Local architects have given us another reason to be insufferable about Sarasota.

Seibert Architects and Halflants + Pichette have earned places on Forbes’ 2026 America’s Best-in-State Residential Architects list, with Seibert also securing a spot among America’s Top 200 Residential Architects. Both lists were published earlier this week. Among firms based in Sarasota and Manatee counties, they’re the only local names represented.

For a city with roughly 58,458 residents, that’s a respectable amount of architectural muscle. We may need to explain where Sarasota is at a dinner party. We’re less likely to need that explanation in a room full of architects.

The national list offers some perspective on the company Seibert keeps. Forbes describes a field weighted toward California, New York and Texas, where wealth, demand and established design cultures support a concentration of leading practices. Its Top 200 selection focuses on design quality without requiring representation from every state. The companion Best-in-State list widens the geographic reach, recognizing outstanding firms across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Within Florida, seven firms made the national Top 200 and 12 earned Best-in-State recognition. Sarasota supplied one of the former and two of the latter. Miami can keep its population advantage. We’ll take the well-proportioned bragging rights.

For its initial selection process, Forbes considered more than 18,000 candidates and invited more than 750 to submit projects for further review. For 2026, previously recognized firms were invited to submit an exemplary house completed since 2021. Returning honorees were evaluated again. 

Forbes assessed the submitted house and each firm’s broader work, considering beauty, usefulness, craftsmanship, sustainability and responsiveness to local culture and climate. The criteria get into the practical business of living somewhere: shade, natural ventilation, flood risk, flexible rooms and the relationship between indoors and outdoors. Firms didn’t pay to participate.

Those priorities should sound familiar here.

Sarasota built its architectural reputation through a regional approach to modernism that took the region's sun, landscape and daily life seriously. Architects including Ralph Twitchell, Paul Rudolph, Tim Seibert and Victor Lundy helped establish the Sarasota School of Architecture, with buildings that explored shade, airflow, open space and connections to the outdoors. Rudolph’s 1953 Umbrella House in Lido Shores remains a persuasive demonstration of what can happen when an architect gives the Sarasota sun some boundaries.

Seibert Architects has a direct connection to that history. Tim Seibert worked in Rudolph’s Sarasota office before establishing his own firm in 1955. His work combined strong geometry, ordinary materials and an understanding of the subtropical environment, demonstrating that architectural ambition could fit into a modest project and budget. His local legacy includes the 1953 Hiss Studio in Lido Shores.

Seibert appeared on Forbes’ 2025 national and Best-in-State lists, making this year’s dual recognition a return engagement. Halflants + Pichette also appeared on the 2025 Best-in-State list. Sarasota’s latest showing comes with a track record.

Founded in 2006, Halflants + Pichette brings a younger practice’s perspective to the region’s continuing architectural conversation. Its modern work spans custom houses, multifamily housing and commercial projects, and its architect-led design-build approach brings design and construction together within one team.

Its downtown Zahrada II development applies that thinking to a denser setting, arranging 18 residences around eight elevated, landscaped courtyards above street-level retail. Private outdoor spaces give residents room to dine and unwind, carrying Sarasota’s tradition of outdoor living into an urban setting.

Together, the firms show why Sarasota’s architectural reputation has lasted beyond its famous midcentury years.