Leadership Reset

John Annis to Lead Barancik Foundation After Board Determined Previous CEO 'Wasn't a Long-Term Fit'

John Brothers departs after less than four months at the helm of the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation.

03/20/2026 By Kim Doleatto

Care by Numbers

The Case for Keeping Seniors at Home, in Dollars and Cents

In a region where nearly four in 10 residents are 65 or older, a new report argues that keeping seniors at home isn’t just humane, it’s economically smarter.

02/09/2026 By Kim Doleatto

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

Preservation Nation

The 2025 'Six to Save' List Sounds the Alarm for Sarasota's Vulnerable Historic Buildings

The list reveals how quickly Sarasota’s historic fabric is thinning under the pace of today's redevelopment.

11/20/2025 By Kim Doleatto

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

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

Q & A

John Brothers Leads By Listening

The incoming president and CEO of the Barancik Foundation talks about philanthropy, proximity and finding his place in Sarasota.

10/14/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Coming Home

One Year After Milton, ALSO Youth Reopens at a New Location

The LGBTQ+ youth organization’s return coincides with the hurricane’s anniversary and World Mental Health Day, underscoring the stakes for young locals navigating politics, identity and belonging.

10/09/2025 By Kim Doleatto

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

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

Food For Thought

The Southern Smoke Foundation Has Launched a Mental Health Pilot Program for Florida's Hospitality Workers

The program launched in Florida earlier this month after success in 12 other states.

08/28/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Free and Clear

Forever Chemicals in North Port’s Tap Water Prompt a Grassroots Testing Effort

Suncoast Waterkeeper’s "Forever Free" program is intended to inform and empower the public.

08/18/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Dune Duty

A New Volunteer Initiative Aims to Plant 12,000 Sea Oats in Manatee County

Keep Manatee Beautiful is looking for 300 volunteers to help plant sea oats along the dunes of Anna Maria Island in an effort to shore up the natural protections between the island and the water.

07/16/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Caring Crossing

Two Sarasota Brothers Just Paddled from the Bahamas to Florida to Raise Awareness for Cystic Fibrosis

It's all to raise money for the Piper's Angels Foundation, which provides support to hundreds of cystic fibrosis patients each year.

06/24/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Q & A

Barancik Foundation CEO Teri Hansen on Her Decision to Retire, What She's Most Proud of and What Comes Next

'For us, it’s about venture philanthropy. We can try things that others—governments, businesses—can’t or won’t do. And once something works, others can scale it.'

04/11/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Showtime!

The Sarasota Players Announce 96th Season Lineup

From rock ballads to revolutionaries, the 2025-26 schedule brings passion, perseverance and powerhouse performances to the Crossings at Siesta Key stage.

04/02/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Future Flourish

Selby Gardens Nears Fundraising Goal for Its Next Phase (Plus a Sneak Peek of What's to Come)

Phase Two is set to bring a state-of-the-art conservatory, expanded gardens and a new learning pavilion as part of a visionary master plan.

03/25/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Botanic Bosses

OLIN Wins Architecture Sarasota’s Philip Hanson Hiss Award

The landscape architecture firm is celebrated for its transformative designs, including the reimagined Selby Gardens.

03/11/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Accelerating the Cure

The Jellison Family Foundation Is Helping Fund Breakthroughs in Cancer Vaccine Research

'The idea that we could use our own immune systems to fight cancer is transformative.'

02/10/2025 By Kim Doleatto

Rainbow Connection

The Limelight District's New LGBTQ+ Center Will Host a Grand Opening on Friday

Located in the Limelight District, northeast of downtown Sarasota, the center will offer a roster of services and workshops spanning mental health to gardening.

12/13/2024 By Kim Doleatto