Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors: Citation Award of Excellence, Renovations and Additions

Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors: Citation Award of Excellence

Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors: Honor Award, Masonry

Strang Architecture: Merit Award of Excellence, New Work

Guy Peterson, FAIA Member Emeritus: Citation Award, Test of Time

Schimberg Group: Citation Award of Excellence, New Work

Many of this year’s local winners—Sweet Sparkman, Hall Darling, Halflants + Pichette, Schimberg Group, Hive, Damien Blumetti and Guy Peterson—were also honored in 2024. 

The jury evaluated projects based on concept clarity, site response, technical execution and design innovation. As Sarasota’s current generation of architects builds on a foundation laid by Paul Rudolph, Carl Abbott, Victor Lundy and others, this year’s awards highlight how that legacy continues to evolve—distinctive, contextual and rooted in place.

Check out last year's winners here. Click here for the complete list of this year's winners.