These days, Sarasota’s weather is more important than ever. The climate, which made our town so inviting and prosperous, now threatens our future. Will global warming ruin everything? Will it get too hot to live here? Scientists warn that the seas are rising and could reshape the local landscape within a century. They certainly have risen in the past. Our beaches used to be 100 miles out in the Gulf.

Nature always wins in Florida. But today it’s 83 degrees, there’s a breeze across the golf course, and the blue-green Gulf has never looked more inviting. So let’s get out the raft and make some margaritas.

We’re going swimming.