News & City Life

Saving the Colson

A Black Landmark From the Days of Segregation Is Being Reborn as a Civic and Cultural Hub

The Colson was more than a boarding house. For the city’s Black residents and visitors during segregation, it offered something rare and profound: safety, dignity and belonging.

12/02/2025

Treasure Trove

At the Sarasota County History Center, You'll Find Fascinating Historical Objects

What do MacKinlay Kantor's crutch, a Sara De Soto pageant crown and a pointy pen used by Gov. Cary Hardee in 1921 all have in common?

12/02/2025 By Kay Kipling

The New Mote

Inside the New Mote SEA

Mote’s brand-new Science and Education Aquarium (SEA) rises at Nathan Benderson Park.

12/02/2025 By Megan McDonald

In Their Own Words

Lifelong Newtown Resident and Organizer Valerie Buchand on Perseverance and Hope

"We need people willing to fight, not for profit, but for justice. That’s what I would tell young people: Be ready for the challenge, but do right. Always do right.”

12/01/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Privacy, Please

Exclusive Private Clubs Are on the Rise, Including These Five Posh Sarasota Spots

The country club isn’t dead, but it’s got competition.

12/01/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Sea Change

What Does the Future Hold for St. Armands Circle?

As storms intensify and sea levels rise, St. Armands Circle weighs its future.

12/01/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Lighten Up

Cedar Hollow Has One of Sarasota's Biggest Holiday Light Displays

Can our resident Grinch find Yuletide cheer?

12/01/2025 By Isaac Eger

Grant Report

Barancik Foundation Approves More Than $4 Million in Grants

Plus, Bank of America awards $30,000 to All Faiths Food Bank and more.

11/24/2025 By Staff

Fast Track

Sarasota Paradise Sign First Professional Player

Plus, Visit Sarasota County honors seven hospitality professionals, and more.

11/24/2025 By Staff

Heroes on the Half Shell

Mote Reports Record Sea Turtle Nesting Numbers for 2025

This year saw more 1,366 more sea turtle nests on local beaches than last year, including some incubating into November.

11/24/2025 By Staff

Grant Report

Pines of Sarasota Foundation Receives Property Donation Appraised at More Than $1 Million

Plus, Hugh Culverhouse Jr. donates $100,000 to All Faiths Food Bank, and more.

11/17/2025 By Staff

Sneak Peek

Selby Gardens Will Break Ground on Phase Two of Its Master Plan on Dec. 2

Phase Two includes a new conservatory complex, a learning pavilion and new landscaping features.

11/17/2025 By Staff

End of an Era

Good-Bye, Hart's Landing

Last year's hurricanes destroyed the iconic bait shop's docks. This week, the site was razed.

11/12/2025 By Megan McDonald

Q & A

Jessica Muroff Will Steward Sarasota’s Next Era of Giving

Muroff, the incoming president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, talks building trust, through listening blending data with empathy, and why leadership sometimes starts with a long hike uphill.

11/12/2025 By Kim Doleatto

🥶🥶🥶

Updated: Warming Centers Are Opening in Sarasota and Manatee Counties

With forecasts still in the low 40s tonight, shelters will remain open for those seeking refuge from the cold.

11/11/2025 By Megan McDonald

Fast Track

Community Foundation of Sarasota County Names Jessica Muroff New President, CEO

Muroff was previously CEO of United Way Suncoast. She begins her tenure at the foundation on Jan. 20, 2026.

11/10/2025 By Staff

Burning Question

How Will We Pay for Climate Change?

Colin Polsky, professor of geosciences and associate vice president of Broward campuses at Florida Atlantic University, will tackle that question at the Climate Adaptation Center’s fifth annual Climate Forecast Conference this week.

11/09/2025 By Jessica DeLeon

Make the Grade

Here's Your Chance to Fill Out a Report Card for Downtown Sarasota

You tell us: What do you think of the City of Sarasota’s progress on New Urbanism visionary Andrés Duany’s 2001 master plan?

11/05/2025

Building the Future

Sarasota’s Arts Scene Sets the Stage for What’s Next

A number of building projects and high-profile capital campaigns with combined fundraising goals of $975 million are on the horizon.

11/04/2025 By Kay Kipling

Retirement Ranks

Sarasota Falls From U.S. News & World Report Retirement Rankings as North Port Climbs

Once a perennial favorite, Sarasota drops out of U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 national list of the Best Places to Retire, while North Port rises to No. 135.

11/04/2025 By Kim Doleatto