The Sarasota city limits contain several islands, called keys, including Lido Key, St. Armands Key, Otter Key, Coon Key, Bird Key, and the northern portion of Siesta Key as well as Bay Island. Longboat Key is the largest key separating Sarasota Bay from the Gulf of Mexico but is a separate municipality.
The city limits expanded significantly with the real estate rush of the early twentieth century, reaching almost 70 square miles (180 km2). The speculation boom began to crash in 1926 and the city limits began to contract, shrinking to less than a quarter of that area.[11]
The area known today as Sarasota appeared on a sheepskin Spanish map from 1763 with the word Zarazote over present-day Sarasota and Bradenton.[12] The origin of the name is disputed, with some claiming that it is based on conquistador Hernando de Soto's daughter Sara, and others claiming that it comes from "sara-de-cota," meaning "an area of land easily observed" in the language of the Calusa indigenous tribe.[13]
Around 1883 to 1885, The Florida Mortgage and Investment Company of Edinburgh bought 60,000 acres for development in what is now Sarasota. Many Scottish people began to arrive in Sarasota in December 1885.[4] The municipal government of Sarasota was established when it was incorporated as a town on October 14, 1902.[4]John Hamilton Gillespie was the first Mayor of the town government.[14] When reincorporated with a city form of government on May 13, 1913, A. B. Edwards became the first mayor of the city government.[4]
Geography and climate
Sarasota has a humid subtropical climate[15] with hot, humid summers and cooler, milder winters. The high temperatures and high humidity in the summer regularly push the heat index over 100 °F (38 °C). There are distinct rainy and dry seasons, with the rainy season lasting from March to November and the dry season from December to February. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.08 square miles (62.4 km2), of which 14.70 sq mi (38.07 km2) is land and 9.39 sq mi (24.3 km2) is water.
The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is the name given to the many natural deep water sections as well as humanmade channels, canals, and cuts that link the entire Sarasota Bay system.[16]
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 54,842 people, 25,209 households, and 12,474 families residing in the city.[21] Of that population in 2020, 3.9% were under 5 years old, 14.6% were under 18 years old, and 28.0% were 65 years and older. 52.5% of the population were female persons.[22]
As of 2020, 4,056 veterans lived in the city and 16.7% of the population were foreign born persons.[22]
In 2020, the median gross rent was $1,177. 92.5% of the households had a computer and 84.2% of the households had a broadband internet subscription.[22]
In 2020, 90.0% of the population over 25 years had completed a high school education, and 37.2% of the population over 25 years had a bachelor's degree or higher.[22]
In 2020, the median household income was $56,093 with a per capita income of $43,387. 15.6% of the population lived below the poverty threshold.[22]
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 51,917 people, 22,775 households, and 11,603 families residing in the city.[23]
Government
Sarasota municipal government was incorporated in 1913, changing from a town type to adopting the city type of local government found in the United States and the title of its government changed to "City of Sarasota". Sarasota later was designated as the county seat when Sarasota County was carved out of Manatee County in 1921 during the creation of several new counties. In 1945 the commission-manager government form was adopted for the city and it is governed by a five-person commission elected by popular vote, two members of which serve in the ceremonial positions of "mayor" and "vice-mayor", as chosen by the commission every April. Two at-large commissioners are elected by all voters and the city is divided into three districts for which the residents of each elect one district representative to the five member commission.
Many aspects of the city are overseen by the county government ranging from the schools, the libraries, the bay, major waterways, county-designated roads, the airport, fire departments, property and ad valorem taxes, voting, the health department, extension services, stormwater control, mosquito control, the courts, and the jail.
Mayors of Sarasota
The municipal government of Sarasota was established when it was incorporated as a town on October 14, 1902. Sarasota was then reincorporated as a city on May 13, 1913.[4]
Since its incorporation, Sarasota has been governed by a commission–manager form of government.[24] There are a total of five city commissioners: two that are elected "at large" and three from single-member districts. The mayor and vice mayor are selected from the five city commissioners.
Sarasota has many musical, dance, theatre, circus and other performing arts venues, including the Sarasota Ballet, Sarasota Opera, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, the Players Centre for Performing Arts, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Urbanite Theatre, Sarasota Contemporary Dance, Sarasota Orchestra, La Musica, Jazz Club of Sarasota, Sarasota Youth Opera, Circus Arts Conservatory and many others.
In the early 1950s, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art purchased a historic Italian theater, the "Asolo" (now called the Historic Asolo Theater). This theatre was originally built for Queen Caterina of Cyprus' palace in Asolo, Italy in 1798 but was dismantled in 1931.[38] A. Everett "Chick" Austin, the museum's first director, arranged the purchase and reassembly of the theater for performances of plays and opera.
In 1989, Stuart Barger, a local architect, designed and oversaw the construction of another Asolo Theater, housed in the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts. It is a multi-theater complex, located farther east on the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art property, being placed between Bay Shore Road and Tamiami Trail, and facing south toward Ringling Plaza. It was built around a rococo, historic Scottish theater previously called the Dunfermline Opera House, which had been shipped to Florida. The complex provides venues and facilities for students of Florida State University's MFA Acting program, the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. This was the administrative home of the Sarasota French Film Festival for several years.
Florida Studio Theatre's Keating Theatre, formerly the Sarasota Woman's Club, is amongst the oldest surviving buildings in Sarasota. Founded in 1903, the Sarasota Woman's Club eventually set out to create a meeting place to house social events, activities, and forums. On January 1, 1915, the cornerstone was laid at the corner of Palm Avenue and Park Street (now Cocoanut). It served as the town's first library and hosted numerous clubs and public committee gatherings. The Woman's Club also maintained a census and birth registration, an area PTA, and a Red Cross Auxiliary.
The Sarasota Woman's Club relocated in 1976 and the building became slated for demolition. Marian McKenna, a patron, and supporter of the arts, did not want to see the building and her memories destroyed. She purchased the building and later sold it to Florida Studio Theatre.[39]
In 1985, the Sarasota Woman's Club building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. After completing more renovations to the historic building in 2003, the theatre was renamed the Keating Theatre in honor of Ed and Elaine Keating, and in 2004, additional lobby space was built in the theatre - the Bea Friedman Room. FST's Keating Theatre now seats 173 and remains a cultural center of Sarasota.
In 2003, FST purchased the Gompertz Theatre. The building was originally the Park-Seventh Movie House in the 1920s. Due to the Depression, the movie house shut its doors and became an empty venue. During its predominantly vacant period in the 1940s, the theatre hosted a variety of roadshows and performers, including Tom Mix and his Wonder Horse and the All Girls' Orchestra. During this time it was known as the Garden Theater, and later the Art Theater, before becoming known as the Palm Tree Playhouse in 1951. The Playhouse closed again in the 1960s. In the mid-1970s, Asolo Theatre purchased the space for production purposes and their Stage Two Theatre program. It was subsequently sold to Anita Katzman and reoccupied by Siesta Key Actors Theatre and Theatre Works in the 1980s. The building was acquired by Florida Studio Theatre and renamed the Gompertz Theatre in honor of Mrs. Leila Gompertz, who made the lead gift enabling the purchase.[40]
Music
Sarasota is the home of the Sarasota Orchestra, which was founded by Ruth Cotton Butler in 1949 and known for years as the Florida West Coast Symphony. It holds a three-week Sarasota Music Festival that is recognized internationally and boasts it attracts renowned teachers and the finest students of chamber music.
Sarasota also boasts a symphonic chorus, Key Chorale, and professional vocal ensemble, Choral Artists of Sarasota. The Jazz Club of Sarasota is one of the largest and most active jazz clubs in the United States and has promoted jazz events in Sarasota for 39 years.
Elvis Presley, Tommy Dorsey and Gregg Allman each played concerts in Sarasota.
Sarasota and the Cultural Coast are home to fine art, film-making, circus history and performance, and decorative arts. The Sarasota Art Museum and the Ringling Museum are both in Sarasota.
Sarasota is also home to The Circus Arts Conservatory, which is responsible for the tent show Circus Sarasota[44][45][46] and the "oldest youth circus", Sailor Circus.[47][42] In 2017, The Circus Arts Conservatory took part in the Smithsonian Folk Festival.[48]
The Showfolks Club, a social organization that also puts on an annual circus performance billed as "Sarasota’s longest running circus event", is located in Sarasota.[49][50][51][52]
Residents of Sarasota that have been associated with the circus include daredevil and Guinness World Record holder Bello Nock, himself an honoree of the Circus Ring of Fame,[44] as well as aerialist and circus proprietor Dolly Jacobs, who cofounded The Circus Arts Conservatory.[57]
Since 1998, the city has hosted the Sarasota Film Festival annually. The festival attracts independent films from around the world. It claims to be one of Florida's largest film festivals. In 2009 the annual Ringling International Arts Festival, held its premier and held its closing event in the historic Asolo theater, which had been moved and rebuilt again. The historic Venetian theater now is housed in the reception building for the museum where it is used for special events as well as performances, informative purposes, and another seasonal film series hosted by the museum.
Florida Studio Theatre produces the annual Sarasota Improv Festival. Founded in 2009 by Rebecca Hopkins, FST's annual Sarasota Improv Festival brings together the best improvisers from across the country and around the world for a whirlwind weekend of spontaneous creativity. The Festival has become a destination event, drawing thousands of people from across the state of Florida and beyond. Past performers have come from as far as Mexico, Canada, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom to perform on Florida's Gulf Coast.
In 2010, the Sarasota Chalk Festival that is held yearly in the historic area of Burns Square became the first international street painting festival in the United States of America. Celebrating the sixteenth century performance art of Italian street painting, the festival hosted Maestro Madonnaro Edgar Mueller from Germany, who created the first street painting that changed images from day to night.[60][61][62][63] The festival has a different theme each year and has introduced new techniques in street art. Other applications of street art such as murals and "cellograff graffiti" have become companion events also produced by Avenida de Colores, Inc. The murals are part of the "Going Vertical" project and although it sometimes coincides with the chalk festival, it is distinct from it and often continues throughout the year. Except for a few commissioned on public property in the Palm Avenue Parking Garage, the murals are on private property and they are in many sections of Sarasota and in Manatee County as well. As of 2014[update] the Sarasota Chalk festival has relocated to Venice, FL, a small town just South of Sarasota. The name Sarasota Chalk Festival remains the same.
It is also home to the Harvey Milk Festival, an independent music festival in support of civil rights, focusing on the LGBTQ community. It has been celebrated in May annually since 2010 on the weekend closest to Harvey Milk's birthday, and is currently the largest independent music festival in Sarasota, with thousands of attendees throughout the free, public, multi-day event, that also includes gallery showings, film, and other live performances.
Architecture
A large number of homes and buildings are designed in the Italian style. Italian architecture and culture are present in the area including at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Ringling's home, Cà d'Zan, was mostly modeled on the Venetian.[64] Examples of those more typically seen in the same style are the residences of Edith Ringling [65] and of Hester Ringling Lancaster Sanford,[66] that also are among the structures in the Caples–Ringling Estates Historic District. Italian inspired statues are also common and the copy of Michelangelo's David at the museum is used as the symbol of Sarasota.[67]
Sarasota School of Architecture
The Sarasota School of Architecture developed as a variant of mid-century modernist architecture. It incorporates elements of both the Bauhaus and Frank Lloyd Wright's "organic" architecture. The style developed as an adaptation to the area's sub-tropical climate and used newly emerging materials that were manufactured or implemented following World War II.[citation needed]
By the end of the twentieth century, many of Sarasota's more modest historical structures were demolished. Recently, two historic buildings, the Crocker Church and the Bidwell-Wood House (the oldest remaining structure in the city),[68] first restored by Veronica Morgan and members of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation that she founded, became city property. These structures were relocated to this park, despite protests from residents who objected to the loss of park area.
In the late 1970s, Sarasota County purchased the Terrace Hotel that Charles Ringling built and renovated it for use as a county government office building.[69] The adjacent courthouse that he donated to the new county in 1921 has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The courthouse complex was designed by Dwight James Baum.
In the next decade, the landmark hotel built by Owen Burns, the El Vernona, which had been turned into apartments, became endangered. By then, it was called the John Ringling Towers and was purchased by a phosphate miner, Gardinier, who wanted to turn it into his corporate headquarters. Plans were made to restore the building. The city commissioners initially supported the plan, but lobbying to undermine the project began, and one of the commissioners changed her vote. The project was denied at the final hearing.
Remarkable preservation success occurred during the 1990s when the community exhibition hall, the Municipal Auditorium, designed by Thomas Reed Martin and Clarence A. Martin, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and meticulously restored to its depression recovery era, 1937 WPA community project, completion status, and its architectural glory—both inside and out. The city boasts that 100,000 people use it every year and it is a boon to the community for recreation, lawn sports, as well as being heavily attended for auctions, concerts, conventions, flea markets, galas, graduations, lectures, orchid and flower shows, and a full range of trade shows of interest to the community. Later the Federal Building, designed by George Albee Freeman (the designer of Seagate for industrialist Powell Crosley Jr.) and Louis A. Simon, which initially had served as the post office was restored as well.
Most of the luxurious historic residences from the 1920s boom period along the northern shore of Sarasota Bay also have survived. This string of homes, built on large parcels of elevated land along the widest point of the bay, is anchored by the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art at its center.
Many significant structures from the comparatively recent "Sarasota School of Architecture" period of the mid-twentieth century, however, have not survived. Since they do not qualify under the age criteria set for historic preservation nominations, their historical aspect often escapes public recognition. Others frequently are threatened by demolition plans for new development without consideration of their cultural and historical importance to the community instead of motivating the implementation of plans to retain the buildings and integrate them into new plans.
In 2006, the Sarasota County School Board slated one of Paul Rudolph's largest Sarasota projects, Riverview High School, for demolition. The board decided despite protests by many community members, including architects, historic preservationists, and urban planners. Others supported the demolition as they believed the structure was no longer functional. The issue was divisive. The World Monuments Fund included the school on its 2008 Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in the category Main Street Modern.
Following a March 2007 charrette led by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a proposal was advanced to renovate and preserve Rudolph's buildings. The school board decided to allow a year to consider implementing the innovative plan proposed to preserve the buildings, which would include building a parking garage with playing fields above it rather than demolishing the structures. In early June 2008, the school board voted in a 3–2 decision to allow the demolition; School board members Shirley Brown, Caroline Zucker and Frank Kovatch voted against preserving the historic high school.[70] This decision was that school would be demolished and that a parking lot would replace it. One year later, in June 2009, Riverview High School was demolished.[71]
In December 2019, a former Sarasota High School facility was transformed into the Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College.[72] The 93-year-old building was renovated to include 80,000 square feet for the museum's campus with about 15,000 square feet for exhibitions, costing about $30 million according to the president of Ringling College, Larry Thompson.[72]
Other notable cultural features
The Sarasota neighborhood of Pinecraft is home to a relatively liberal Amish-Mennonite community which is unusual compared to other Amish communities as it consists mainly of elderly who moved to Florida because of its mild climate, of Amish people who are on holiday and of Amish who do not fit in easily in other communities.[73]Breaking Amish: Brave New World, a television series of scripted reality is set in Pinecraft. It is a spin-off of Breaking Amish.
The Rosemary District was an African American community and is home to the Boulevard of the Arts. Newtown is predominantly and historically African American.
Sarasota made national headlines in July of 1974 when WWSB (then called WXLT) news anchor Christine Chubbuck shot herself live on-air.
Radio
Arbitron has identified the Sarasota-Bradenton radio market as the seventy-third largest market in the country,[75] and the sixth largest in the state of Florida. There are eight radio stations in the city: WSMR (89.1FM, classical music), WSLR-LP (96.5FM, variety-talk and community issues), WKZM (104.3FM, religious; repeating WKESLakeland), WSRZ (107.9FM, oldies), WLSS (930AM, talk), WSRQ (1220AM, 98.9FM, 106.9FM, talk), WTMY (1280AM, talk), WTZB (105.9FM, rock music; commonly known as The Buzz) and WSDV (1450AM, adult standards). WHPT (102.5 FM, Hot Talk) and WRUB (106.5FM, Spanish) are licensed to Sarasota and have broadcasting facilities in the Sarasota / Bradenton area, but have studios in the Tampa Bay area and are focused on that region.
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is the daily newspaper published in the city and the weekly newspaper is the Sarasota Observer. From neighboring Manatee County, the Bradenton Herald also is distributed daily in the area and The Bradenton Times is an electronic weekly newspaper that covers Sarasota topics as well. Sarasota Magazine also served the community.
Sports and recreation
Sports
Soccer
Sarasota is home to the Sarasota Paradise, an amateur team who play in the USL League Two, founded in 2023, the team plays it games at Charlie Cleland Stadium at Ihrig Field.
Stadiums
In 1937 the Municipal Auditorium-Recreation Club was built with funds provided by the Works Progress Administration, the municipal government, and local residents and business owners. It became a center for sports, entertainment, and recreation. The sports activities have ranged from badminton, basketball, boating, lawn bowling, and shuffleboard, to tennis. The auditorium hosts clubs for cards, dancing, games, gardening, and numerous hobbies as well as having become the community meeting place for commercial and educational shows and the venue for local schools and charities to hold events and dances. Tourists are attracted to exhibitions provided by local businesses as well as vendors from national circuits. This building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places because of its architecture and for providing the enormous range of community activities that are scheduled at it every week.
The warm climate helped the Sarasota area become a popular golf destination. John Hamilton Gillespie was an early pioneer of the game in Sarasota. The Sara Bay course in the Whitfield area was designed by golf architect Donald Ross. Bobby Jones was associated with the community course in Sarasota. Many courses dot the area, including the one originally laid out for the hotel John Ringling planned on the southern tip of Longboat Key.
Fishing
Sport fishing attracts enthusiasts to Sarasota as a result of the action that the bay offers. Tarpon was the biggest draw, but gigantic gar as well as many other species abounded to attract the notable Owen Burns and Powel Crosley.
Marathon
The Sarasota Marathon started in 2005. In 2010, declining sponsorship and marathon registration led organizers to change the event to a half marathon. The race begins and ends near the John and Mable Ringling Museum.[78]
Swimming
Lido Beach Pool in Sarasota, 1946
Sarasota is home to two swim teams. The Sarasota Sharks have won national championships. A newer team, the Sarasota Tsunami, was founded by the former Sharks head coach and is also nationally competitive. The teams maintain a rivalry.[79]
Sailing
The Sarasota Sailing Squadron is a highly active facility that has hosted many nationally renowned regattas for both dinghies and larger vessels.[80]
Nathan Benderson Park contains a lake with a specialized 2,000 meter eight-lane rowing course. It was the venue for the World Rowing Championships in 2017, held on September 23 – October 1, 2017.[83] The park has been the site of USRowing's Youth National Championship Regatta in June 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2023 and has hosted the NCAA women's rowing national championship (Division I, Division II and Division III) in 2018, 2021 and 2022. The park has also hosted trials of the men's and women's U.S. teams for the Summer Olympic Games of 2016 and 2020.
Sarasota is home of the Whiskey Obsession Festival, the largest whiskey festival in Florida. Established in 2013, the festival features several hundred whiskies from around the world. Dozens of professional brand ambassadors and distillers participate in the festival by engaging in panel discussions, leading classes, and tastings.[85]
Water skiing
Sarasota is home to the Sarasota Ski-A-Rees, an amateur water ski show team. They began in 1957. Present day, they perform weekly free water ski shows (seasonally) for the public on Ken Thompson Park. The team competes in regional tournaments annually and won the National Show Ski Championships in 2017.
Transportation
Aerial photo of Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport
Five airlines offer service out of the airport to locations primarily in the United States and Canada. The airport serves more than 1,300,000 passengers per year. The airport holds full port of entry status providing U.S. Customs inspections for international travelers.[86]St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport and Tampa International Airport are located about an hour north from Sarasota, and Southwest Florida International Airport in Ft. Myers an hour and 45 min south of Sarasota. All 3 offer a wider range of national and international flights.
A key issue is providing Sarasota with access to the Florida High Speed Rail. The Seaboard Coast Line ran intercity train service to the city until 1971.[89] There is no Amtrak train which stops in Sarasota, but Amtrak provides Amtrak Thruway at Sarasota Station, located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from the city limits of Sarasota, to the nearest Amtrak terminal in Tampa.[90] A freight-only rail line operated by Seminole Gulf Railway does serve industries in Sarasota. The Seaboard Coast Line ran the last passenger train, the West Coast Champion, to the company's depot on 1971.[91]
Water
As a city located on the Gulf of Mexico, water transportation is a key consideration. The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3,000-mile (4,800 km) waterway providing water access to and from the Atlantic coast for tugs, barges, and leisure boats. Port Manatee and the Port of Tampa both provide nearby deep water ports.[86] Port Manatee provides cargo service primarily while the Port of Tampa is more diverse. Port Manatee formerly even had a cruise line, Regal Cruise Line from 1993–2003. It was seized by U.S Marshals on April 18, 2003, for not being maintained.[92][93] The waterway enters Sarasota Bay which provides access to downtown Sarasota at the city pier.
Roads
Because of its location on the Gulf of Mexico and its proximity to several other large metropolitan areas, road transportation is critical to the Sarasota area. The major roads in the area include:
I-75 – the only freeway in the area, I-75 is located five miles (8.0 km) east from the center of Sarasota and is a major interstate leading south to Miami and north to Tampa
U.S. 41Tamiami Trail – a major north-south route through Sarasota enters the city from the south before heading west at the south end of U.S. 301; after briefly following Bayfront Drive the Trail heads north again paralleling the coast
U.S. 301 – heading north from its intersection with U.S. 41, U.S. 301 follows Washington Boulevard running parallel to U.S. 41 until the two roads merge again in Manatee County
SR 780 – Fruitville Road (Third Street) – a main east-west thoroughfare linking U.S. 41, U.S. 301, and Interstate 75
SR 789 – starts out as John Ringling Causeway before heading to Bird Key and Lido Key, SR 789 turns north and becomes Gulf of Mexico Drive, a major road on the islands between Sarasota and Bradenton
The U.S. sister city program began in 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a people-to-people, citizen diplomacy initiative. The Sarasota chapter was established in 1963. A sister city, county, or state relationship is a broad-based, long-term partnership between two communities in two countries. A relationship is officially recognized after the highest elected or appointed official from both communities sign off on an agreement to become sister cities.[94]
^Jennings, David, A Tale of Two Commissions, Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, Inc. Newsletter, February 2005, volume twenty, number two, Box 1754, Sarasota, Florida 34230 – with illustrations of Crocker Church and Bidwell-Wood House by Kafi Benz
^LaHurd, Jeff, Sarasota, A History, The History Press, Charleston, South Carolina, IBSSN 1-59629-119-2
†This populated place also has portions within the city limits of North Port, ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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