Subscribe & save $142 per year!
Skip to main content

Sarasota Magazine

Politics

Suncoast Searchlight

Curiosity in Chaos: How a Local Nonprofit Takes on Deep Political Division

Through a series of facilitated dinners, CATA seeks to “rehumanize” people on all sides of the political spectrum.

01/30/2026 By Clinton Engelberger/Suncoast Searchlight

Politics

Rep. Vern Buchanan Will Retire After 20 Years in Office

Buchanan is one of a growing number of Republican lawmakers who will not seek re-election this year.

01/28/2026 By Staff

Suncoast Searchlight

After Sarasota County Schools’ ICE Vote, Questions Remain About Enforcement on Campuses

Despite the outcry, board members voted 3 to 2 to pass the measure, committing to “full cooperation and collaboration” with ICE.

01/23/2026 By Alice Herman/Suncoast Searchlight

Suncoast Searchlight

Florida Bill Would Give Benderson Development Its Own Taxing District at UTC

House Bill 4091 would give Benderson the ability to finance and oversee future expansions of the shopping hub, as well as the rowing park.

01/17/2026 By Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight and Christian Casale/Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Nip/Tuck

Mar-a-Lago Face? Not in Sarasota.

Locals are eschewing drastic plastic surgery trends in favor of more subtle de-aging procedures.

01/02/2026 By Hannah Wallace

Partisan Lines

National Redistricting Push Zeroes In on Florida

A court ruling in Texas and renewed pressure from national Republicans have made Florida a key state to watch in the mid-decade redistricting push.

12/04/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Stats

Sarasota County School Vouchers and Their Impacts

The state-funded scholarships have cut enrollment in public schools, which decreases state funding for each district, affecting teachers, administrators and students..

11/04/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Burning Question

What Does Florida’s New Beach Access Law Mean?

Coastal rights attorney Pepper Uchino weighs in on the sand wars.

11/03/2025 By Isaac Eger

SNAP Aid

Where to Find Free Food And Donate in Sarasota and Manatee Counties

With SNAP benefits paused during the federal shutdown, here’s where to find free meals, groceries, and support—and how to give back.

11/03/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Suncoast Searchlight

Most Suncoast Lawmakers Quiet as Charter School Expansion Fuels Local Upheaval

The same lawmakers who voted earlier this year to let charter schools move into underused public campuses have stayed quiet as a Miami-based charter operator’s early push to occupy local schools set off confusion and concern among parents and educators.

10/20/2025 By McKenna Oxenden/Suncoast Searchlight and Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight

Popular Content

    Goodbye to USF Sarasota-Manatee—and New College

    Arts Groups to Share $20 Million as DeSantis Vetoes More Funding

    Adam Johnson, the Smiley Guy Who Grabbed Nancy Pelosi’s Lectern on Jan. 6, 2021, Is Running for Manatee County Commission

    Sarasota County Blocks Hyperscale Data Centers for at Least One Year

    John Oliver Takes Aim at New College of Florida

    What Does Florida’s New Beach Access Law Mean?

Suncoast Searchlight

‘Hostile Takeover’: Charter Operator Files to Occupy Three Sarasota Schools

In three nearly identical two-page notices, the charter school laid out plans for takeovers at Brookside Middle, Emma E. Booker Elementary School and Oak Park School, a K-12 campus that serves students with disabilities.

10/09/2025 By Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight, Alice Herman/Suncoast Searchlight, and Josh Salman/Suncoast Searchlight

Suncoast Searchlight

She Paid His Bond. ICE Took Him. Bradenton Family's Saga Shows How Florida Jails Fuel Deportations

In Florida, the jail-to-deportation pipeline is one of the main engines of Trump’s mass-deportation push. Routine arrests, even for minor charges, are a direct gateway into ICE custody—the most frequent method of immigration arrests in the state.

09/19/2025 By Kara Newhouse/Suncoast Searchlight and Alice Herman/Suncoast Searchlight

Campus Memorial

New College of Florida Plans Statue of Charlie Kirk

The Sarasota school is commissioning a privately funded monument to the slain activist as other campuses weigh tributes following his murder in Utah.

09/16/2025 By Kim Doleatto

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

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

Politics

Sarasota Sidewalk Art Set to Be Removed

A new state mandate bans all “non-standard” markings on streets, sidewalks and crosswalks, insisting they're safety hazards and distractions to motorists—despite research showing street art actually results in safer driving habits and fewer crashes.

08/27/2025 By Kendall Southworth

Politics

Sarasota's Joe Gruters Named Chair of Republican National Committee

Gruters is a fourth-generation Sarasotan who's directly tied to Donald Trump's rise to power.

08/25/2025 By Staff

Wild and Scenic History

Decades Ago, Visionary Sarasota County Commissioners Saw the Value of Protecting the Myakka

Their efforts led to the adoption of Florida’s Myakka River Wild and Scenic Designation and Preservation Act.

07/24/2025 By Susan Burrns

The Arts

Ringling Museum Will Remain Under FSU's Management

The proposed transfer of the museum from Florida State University's stewardship to New College of Florida's was left out of the 2025 legislative budget.

06/17/2025 By Staff

Photos

Photos: 'No Kings' Protest in Downtown Sarasota

Thousands of people gathered on the Sarasota bayfront to protest the Trump administration. Here's a look.

06/16/2025 By Kim Doleatto Photography by Lori Sax

Latest Issue

July-August 2026

The Summer Splurge Issue

Subscribe

At Sarasota Magazine, we celebrate Sarasota’s vibrant culture, rich history, and bright future with award-winning, high-quality content that captures the spirit of our community.

Channels

About

Subscriptions

513 Central Ave, Sarasota FL 34236 , Phone: 941.487.1100, Fax: 941.365.9233
© 2026 DreamLarge