Tourism

Sarasota County Strikes Deal with Airbnb on Bed Tax Collections

Sarasota County recently reached an agreement with Airbnb that will allow the Sarasota County tax collector to begin reporting, collecting and remitting Tourist Development Tax money on short-term Airbnb rentals.

04/03/2017 By staff

Tourism

Orioles' Spring Training Attendance the Team's Second Highest Ever

A total of 119,742 fans attended the team's 17 home games at Sarasota's Ed Smith Stadium this spring.

03/31/2017 By staff

Tourism

Visit Florida CEO Coming to Sarasota

Visit Florida president and chief executive officer Ken Lawson will speak in Sarasota as part of Visit Sarasota County's National Travel & Tourism Week Luncheon & Awards on Thursday, May 11.

03/30/2017 By staff

Science

Plant Scientists Gather in Sarasota Next Week

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is hosting two rare plant conservation conferences next week.

03/30/2017 By staff

Tourism

Whiskey Obsession Festival Begins Wednesday

The event is the largest world whiskey festival in the U.S.

03/28/2017 By staff

Tourism

Rowing Championships Race Schedule Finalized

Competition will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 24.

03/28/2017 By staff

Transportation

City Launches Free Downtown Shuttle Service

The City of Sarasota is launching a new free downtown shuttle service, i-Ride, on Wednesday, March 29.

03/28/2017 By staff

Tourism

Anna Maria Island Festival Highlights Beaches, Food Trucks

The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce is holding the Beach 'n Food Truck Festival from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 8.

03/21/2017 By staff

Tourism

Treetop Adventure Course Upgrades Harness, Belay Technology

Bradenton's TreeUmph! Adventure Course recently spent $200,000 on new full-body harnesses and Clic-It smart belay technology, investments intended to ensure optimum safety.

03/16/2017 By staff

Transportation

Free Siesta Key Trolley Service Starts Today, March 20

Sarasota County's new open-air circulator trolley, Siesta Key Breeze, will begin operations today, Monday, March 20.

03/16/2017 By staff

Tourism

Half Marathon Returns Sunday

The First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon returns Sunday, March 19, for the 12th year. Last year's race drew 3,000 participants and added almost $3.5 million to the Sarasota economy.

03/16/2017 By staff

Honors

Sarasota Restaurant Picks Up 28th Straight Award From AAA

Sarasota's Michael’s on East was recently awarded its 28th consecutive Four Diamond Rating by AAA.

03/13/2017 By staff

Tourism

Busiest Spring Break Travel Date This Saturday

American tourists' top spring break travel date is this Saturday, according to a review of booked trips published last week by Allianz Global Assistance.

03/09/2017 By staff

Tourism

New Company Offers Fitness, Food in Exotic Destinations

Sarasota's Loren Ann Mayo recently founded a new company, luxeFIT, that offers weeklong luxury fitness retreats to exotic destinations.

03/07/2017 By staff

Transportation

Free Open-Air Trolley Coming to Siesta Key

Sarasota County Area Transit recently contracted with the private company Ride Right Transit to operate an open-air transit vehicle on Siesta Key.

03/01/2017 By staff

Sports

Brewery to Offer Growlers at Baseball Stadium

Darwin Brewing Co. is launching a new partnership with LECOM Park, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Bradenton Marauders.

02/23/2017 By staff

Data

Florida Tourism Hits New High

Florida set a new record for tourist visitation in 2016, according to new numbers announced by Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday.

02/16/2017 By staff

Data

Sports Tourism Numbers Way Up in 2016

The Sarasota County Sports Commission hosted 135 events in 2016, a 20 percent increase over 2015, and generated an economic impact of $178.6 million, a 23 percent increase.

02/14/2017 By staff

Tourism

Whiskey Festival Now America's Largest

Sarasota's fifth annual Whiskey Obsession festival, scheduled to take place March 29-April 1, will make the event the 'largest world whiskey festival' in the United States.

02/14/2017 By staff

Sports

Bradenton Ballpark Gets New Name

The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine announced on Friday that the Pirates' Bradenton spring training and minor league ballpark will be renamed from McKechnie Field to LECOM Park.

02/13/2017 By staff