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Sarasota Magazine

January 2026

The Downtown Issue

Meet the Main Streets we love. Plus: Exploring the up-and-coming Limelight District, a vintage car lover's dream garage, restaurant reviews, your January culture calendar, and more.

In this issue:

Arts & Entertainment

Final Frame

Tim Jaeger's Recent Work Started During Hurricane Milton

The swirling forms on his canvases are related not only to hurricane movement but, he says, “to what lies beneath the ocean and ourselves—the flow of community, the surge of life.”

01/02/2026 By Kay Kipling

An Artful Embrace

The Annual Embracing Our Differences Exhibition Returns to Bayfront Park

It's the most high-profile part of the nonprofit’s efforts to support the community, but it's not the only one.

01/02/2026 By Kay Kipling

Eat & Drink

Mediterranean Magic

Stella's Greek Cuisine May Be a Hidden Gem, but It's Worth Seeking Out

Though Stella’s dining room is diminutive, its flavors are huge, thanks to the restaurant’s namesake chef and owner Stella Raphelli.

01/02/2026 By Lauren Jackson

Your New Sushi Spot

Zōtō at University Town Center Offers an Elevated Sushi Experience

From the moment you step inside the restaurant, the relationship between dark and light evokes a yin and yang that carries through to the menu.

01/02/2026 By Lauren Jackson

Fashion & Shopping

Nip/Tuck

Mar-a-Lago Face? Not in Sarasota.

Locals are eschewing drastic plastic surgery trends in favor of more subtle de-aging procedures.

01/02/2026 By Hannah Wallace

Who's In Store

Lessons From Plant Whisperer Jen Zak

Zak is the owner of Salt Your Soul, a plant and gift shop that opened in 2022 in south Sarasota.

01/02/2026 By Lauren Jackson

Health & Fitness

Falling Short

Sarasota’s Kindergarten Vaccination Rate Is Among the Lowest in the State

Only 79.9 percent of Sarasota County kindergarteners had immunization compliance in 2024-25. The number is the lowest in the region in more than a decade.

01/02/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Home & Real Estate

The Hot New Neighborhood

The Limelight District Is the Next Cool Place to Live

This gritty up-and-coming neighborhood is filled with manufacturers, secondhand stores and affordable housing. Bob Plunket takes us on a tour.

01/08/2026 By Robert Plunket

The Coolest Garage in Town

Steve Tetreault’s Rosemary District Garage Is Filled With Japanese Sports Cars and Midcentury Chic

“My friends call it the ‘Garage Mahal,”’ Tetreault says. “I call it peace."

01/02/2026 By Robert Plunket

News & City Life

Love Letter

The Case for Loving Sarasota

A city that inspires as much debate as devotion is rarely boring.

01/05/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Downtown Report Card

Did Sarasota Pass or Flunk New Urbanism?

Twenty-five years after the much-buzzed-about master plan to remake downtown Sarasota, our readers grade the city’s progress.

01/05/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Smart City

Meet the Innovators and Professionals Shaping Our AI Ecosystem

A diverse and steadily growing group of innovators—from architecture and education to law and venture building—are immersed in the region’s emerging AI world.

01/04/2026 By Brian Hartz, Susan Burns, and Lauren Jackson

The Other Downtowns

Looking for New Downtown Districts to Explore? Try These Five Nearby City Centers

Within an hour of Sarasota’s Main Street, we found five downtowns, each with its own rhythm and its own kind of welcome.

01/04/2026 By Lauren Jackson, Susan Burns, and Kim Doleatto

Flashback

Photo: Anna Maria City Pier, 1924

The pier—which was built in 1911—is currently being restored after sustaining major damage from the 2024 hurricane season. It's expected to be "substantially complete" in April.

01/02/2026 By Megan McDonald

Did That Really Happen?

Recent You-Can’t-Make-Them-Up Headlines From Sarasota

Political hypocrisy, unexpected treasure, a tightrope walk triumph and more.

01/02/2026

Take Off

Sarasota Bradenton International Airport’s New Chief Paul Hoback Has Big Plans for the Future

Airports, Hoback believes, are both economic engines and relationship builders. “It’s the pursuit of world peace and prosperity,” he says. “That’s what we get to do for a living.”

01/02/2026 By Megan McDonald

Walk This Way

Dogs Inc. Provides Those in Need With Trained Guide, Service and Companion Dogs

Dogs Inc. serves people from all over the U.S., pairing them with their perfect pup at no cost, complete with lifetime training, veterinary care and nutrition needs.

01/02/2026 By Lauren Jackson

In Their Own Words

Maribel 'Belle' Stikeleather Helps Neurodivergent People Find Community

Stikeleather’s passion for the cause grew from a journey that began as a special education teacher in her native Philippines and the United Arab Emirates and later as a coach and clinical director in California.

01/02/2026 By Stephanie Churn Lubow

Travel & Outdoors

Feel the Beat

Everything You Need to Know About the Siesta Key Drum Circle

Every Sunday, just before sunset, locals and visitors converge at the Siesta Key Drum Circle.

01/02/2026 By Susan Burrns

You Said You Would

A Popular Facebook Group Helps Sarasotans Get Outdoors

The group was founded by community leader John Annis as an accountability tool for himself and a small group of friends. Now it counts more than 1,200 members.

01/02/2026 By Megan McDonald

At Sarasota Magazine, we celebrate Sarasota’s vibrant culture, rich history, and bright future with award-winning, high-quality content that captures the spirit of our community.

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