Politics

First Person

What It Was Like Being in St. Peter's Square When Pope Leo XIV Was Elected

Sarasota Magazine contributing editor and current Rome resident Elizabeth Djinis on witnessing the assumption of the first American pope.

05/09/2025 By Elizabeth Djinis

Fab Forward

The Be Fabulous Music & Arts Pride Fest Celebrates 15 Years This Weekend

All are welcome at the event on May 10 at Five Points Park in downtown Sarasota.

05/07/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Name Game

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Jack E. Davis Weighs in on the Gulf’s New Name, Its History and Its Future

President Trump recently changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Does it really matter?

05/05/2025 By Isaac Eger

Unity Awards

Sarah Parker Uses Her Voice to Lift up Others

“We replace fear with action. If you want to change something, you consistently work to change that thing.”

03/03/2025 By Megan McDonald

Uncertain Future

A Newly Formed Group Is Working to Oppose New College's Proposed Takeover of the Ringling Museum

Citizens to Protect the Ringling is rallying museum supporters ahead of the upcoming legislative session.

02/27/2025 By Kay Kipling

Q & A

Outgoing Tax Collector Barbara Ford-Coates Looks Back on a Half-Century of Public Service

Ford-Coates joined the tax collector's office in 1975 and has served as its elected leader since 1984.

01/02/2025 By Cooper Levey-Baker

2024 Year in Review

A Look Back at Some of Our Best Stories of 2024

Editor in chief Cooper Levey-Baker selects his personal favorites.

12/19/2024 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Funding Fallout

State and Local Leaders Cut Funding for Arts Organizations This Year. Will Things Be Any Better Next Time Around?

Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $32 million in funding for the arts in June due to concerns over content, and the Sarasota County nixed grants to three arts organizations a month later.

11/21/2024 By Kay Kipling

Information Overload

Why Was There So Much Disinformation After Hurricanes Helene and Milton?

Rumors and untruths proliferated as Hurricanes Helene and Milton destroyed communities. Why do we keep falling for them?

11/20/2024 By Megan McDonald

Election 2024

A Guide to Election Results in Sarasota and Manatee Counties

Both counties saw voter turnout higher than 80 percent.

11/06/2024 By Staff

Election 2024

Who Designed Our Cute 'I Voted' Stickers?

Sarasota and Manatee counties both held student design contests. You'll see the winning stickers when you go to the polls.

11/05/2024 By Megan McDonald

Vote!

How to Vote in Manatee County, Florida, in 2024

Whether you're a first-time voter in Manatee County or an old pro who simply needs a refresher, here's everything you need to know.

11/04/2024 By Staff

Vote!

How to Vote in Sarasota County in 2024

Everything you need to know—from how to register to how to track your vote-by-mail ballot.

11/04/2024 By Staff

Crown Jewel

The History of Mar-a-Lago

How the mansion of a great Florida philanthropist became ground zero for one of the most consequential elections in American history

09/01/2024 By Robert Plunket

See Change

The SEE Alliance Is Working to Mobilize Florida's Young Voters

'The movement that is growing within Gen Z in Florida right now is monumental, unique to circumstance and cannot easily be recreated or reinvigorated later on,' says SEE Alliance founder Zander Moricz.

08/19/2024 By Elizabeth Djinis

Affordable Housing

New Affordable Housing Incentives Will Allow Triple Density Along Some Sarasota Thoroughfares

City commissioners voted 3-2 Monday to expand developer incentives in exchange for affordable units to address the city's affordability crisis.

04/03/2024 By Kim Doleatto

The New Sarasota

Is Sarasota Changing for Good?

Our region is becoming more populated, more conservative and more polarized, and many residents are wondering: Is it for the best?

01/17/2024 By Elizabeth Djinis

No Holds Barred

Liz Cheney Issues Dire Warning About Donald Trump and the 2024 Presidential Election

Cheney kicked off this year's Town Hall lecture series by calling Trump's actions on Jan. 6, 2021, not just a "dereliction of duty," but an act of "depravity."

01/16/2024 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo

How Cinderella’s Castle Became the Latest Battleground in the Culture Wars

Is it changing from something aspirational and inspiring to something darker and even dangerous?

11/03/2023 By Robert Plunket

Let's Get Together

Filmmaker Damon Gameau Headlines a Sarasota Conference on Nature and the Environment

December's EcoSummit and Green Living Expo will stimulate audiences with a wide range of speakers and activities, including talks by Gameau and novelist Carl Hiaasen.

10/17/2023 By Cooper Levey-Baker