News & City Life

Mo' Mote

Mote's New Science Education Aquarium (SEA) Is Set to Open Oct. 8

The $130 million, 146,000-square-foot aquarium marks Mote Marine Laboratory’s 70th anniversary and ushers in a new era of science education, research and public engagement.

09/16/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Fast Track

Stephenie Whitfield Named President of Bank of America Sarasota/Manatee

Plus: SMH's Trauma & Acute Care Surgery Services Division is recognized by the Department of Defense, and more.

09/15/2025 By Staff

Grant Report

Sarasota Ballet Receives Three-Year, $180,000 Grant

Plus: funding for the Sarasota Opera, Parenting Matters, Teen Court, Embracing Our Differences and more.

09/15/2025 By Staff

Traffic

Temporary Lane Closures on the North Trail Start Today

Utilities crews are beginning work on a multi-phase, $30 million water main improvement project that's expected to be completed in 2028.

09/15/2025 By Staff

Paths Reimagined

Sarasota Turns to Art After Statewide Crosswalk Ban

Community members in Sarasota will gather to create mosaic stepping stones after the state ordered the removal of rainbow crosswalks and sidewalk art.

09/12/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Making a Splash

Randy and the Dolphins

Marine scientist Randall Wells knows Sarasota’s dolphins better than anyone in the world. Just don’t ask him to read their minds.

09/05/2025 By Isaac Eger

Suncoast Searchlight

Streets of Paradise Co-Founder’s Firing Sparks Turmoil at Sarasota Homeless Nonprofit

Greg Cruz did not found the organization alone, but his personal history and visibility made him inseparable from the group’s identity.

09/05/2025 By Carrie Seidman/Suncoast Searchlight

Suncoast Searchlight

Privatization Push Emerges at New College as Ex-Insider Breaks With DeSantis Allies

New College alum Nathan Allen has laid out a multi-million-dollar proposal to wean New College off taxpayer dollars over the next decade

09/05/2025 By Alice Herman/Suncoast Searchlight

Suncoast Searchlight

Sarasota County Seeks Stormwater Rate Increase, but Audit Finds Millions Available

New Stormwater Director Ben Quartermaine, who has proposed raising annual rates by more than one-fourth, on average—but the recommendation contradicts a newly released audit

09/05/2025 By Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight and Michael Barfield/Florida Trident

Whisker Wonderland

At Katy’s Cat Café, Adoptable Cats and Kittens Are the Stars

At Katy’s, one side of the space is a beverage and ice cream outlet, where you can view, but not physically hang out with the cats. A separate entrance takes you into the “cat lounge,” where you can cuddle adoptable cats and kittens lazing about.

09/04/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Mosquito Buzz

You’re Not Imagining It. Mosquitoes Are Getting Worse Here.

More than 80 mosquito species call Florida home, and each mosquito species has different habitat preferences.

09/03/2025 By Isaac Eger

In Their Own Words

Darwin Tepe Puts Data and Heart to Work for Sarasota’s Seniors

Tepe’s work pairs numbers with human stories, showing legislators and funders that investing in seniors isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s financially savvy.

09/03/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Community Power

Inside Newtown’s Grassroots Push to Become a Trauma-Informed Neighborhood

A national model brought to Sarasota aims to build long-term resilience through local leadership, block-level organizing and deep listening.

09/03/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Flashback

In 1937, the Bradenton Nine Devils Took the Field for the First Time

Part of the Florida Negro League, the team is now honored with a historic marker at LECOM Park—the first step in the creation of the African American Heritage Trail.

09/02/2025 By Megan McDonald

Stats

GoFundMe Offered a Lifeline After Last Year’s Storms

Sarasota ranks high as a giving community.

09/02/2025 By Megan McDonald

Meals That Matter

All Faiths Food Bank Delivers Care and Nourishment to a Growing Number of Hungry Families

An increasing number of local families “are one blown tire away from not being able to pay their rent—forget saving or having any buffer,” All Faiths CEO Nelle Miller says.

09/02/2025 By Megan McDonald

Follow the Money

Where Do Your Donation Dollars Go?

We followed the money at these nonprofits to learn about the impact your donation–from $10 to $10,000–can make.

09/01/2025

Home Sweet Home

Alfred Lanier and Nikki Graybeal Have Found Independence and Friendship at the Haven

“My favorite thing about living here is the diversity."

09/01/2025 By Lauren Jackson

The Rich Keep Coming

How Wealthy Do You Have to Be to Live in Sarasota?

The flow of money and prosperity has accelerated in the last decade, bringing to town more millionaires, multimillionaires and even billionaires. The paradox, of course, is that many households and systems are under strain.

09/01/2025 By Kim Doleatto

10 Major Philanthropic Moments

From big gifts to grassroots campaigns, here are 10 of the year’s major philanthropic moments with huge community impact.

09/01/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Sarasota Magazine

News & City Life

Mote's New Science Education Aquarium (SEA) Is Set to Open Oct. 8

Stephenie Whitfield Named President of Bank of America Sarasota/Manatee

Sarasota Ballet Receives Three-Year, $180,000 Grant

Temporary Lane Closures on the North Trail Start Today

Sarasota Turns to Art After Statewide Crosswalk Ban

Randy and the Dolphins

Streets of Paradise Co-Founder’s Firing Sparks Turmoil at Sarasota Homeless Nonprofit

Privatization Push Emerges at New College as Ex-Insider Breaks With DeSantis Allies

Sarasota County Seeks Stormwater Rate Increase, but Audit Finds Millions Available

At Katy’s Cat Café, Adoptable Cats and Kittens Are the Stars

You’re Not Imagining It. Mosquitoes Are Getting Worse Here.

Darwin Tepe Puts Data and Heart to Work for Sarasota’s Seniors

Inside Newtown’s Grassroots Push to Become a Trauma-Informed Neighborhood

In 1937, the Bradenton Nine Devils Took the Field for the First Time

GoFundMe Offered a Lifeline After Last Year’s Storms

All Faiths Food Bank Delivers Care and Nourishment to a Growing Number of Hungry Families

Where Do Your Donation Dollars Go?

Alfred Lanier and Nikki Graybeal Have Found Independence and Friendship at the Haven

How Wealthy Do You Have to Be to Live in Sarasota?

10 Major Philanthropic Moments

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Guide to Giving 2025