Sarasota County Portrait - What Makes Sarasota?

Florida Trend's September 2015  issue featured an article about Sarasota by Amy Martinez. 

Amy writes, " Sarasota's size, good schools and arts infrastructure are attracting a young 'creative class' of workers and entrepreneurs for whom quality-of-life considerations are paramount in deciding where to live and work "

EVOLUTION
by Amy Martinez

Traditionally, Sarasota and its economy have been defined by a large population of affluent retirees, highly rated beaches and a vibrant arts, scene - the legacy of, among others, circus legend John Ringling and his wife, Mable.  Ringling settled in Sarasota full time after years of visiting on vacation and left his mansion with its large art collection to the state of Florida when he died in 1936. 

The…

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Sarasota Real Estate Agent

Sara Leicht is an experienced Sarasota Real Estate Agent who has worked with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty and recently started her own full service real estate brokerage SaraSellsSarasota.com, with her husband Greg Leicht, Managing Broker.  While Sara was with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices she ranked as the #3 agent in the state out of the 1,800 Florida agents and 43 offices.

As a Sarasota Real Estate Agent, Sara Leicht works out of her Palmer Ranch office which lets her cover Palmer Ranch, Sarasota and Her Islands.  The Palmer Ranch office is in the perfect location for easy access to Palmer Ranch, The Oaks Country Club, Casey Key, Nokomis/Osprey, Siesta Key, West of the Trail, and is about a 10 minute drive to Downtown Sarasota.…

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Palmer Ranch: New Home Construction and New Neighborhoods

Palmer Ranch is now seeing a flurry of new home construction with 6 new Palmer Ranch neighborhoods being built. After taking a break from 2006 to 2011, builders such as Taylor Morrison and the PutleGroup are now busy clearing land and adding new neighborhoods to one of the most desirable areas of Sarasota.  Josh Salman of the Sarasota Herald Tribune recently wrote the following article.

By Josh Salman, Sarasota Herald Tribune June 1, 2015

The South is Rising. Stymied by the Great Recession, the Palmer Ranch are of southern Sarasota County is coming roaring back.

Southwest Florida's real estate boom has made its way to Palmer Ranch a master-planned community in southern Sarasota County marked by prestigious golf courses, wandering families of…

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Lido Beach Sand Renourished 2015

Recently the sands of Lido Beach Renourishment project was completed by the city of Sarasota for the summer of 2015.  A larger project is being discussed for the future with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Ian Cummings of the Sarasota Herald Tribune recenlty posted this article on May 29, 2015.

SARASOTA - Visitors to Lido Beach this summer will find the shoreline more robust than it has been in years.

A city project this spring fortified the beach with 200,000 cubic yards of additional sand. The recycled sand, deposited on a 1.8-mile stretch of beach from Lido Pool to Ted Sperling Park, restored losses from Tropical Storm Debby in 2012.

The city project was mostly completed in March, before sea turtle nesting started in May. Sarasota city…

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Flood Maps for Sarasota County

The Sarasota County has released an interactive flood Mapping tool to help homeowners to determine if their property is in a flood zone as according to proposed preliminary FEMA high risk flood zones.

Sarasota Country Interactive Flood Map Tool

The Federal Emergency Management Agency –FEMA has been updating the nation’s flood maps known as “Flood Insurance Rate Maps” also known as FIRMs to reflect the current flood risks.

Flood risks can change overtime due to many factors including new community growth, erosion, and the addition and aging of flood control structures and systems. Areas that may have been at one time or another flood risk free may be now categorized into flood zones areas with the new maps. This may mean new mandatory flood…

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Daily Airline Flights to Sarasota-Bradenton International SRQ Airport

The Sarasota Bradenton International Airport has expanded over the years to now include a large number of daily non-stop flights to 10 major cities.  5 Airlines are now offering non-stop daily flights, some for just the winter snow-bird season while others are offering year round daily service.    

Atlanta (ATL)    
Delta Airlines now has between 5-7 daily year round flights to Atlanta.

Boston (BOS) 
Jet Blue offers a daily flight during the winter and spring season.

Charlotte, NC (CLT)   
American/US Airways averages 5 daily year round flights to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Chicago (ORD)   
United Airlines offers a daily year round flight, and are adding a second daily flight from December 18 - April 6, with a third daily flight added on Fridays and…

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The Mall at University Town Center

The Mall at University Town Center Opening in Sarasota, FL with over 100 Stores

Opening on October 16, 2014 The Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota will be the premier shopping experience with over 100 upscale fashion and lifestyle retailers with about half being unique to the Sarasota area.  This new mall is over 880,000 sq. ft. on 73 Acres of an overall mix of 276 acres for the entire site that sits next to the new Nathan Benderson Rowing Park, home to the 2017 World Rowing Championships.  And YES the Apple Store that we have all been waiting for is coming to Sarasota!

Located at the southwest corner of I-75 and University Parkway at exit 213 this opening has been eagerly anticipated for years.

The Mall at University Town Center will be…

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Best City for Retirement in the Nation - Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota, Florida has been recently chosen as the "The #1 Best City for Retirement" by financial education website Credit Donkey.com  Citing cultural activities, the number of health care facilities, and a strong and growing economy Sarasota was chosen the best city for retirees.

1. Sarasota, Florida
2. Honolulu, Hawaii
3. Bridgeport, Connecticut
4. Tucson, Arizona
5. Springfield, Massachusetts
6. Albany, New York
7. Charleston, South Carolina
8. Cape Coral, Florida
9. Allentown, Pennsylvania
10. New Haven, Connecticut

1. SARASOTA, FL  

• Population 60 years and older: 35.9%
• Multi-unit houses: 24.7%
• Healthcare practices per 1,000 people: 3.34
• Cultural attractions: 15
• Population growth: 1.6%

Ranking first for both its 60+…

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Sarasota Top Ten Luxury Home Sale for 2013

Michael Braga of the Sarasota Herald Tribune recently published a great article about the Top Ten Luxury Home Sales for Sarasota in 2013 and who bought those homes.  The complete article is below with pictures from Michael Braga and the Herald Tribune.  Sarasota is such a great place to live and attacts people from all over.  Enjoy the Article!

Top Ten Luxury Home Sale in 2013
By Michael Braga of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune

A well-known comedienne, the founders of a military technology company, the chief executive of Sherwin Williams and two real estate developers were among the top 10 luxury home buyers in Manatee and Sarasota counties during 2013.  There also was a conveyor belt company owner and software developer.  But the largest contingent of…

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New York Times Article: 36 Hours in Sarasota by Geraldine Fabrikant

The following article was published in the Travel Section of the New York Times.

36 Hours in Sarasota, Fla.

By GERALDINE FABRIKANT

WHERE else can one spend the morning reveling in the beauty of works by Peter Paul Rubens, Frans Hals and Botticelli and the afternoon lolling on a powdery white sand beach? That is the lure of Sarasota, the city perched on the Gulf of Mexico where John and Mable Ringling, the circus impresario and his wife, set the stage for a vibrant cultural life after buying land there in 1911. Not only did John Ringling create the old-master-filled John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, but he brought the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus to winter in Sarasota. His elephants even hauled timber…

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