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Sarasota Magazine

More News & City Life

Still Laughing

Remembering Samuel Ray, the Neighbor Behind Central Cocoanut’s Laughing Buddha

After Ray’s unexpected death, Sarasota’s Laughing Buddha stands as a reminder of the Central Cocoanut neighbor who gave the landmark its watchful place in the community.

04/27/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Spin Cycle

Climate Adaptation Center Releases 2026 Hurricane Forecast

The verdict? The CAC predicts 12 named storms, five hurricanes and two major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher). 

04/24/2026 By Bob Bunting

Suncoast Searchlight

Red Tide Turning Point? New Research, Policy Shifts Offer Hope

At Mote Marine Laboratory, researchers are testing treatments that have shown promise in reducing algae levels without harming marine life.

04/17/2026 By Josh Dunbar/Suncoast Searchlight

Philanthropy

Giving Challenge Brings in $16.7 Million as 751 Nonprofits Draw Broad Support Across the Region

The biennial event ended Thursday at noon after drawing 50,904 donors, 87,814 gifts and a record 751 participating nonprofits, with this year’s total coming in just below the $17.2 million raised in 2024.

04/16/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Share Your Thoughts 💭

America at 250: What Are Your Hopes for the Future of the United States?

What do you want the nation to look like for those who will inherit the county next? This is your chance to put it in writing.

04/16/2026

Gillespie Park Neighborhood

A Proposed 324-Unit Apartment Development Raises Questions in Gillespie Park

At a Gillespie Neighborhood Association meeting last night, residents and business owners pressed developers for answers about timing, traffic and the future of a longtime cluster of small businesses near downtown Sarasota.

04/15/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Philanthropy

The 2026 Giving Challenge Is Happening Now

The 24-hour online giving event connects about 750 nonprofits with donors and community members to support diverse causes in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties

04/15/2026 By Staff

Suncoast Searchlight

Scientists to Discuss Suncoast Environmental Threats at Free Sarasota Panel

The conversation will offer a chance to hear directly from the scientists and advocates studying the region’s most pressing environmental challenges, from microplastics in local waters to the loss of natural habitats.

04/13/2026 By Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight

Survey Says

See How Locals And Neighbors Residents Ranked Issues Like Housing and More in a Recent Regional Survey

In a new survey of 1,500 residents across Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties, affordable housing emerged as the top concern, followed by environmental protection and support during times of crisis.

04/13/2026 By Kim Doleatto

2 Become 1

Sunshine Community Compost and Community Harvest SRQ Are Merging

The new organization will be called Sunshine Community Harvest.

04/08/2026 By Kendall Southworth

Popular Content

    Remembering Samuel Ray, the Neighbor Behind Central Cocoanut’s Laughing Buddha

    Climate Adaptation Center Releases 2026 Hurricane Forecast

    A Proposed 324-Unit Apartment Development Raises Questions in Gillespie Park

    Artist Patrick Thomas Parnell Has Built a Successful Toy Business Based on His Comic Book Characters

    A Sarasota Environmental Program Has Saved Miles of Open Space From Bulldozers

    Red Tide Turning Point? New Research, Policy Shifts Offer Hope

Rankings

In New Rankings, Sarasota County Is No. 1 for Retirees, but Scores Lowest for Young Professionals

Plus, more modest results in the cities of Sarasota and Bradenton kept the regional picture mixed.

04/03/2026 By Kim Doleatto

April Fools' Day

Fruitville Road Construction Declared a Permanent Landmark

State officials recast the work along Fruitville Road as an ongoing public installation, complete with shifting lanes, sponsored cones and no expectation that it will ever actually be finished.

04/01/2026 By Kendall Southworth

April Fools' Day

Gulfstream Roundabout Could Be Removed

A new traffic study calls Sarasota’s 14 roundabouts a flawed answer to congestion and recommends starting removals at Gulfstream Avenue.

04/01/2026 By Susan Burns

Did That Really Happen?

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

A "Florida man taco," a scammer apprehended by a local bank manager, Urban Meyer at New College and disappearing public land.

04/01/2026 By Staff

Flashback

Photo: Goliath Grouper, 1899

The fish—as photographed on April 15, 1899, in what was then known as Braidentown (now Bradenton)—measured 6 feet 4 inches and weighed 262 pounds.

04/01/2026 By Megan McDonald

Stats

Florida Is One of the Biggest EV Markets in the United States

In 2025, EVs made up about 10.5 percent of new vehicle registrations in the state, with more than 250,000 new registered EVs, second only to California.

04/01/2026 By Kim Doleatto

For Land's Sake

A Sarasota Environmental Program Has Saved Miles of Open Space From Bulldozers

But will voters renew it?

04/01/2026 By Brad Edmondson

Made in Sarasota

Artist Patrick Thomas Parnell Has Built a Successful Toy Business Based on His Comic Book Characters

Parnell's North Port home doubles as his toy development studio.

04/01/2026 By Megan McDonald

Suncoast Searchlight

Golf Deal Fallout Deepens Divisions in the Meadows

Weeks after a controversial vote to lease hundreds of acres of golf courses and green space to a subsidiary of Benderson Development, divisions inside The Meadows have deepened beyond the deal itself.

03/27/2026 By Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight

Need to Know

Sarasota Is in an Extreme Drought Right Now

And there's no rain in sight.

03/26/2026 By Megan McDonald

Latest Issue

April 2026

Saving Old Florida

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