The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation has named the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s CareerEdge initiative a national winner of its 2026 Corporate Citizenship Awards for Best Education and Workforce Program. 

Rep. Vern Buchanan joined the City of Bradenton for Nelly Korda Day, celebrating hometown native and professional golfer Nelly Korda. Buchanan presented Korda with a Congressional Record tribute honoring her achievements and an American flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in her honor.

The Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) recently received two statewide awards at the 2026 Florida Redevelopment Association (FRA) Annual Conference: one for the Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa, which received the Outstanding New Building Award; and another for its Estuary Preserve Cleanup and Environmental Stewardship Initiative.

Sarasota County Schools has been designated an Academically High-Performing School District for 2025–2026 by the Florida State Board of Education. Additionally, 17 district-managed schools across Sarasota County earned the state’s School of Excellence designation, reflecting a record of student achievement rather than a single year’s results. Those schools are Ashton Elementary School, Atwater Elementary School, Bay Haven School of Basics Plus, Garden Elementary School, Lakeview Elementary School, Phillippi Shores Elementary School, Southside Elementary School, Tatum Ridge Elementary School, Taylor Ranch Elementary School, Toledo Blade Elementary School, Venice Elementary School, Sarasota Middle School, Suncoast Polytechnical High School, Venice High School, Gulf Gate School, Laurel Nokomis School and Pine View School.

New College of Florida senior honors student Caleb Rice has been named a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship.

Tiona Settles has joined the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation as community impact officer. 

Children's Guardian Fund has named Christen Benson its new executive director.

Sarasota real estate team Benge Redding has moved to Coldwell Banker Realty from William Raveis Real Estate. Principal agents Samantha Benge and Keith Redding are based out of Coldwell Banker Realty’s Siesta Key location.

Premier Sotheby’s International Realty has announced that four real estate advisors have affiliated with the company’s Sarasota area sales galleries: Rich Degory, Lakewood Ranch; Kelly Halliwell, downtown Sarasota; Matthew Pereira, Venice; and Quillan Reed, downtown Sarasota.

Annie Banion, a member of the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, has earned her professional public relations accreditation (APR).