r/sarasota

I’m going to be checking in on my parents home for a couple weeks in Bradenton and looking for things to do. I’m a Coloradoan so some good hikes would be cool. Preferably a little more wildernessy than touristy. Not a big beach person, but planning on taking my daily 3-4 mile walk along the beach. Any good places for that? Don’t know anything about the night life, like concerts and stuff. Is a couple days in Tampa worth it?

Not looking for hookups or anything, but wouldn’t mind some company. I’m 59M and quite fit, so active is great.

Yesterday's primary election marks a frsh start for the Sarasota County School Board. Three currently sitting members chose not to seek relection, those being  Robin Marinelli, Karen Rose and board chair Bridget Ziegler. Ypu may remember that Karen Rose was voted off of the school board in the last election, only to be reappointed to it by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which essentially negated the will of Sarasota County voters. Then there is Ziegler, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, who created more drama than a televised soap opera between her push for book bans and reported three-way trysts despite her "Christian" harping. To these two especially, I say "Good riddance!" and hope that their replacements on the board take their position seriously and remember that they are there to ultimately give kids a better education, not drive social media likes or power plays for themselves. Our community, and our kids, deserve better, and I hope that this election can bring the change that the school board desperately proverbially needs to right the ship.

Edit: results of the election show Jimmy Glover winning District 1, Megan Tennimon winning District 4 and Beth Mayberry winning District 5

Doesn’t have to be the most popular or the highest rated or anything like that. I want to surprise the wife and I’d love ideas that are outside of the norm (which for us are typically dry dock or one of the restaurants downtown).

Vote for the non-MAGA school board candidates today. Even if you don’t have kids. Do what’s right for Sarasota. Voter turnout is low. We need you. Voting is 7am - 7pm.

general info

where to go

who’s on your ballot

are there any schools locally that offer free/low cost mental health services/counseling done by students? i am struggling with anxiety due to a big life change, and can’t afford most therapy options due to the fact that i don’t have insurance.

Today is your local voting day! Yes it is the primary election, but ALL voters can participate in the school board race election as it is 👏 non-partisan 👏

Personally voting for
D1: tbd
D4: Megan Tennimon
D5: Beth Mayberry

I am torn between Heidi and Jimmy. I think having his perspective and experience would be amazing, and Heidi would bring her PTO perspective which means something to me, but both were hand picked by their respective parties and it’s annoying me. Teresa DeWitt is an obvious no considering she hates public schools, but as long as Megan and Beth win (who are qualified and smart and non political), seat 1 matters not.

Either way, vote! Our community has been calming down after a rough 5 years with partisan culture wars. Please let us maintain that. Let’s culture war in a system that doesn’t raise my kid please.

Trying to sell a practically brand-new Yamaha F335 guitar. Guitar Center wouldn't take it cause I bought it from them not so long ago for barely $170+tax, so they say it's worthless for them to take back now.

I'm guessing there might be some stores in town that take used instruments -- looking for some specific recommendations, if any!

This is an interesting—and disturbing—local election story.

The Florida Trident investigated LGAI and Sarasota County Facts, two organizations that claimed to be nonprofit government watchdogs while repeatedly targeting Sarasota County Commissioners Joe Neunder and Mark Smith with negative political posts.

Their political content included AI-generated material portraying candidates as saying or doing things that never happened.

Now their explanation is that it was “parody.”

But that's the part that bothers me: Did voters know they were looking at parody when they saw these attack ads, or did they think they were real?

Whatever your politics, AI makes it incredibly easy to blur that line.

The Florida Trident investigation is worth a read. Is calling something “parody” one day before the primary enough if voters couldn't tell it wasn't real?

https://floridatrident.org/sarasota-county-commission-lgai-ai-parody-ads/

I’ve lived in the SRQ area all my life and have never once seen a pro sports event in that arena, so what’s the big deal?

I’m from Iowa and looking to have a destination wedding in the Sarasota area! Hoping for around 150-200 guests, somewhere near the ocean/beach, with an outdoor ceremony and a coastal feel. Looking for something budget-friendly and open to nearby areas too! Would love any venue recommendations or personal experiences!

I am near St Armand's Circle and I had checked an old thread for restaurant recommendations and got the usual (Columbia, Crab and Fin etc.). Well, we stumbled upon an outstanding restaurant last night and I tried to add a recommendation to the original discussion and it was locked, so I decided to do this post. Just off the circle on Boulevard of Presidents is Flambo restaurant which opened at the end of 2025. It is owned by a father and son of Catibbean origin.

Every dish we had at Flambo was a hit. My husband is a bit sensitive to spice, and the chef/owner will tailor the spice accordingly. We had the corn soup (this was perfection ), pholouri (fried split pea fritters), lemongrass mussels (with the roti), samosas, beef stew and whole snapper. The mango dessert was like a frozen mango sorbet pie. Cocktails were excellent: the clarified pina colada was so good! We also had the passion and guava martinis. Service was amazing--the owners care deeply about their customers. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a true culinary experience in the area!

hi! i see on the weather app that there’s a good chance it will be raining in sarasota. does it usually rain in late august? thinking of visiting for the first time !