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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Siesta Key Beach Sand Sculpting Contest

This years 4th annual Siesta Key Beach - Crystal Classic Master Sand Sculpting Contest is taking place on Siesta Key Beach from November 15-18, 2013.  This has become an annual event that attracts 20 Master Sand Sculptors and over 35,000 attendees to Siesta Key Beach from around the world.

Starting Friday November 15, from 9-5 and continuing through Monday.  There will be a Vendors Village, Sand Sculpting Demonstrations, Live Music, Amateur Contests, Volleyball Competition, Shuttles for Parking and above all else 20 Master Sand Sculptors creating sand art some as high as ten feet tall.  Judging will take place on Sunday from 12:30-1:30 with an awards ceremony on Sunday from 3:00-4:00. 

Admission is $5 per person per day at the event or you can…

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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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Sarasota Chalk Festival 2012

This years Sarasota Chalk Festival is being held for 10 days from October 28th - November 6th in Downtown Sarasota.  Come and see over 500 Artist create 2D and 3D chalk images on the roads of Downtown Sarasota, with this years theme of "Circus City, USA".  There will be performance stages that will also highlight music, drama, dance, magic, acrobatic, and aerial performances.

The Festival is FREE for all the participates and veiwers and will be held between 300-600 South Pineapple Ave. For complete information and all the details about the Fesival please visit their website at ChalkFestival.org 

The following is just a little sample of the work that you will enjoy at the Sarasota Chalk Festival 2012.

This work done by JULIO JIMENEZ of California.…

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Top 10 Places to Retire - Sarasota, FL is at the Top of the List

This past week “Top Retirements.com” rated Sarasota, Florida at the top of their list for Best Places to Retire.  Please see their article and links to their website below.

Your Editor Picks: How We Rank the 10 Best Places to Retire – And Why

"February 28, 2012 — Last week we announced the list of the 100 Most Popular Retirement Towns, our annual list of the places that our visitors and members seem the most intrigued with. This week we decided to take that idea a little further by analyzing that list against 12 important retirement criteria. The result is a top 10 that looks very different, with 4 towns from the top 20 moving up to the top 10. Here are your editor’s selections for the “10 Best Places to Retire” – (the # in ( ) was its ranking…

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Sarasota Market Recovery with Barbara Corcoran on the TODAY SHOW, "Top 10 Biggest Markets on Sale"

This is a video clip about The Sarasota Real Estate Market Recovery by Barbara Corcoran on NBC’s TODAY SHOW with Al Roker.  “Top 10 Biggest Markets on Sale”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Trader Joe's is coming to Sarasota, Florida

Trader Joe’s is coming to Sarasota, FL

The Sarasota Herald reported this morning that the popular grocery store chain Trader Joe’s is opening their second Florida store in Sarasota. Trader Joe’s confirmed this week that they will be opening a store at the former Rooms To Go furniture store location at 4101 South Tamiami Trail which is just south of Bee Ridge Road and across the street from the Best Buy and Barnes and Noble shopping plaza.  Rooms To Go built and moved to a larger store further south on Tamiami Trail this past year. 

Sarasota is the second Trader Joe’s location in Florida, their first is in Naples, Florida. Trader Joe’s has become one of the most profitable retailers in the country based on square footage selling space according to…

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Palmer Ranch is on the grow with new Homes, Jobs, and Businesses

This past week the Sarasota Observer published the article below about the new growth that is happening in the Palmer Ranch area of Sarasota.  There is a definite uptick in activity with the new Kohl’s and Lowe’s stores now open and soon to have a new Costco that is now under construction.  As you will read there is also talk of new homes being built in Palmer Ranch.

Visit   Palmer Ranch Real Estate  to view all of the homes that are for sale. Choose a Palmer Ranch neighborhood from the list.

Palmer Ranch adding Homes, Jobs, Businesses.

Date: February 2, 2012

by: Kurt Schultheis | City Editor

Call it a new boom on the South Trail.

Palmer Ranch Holdings LLC Vice President Justin Powell confirmed for the Sarasota Observer this week that Palmer Ranch is under…

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