First Person

Manatee County Commission Candidate Adam Johnson on the Issues

How serious is Johnson, really? And can he transition from his mischievous trolling on X (formerly known as Twitter) for the unsexy slog of zoning ordinances?

07/01/2026 By Isaac Eger

Playing the Fool

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

Should voters take him seriously?

07/01/2026 By Isaac Eger

From Land to Sea

Award-Winning Wildlife Photographer Carlton Ward Jr. Returns to the Gulf

“This is a return to my first connections to nature,” Ward says. “This is where the wildlife corridor and the Gulf meet.”

05/05/2026 By Isaac Eger

Fish from the Gulf

Where to Get Real Gulf Seafood

Look no further than A.P. Bell Fish Co., a 100-year-old fish house in Cortez.

04/01/2026 By Isaac Eger

🤧🤧🤧

Sarasota Is the 28th Worst City in America for Allergies

No wonder we've been sniffling and sneezing.

03/25/2026 By Isaac Eger

Mr. Nice Guy

Mr. Gruters Goes to Washington

Congenial new RNC chair Joe Gruters juggles Trump, midterms and a fractious Republican Party. How long can he keep smiling?

02/03/2026 By Isaac Eger

A Tale of Tariffs

How Are Tariffs Affecting Sarasota Coffee Shops?

“Tariffs puts everyone in this strange position where you are punished for doing good long-term deals.”

02/02/2026 By Isaac Eger

Taste of the Middle East

Olive Eats Is All About Freshness and a Love of Good Food

Chef Emad Al-Masri manages to make all of his food from scratch with a freshness and flavor that started packing the place with customers as soon as it opened.

02/02/2026 By Isaac Eger

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

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

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

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

Mango Mecca

The Mango's Deep Roots in America Started in Manatee County

More than 140 years ago, some of the first mango trees in America were established in Bradenton.

07/02/2025 By Isaac Eger

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

saddle story

Journalist Isaac Eger on Cowboys, Conservation and the Great Florida Cattle Drive

Eger went from city dweller to cowboy-in-training on an 80-mile cattle drive across Florida’s interior. His new book explores the state’s overlooked ranching heritage and what it means for the future.

03/04/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Fighting Fire With Fire

Florida Is Burning, Too. But It's on Purpose.

“We set good fires, or else we get bad ones."

01/17/2025 By Isaac Eger

Soundtrack the Storm

Your Hurricane Playlist

You have no control over the storm, but you can control your radio!

09/25/2024 By Isaac Eger

Snake Hunter

Dusty Crum’s Mission Is to Save the Everglades, One Python at a Time

Between 87 and 99 percent of the Everglades’ mammal populations have disappeared because of the invasive snakes, which now number nearly 300,000 in southern Florida

05/30/2024 By Isaac Eger

Drink It In

What It's Like to Attend a Ceremonial Cacao Circle

Carrie Eckert says cacao healed her autoimmune conditions and anxiety. She hosts local cacao circles to help others reap its benefits, too.

01/10/2024 By Isaac Eger

Looking Back

The Biggest Local Environmental Stories of 2023

From our summer heat wave to improvements in our wastewater treatment system, these are seven of the biggest environmental crises, and successes, of the past year.

12/01/2023 By Isaac Eger

Sarasota Magazine

Isaac Eger