More News & City Life

Best of Sarasota

Extended Until July 31! Vote for the Best of Sarasota 2026

The finalists are in. Now you've got even more time to help them earn their title.

07/20/2026

Suncoast Searchlight

Sarasota County Blocks Hyperscale Data Centers for at Least One Year

Commissioners voted on Wednesday to halt the “acceptance, review and approval” of any major data centers until at least July 2027 but seemed eager to push for an outright ban in perpetuity.

07/10/2026 By Christian Casale/Suncoast Searchlight

Flashback

Photo: Carrie Ratliff Jones, Siesta Key Bridge Tender, 1939-1963

Look closely and you can see the bridge controls commingling with Jones’ everyday items.

07/09/2026 By Megan McDonald

Warming Trend

North Port Approves $4.1 Million More for Warm Mineral Springs Restoration

The funding closes a construction gap for the historic park’s building rehabilitation project, moving long-planned improvements at one of North Port's most beloved sites closer to reality.

07/08/2026 By Kim Doleatto

You're Invited!

Join Us for 'Her & Now,' Our Can't-Miss Bash in Honor of Our Women of Impact Issue!

Her & Now—our annual soiree celebrating the women who shape our community—is back on Aug. 6 at the Sarasota Garden Club.

07/07/2026

Wacky Headlines

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

Overspending on a canine coworker's birthday, a meth mishap and Publix realizes you probably don't need a gun while picking up your BOGO buys.

07/01/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Good, Bad, Baffling

Our Judgy Take on Current Events: July Edition

Data centers, redrawn Congressional maps, a win for environmentally sensitive lands and a controversial figure plotting his return to politics.

07/01/2026

We're No. 1!

CNN Names Sarasota Its 'Best Town to Visit' for 2026

We're kind of a big deal.

07/01/2026 By Megan McDonald

Loop de Loop

Photo of the Week: A Bird's-Eye View of St, Armands Circle

 Surrounded by palm-lined streets, charming shops and beautiful coastal scenery, it's a perfect blend of relaxation and sophistication, says photographer Damon Powers.

06/26/2026 Photography by Damon Powers

A PORPOISEFUL TRANSITION

Sarasota Dolphin Research Program's Influential Director, Randy Wells, Is Retiring

Dr. Katie McHugh will succeed Wells when he steps down after 56 years on July 1.

06/24/2026 By Kendall Southworth

FIFA via Florida

10 Sarasota Experiences World Cup Tourists Would Absolutely Lose Their Minds Over

International soccer fans are already going crazy for America’s free refills, giant drinks and ranch dressing. Naturally, we started wondering what they’d make of Sarasota.

06/23/2026 By The Editors

Historical Holiday

How to Celebrate Juneteenth in Sarasota and Manatee Counties

One June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Texas learned they were free—two years after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.

06/18/2026 By Chloe Nelson

Suncoast Searchlight

Sarasota County Sued Over Live Local Projects

Sarasota County's attempt to stop thousands of apartments from being built in rural communities is now facing the legal challenge the county attorney warned was likely all along.

06/15/2026 By Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight

Simply the Best

Vote for Your Favorites in the Best of Sarasota 2026!

From your go-to coffee shop to the hidden gems you tell your friends about, it’s time to celebrate what makes Sarasota so special.

06/12/2026

Electric Wings

A Small Sarasota Team Hits a Big Electric Flight Milestone

Helios Horizon’s first human-piloted solid-state battery flight happened in Zephyrhills, but the breakthrough was built by a Sarasota-based team trying to push electric aviation beyond the prototype stage.

06/10/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Awards

Sarasota Magazine Wins 15 Florida Magazine Association Awards

The magazine was recognized for writing, design, photography and digital excellence.

06/09/2026

Art News

Ringling Executive Director Steven High to Retire After 15 Years

High joined The Ringling in 2011 and stewarded the museum through major additions and restorations, including the opening of the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian Art and James Turrell's Skyspace, "Joseph's Coat."

06/08/2026 By Staff

STARTING OVER

Community Leaders Experience Life After Lockup Simulation

A Sarasota nonprofit's immersive simulation compresses the first chaotic weeks after prison release into a single hour, revealing the obstacles many formerly incarcerated people face as they rebuild their lives.

06/08/2026 By Kendall Southworth

Sarasota History

Flashback: Friends at the Bradenton Beach Bathhouse, 1922

While bathing suit styles might have changed dramatically over the past century, our love of the beach hasn’t.

06/05/2026 By Megan McDonald

More Rosemary

Bayside North Moves Ahead in the Rosemary District

The second phase of the Bayside project will add 96 rental residences, 15 workforce housing units, eight furnished guest suites and a ground-floor restaurant near the bayfront.

06/02/2026 By Kim Doleatto