K-12

Sarasota’s public schools consistently rank among the best in Florida and the nation. The county has 33 private schools, two-thirds of which are religiously affiliated.

The Sarasota County School District is one of only two in Florida to maintain an “A” rating every year since the state started the grading system in 2004.

Sarasota County residents value public education even though many may not have school-age children. Last year, a referendum to renew an additional 1 mill property tax for schools — the maximum the state allows — passed with 79% of the vote. The extra tax generates about $56 million annually and allows for higher-than-state-average teacher pay, longer school days and broader curriculums.

The school district is one of only six in the nation that participates in Kennedy Center’s Any Given Child program, which strives to provide access to arts education to every K-8 student. The National School Boards Association and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have recognized the district for its success.

In addition to traditional schools, the Sarasota County School District has magnet schools. U.S. News & World Report rated Pine View High School for the Gifted the No. 1 high school in Florida and 19th in the nation. Suncoast Polytechnical High School has a career and technologydriven curriculum. The district also allows high school students dual enrollment in Suncoast Technical College.

Higher Education

Higher education in Sarasota County ranges from satellite campuses of Florida’s larger universities to small colleges to technical school. In 2017, the Cross College Alliance was formed to expand learning opportunities and allow a seamless educational experience among five major area institutes, including the University of South Florida-Sarasota/Manatee, New College of Florida, the Ringling College of Art, the State College of Sarasota/Manatee and the Ringling College of Art and Design.

• USF-Sarasota/Manatee has roughly 2,000 students and offers more than 40 bachelor’s and master’s degrees and professional certificate programs from a nationally ranked research university. The USF campus also takes advantage of its location by partnering with Mote Marine Laboratory, which provides classroom space and opportunities to intern with world-renowned marine scientists.
• New College of Florida is a topranked public liberal arts university with just under 1,000 students. New College has plans to double its enrollment by 2022.
• State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota works closely with the business community and offers a range of bachelor’s degrees, certificate programs and adult education courses, including a nursing program that ranks fourth in the state.
• The Ringling College of Art and Design is a private college offering degrees in fields ranging from advertising design to creative writing to graphic animation. Its students routinely win national Addy Awards, and it graduates are regularly listed in the credits of Oscar-nominated and award-winning films.
• Florida State University offers training for third- and fourth-year medical students at its regional College of Medicine campus and advanced study for performers at the Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training.
• The University of Florida has three footprints in the area: the Innovation Station Sarasota County is the first engineering extension office of UF's Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering; the UF IFAS Extension Office serves the agricultural community; CityLab-Sarasota provides educational services and community outreach.
• Suncoast Technical College provides a local workforce trained in computer technology, health, criminal justice, human services and industry trades.
• The Sarasota/Manatee County area is also home to campuses of private regional and national colleges, including the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Keiser University and Everglades College.

Arts

In 2017, the non-profit arts sector contributed nearly $3 billion to the local economy and employed 7,445, according to a national study by Americans for the Arts.

Sarasota’s wealth of art traces back to circus magnate John Ringling, who in 1931 opened the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art to house his personal collection. Today, the museum property, now owned by the state, is home to the Circus Museum; the Asolo Repertory Theatre, the largest professional nonprofit theater south of Atlanta; and the Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training.

Downtown, the Sarasota Opera stages productions in a 1,100- seat historic theater. Meanwhile, the iconic purple seashell-shaped Van Wezel performing arts center hosts more than 100 events a year, including performances by the Sarasota Orchestra, Sarasota Ballet and international performers. The cityowned landmark, designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Taliesan Associated Architects, entertains 265,000 visitors a year.

In a nod to Sarasota’s past, the Circus Arts Conservatory and Sail-or Circus Academy stage big-top performances throughout the year.

Community theaters, art galleries, history museums and cultural events abound throughout the county. Per capita, Venice Theater is the largest non-profit community theater in the nation. The red carpet rolls out for 10 days during Sarasota Film Festival. The Sarasota Festival of Arts brings about 250 arts vendors to downtown.

Beaches

Sarasota County has six barrier islands, all with public beach areas. Longboat Key is lined with beachfront condo towers and miles of golf courses. Siesta Key contains more bungalow and low-rise structures.Popular with families, Siesta Beach tops many national “best beaches” list. Lido Key beaches are near St. Armands Circle, a shopping and entertainment district.

Casey Key, with mansions nestled among mangroves, is a sleepy slice of island with a sprinkling of rentals and the oldest beach park in the county. Venice beaches are known as a good place to find fossilized shark teeth. Venice also has the only dog-friendly beach in the county. Nature lovers, fishermen and kayakers gravitate to Manasota Key, which has secluded beaches and mangrove- lined waterways.

Parks and Preserves

Sarasota County has thousands of acres of parks and nature preserves, including the 12.5-mile Legacy Trail, a former rail spur that runs from Sarasota to Venice. The county also has two state parks. At 37,000 acres, Myakka River State Park is one of the state’s largest. Oscar Scherer State Park skirts the coast between Sarasota and Venice.

Transportation

I-75 is the major access point from Tampa Bay to the north and Naples to the south. Major local and state roadway expansions are in the works throughout the county, which has also adopted the Complete Streets program, with plans to make streets safer for pedestrian and cyclists.

Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Elite Airways, Jet- Blue Airways, United Airlines and Allegiant offer flights to Sarasota- Bradenton International Airport. Visitors can fly commercial non-stop to Sarasota from 14 U.S. and Canadian cities. Venice Municipal Airport offers private, corporate and charter flights.

The Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) has about 25 bus routes and an express bus service between North Port and Sarasota. The Siesta Key Beach Free Trolley runs seven days a week between Turtle Beach and Siesta Village.

Sports

Sarasota’s Ed Smith Stadium has been the spring training home for the Baltimore Orioles since 2010. It has an economic impact of $97 million annually, according to a study commissioned by Sarasota County. The Atlanta Braves are expected to join the Orioles in 2020 as the team moves its spring training to North Port from Kissimmee. Construction is underway on the Braves’ $100-million sports complex in the West Villages planned community.

The county is also home to Nathan Benderson Park, a 400-acre public lake with a state-of-the-art rowing facility that hosted the World Rowing Championships last fall.

Fox Lea Farms in Venice is a national hot spot for horse shows and hosts more than 160 events a year. In addition, there is an equestrian arena and polo fields.

Other Attractions

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium on City Island in Sarasota is a popular tourist attraction in addition to being a world-renowned oceanic research facility. If a fundraising campaign succeeds, the non-profit plans to move its aquarium to Nathan Benderson Park in 2020.

More than 140,000 people a year visit Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, which features rare tropical plants as well as a research facility on the banks of Sarasota Bay in downtown Sarasota.

Sarasota Jungle Gardens is a taste of Old Florida tourism mixing tropical plants with more than 200 native and exotic animals.

Economic Development

Several chambers, associations and economic development groups in Sarasota County help economic development. Primary organizations include:

• Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County — The EDC is the business go-to for information on local incentives, development sites, financing and permitting. It is also a conduit to other local, state and national assistance organizations. Its economic gardening program provides existing companies with mentoring, strategic analysis and other assistance.
• Argus Foundation — The non-profit composed of top business leaders serves as a think tank and a government watchdog group that interacts with civic leaders and other business groups in contributing to public dialogue.
• Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce — The county’s largest chamber of commerce offers networking opportunities, along with a Leadership Sarasota County program that helps identify and groom future business and civic leaders. It sponsors a Young Professionals Group and offers members access to Shumaker Chamber University educational events.
• Other chambers — Englewood Chamber of Commerce, Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, Osprey Nokomis Florida Chamber of Commerce, North Port Area Chamber of Commerce, Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce and Venice Area Chamber of Commerce.

Challenges

Growth and prosperity don’t come without challenges:

• Affordable Housing: The median list price of homes in Sarasota County was $339,000 in June and median rent was $2,200, according to Zillow. Many service workers choose to buy or rent in more affordable areas in the county’s southern tier or in Manatee County to the north.
• Transportation: One in five jobs in the county is within a short distance of I-75. Commuting patterns, along with increased tourism and development, has increased traffic throughout the county.
• Aging Population: Sarasota’s median age of 55.7 is substantially higher than the U.S. median age of 38.2. Despite an increase in millennials, the county is still growing older faster than it is growing younger. In 2009, the median age was 50.7, and those 65 and older made up 29.6% of the population, according to U.S. Census estimates. In 2017, those 65 and older made up 36.1% of the population.
• Sea-Level Rise: Located on the Gulf of Mexico, Sarasota County is susceptible to volatile weather and sea-level rise. The city of Sarasota ranks the second in the U.S. among cities most vulnerable to the economic impacts of rising seas, falling only behind Miami Beach, according to a 2018 report by Four Twenty Seven, an advisory firm that studies the economic impacts of climate change. Sarasota Bay has risen 7 inches since 1947. To mitigate the impact, the city is also in the process of evaluating all public property and roads that may be at risk and developing a plan to move or alter as necessary.