The Sarasota Record
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Sarasota — your local wire.
Sarasota — your local wire.
Community
Latest reporting from the Community desk.
Community
Latest reporting from the Community desk.
Community
Latest reporting from the Community desk.
Community
Dolly Parton honored by Van Wezel, Sarasota book program
Sarasota institutions mourn Dolly Parton after her death Aug. 25, 2026, at age 80, with the Van Wezel recalling her sold-out 2011 concert and the Library Foundation for Sarasota County continuing her Imagination Library book program for local children.
Community
Mote team produces 1.5 million coral embryos in Keys restoration
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium and 11 partner organizations produced more than 1.5 million coral embryos during an assisted-spawning effort in early August 2026, a landmark step toward restoring Florida's reef after the 2023 heat wave devastated remaining branching coral populations.
Sarasota, FL
80°F
Sunny
Feels like 95° · 7% rain
SatMostly Sunny93°F38%
SunMostly Sunny92°F76%
MonMostly Sunny92°F81%
TueMostly Sunny92°F83%
WedMostly Sunny91°F72%
ThuScattered Showers And Thunderstorms91°F68%
FriIsolated Showers And Thunderstorms90°F60%
Community
Dolly Parton honored by Van Wezel, Sarasota book program
Sarasota institutions mourn Dolly Parton after her death Aug. 25, 2026, at age 80, with the Van Wezel recalling her sold-out 2011 concert and the Library Foundation for Sarasota County continuing her Imagination Library book program for local children.
Sarasota, FL
80°F
Sunny
Feels like 95° · 7% rain
SatMostly Sunny93°F38%
SunMostly Sunny92°F76%
MonMostly Sunny92°F81%
TueMostly Sunny92°F83%
WedMostly Sunny91°F72%
ThuScattered Showers And Thunderstorms91°F68%
FriIsolated Showers And Thunderstorms90°F60%
Community
Dolly Parton honored by Van Wezel, Sarasota book program
Sarasota institutions mourn Dolly Parton after her death Aug. 25, 2026, at age 80, with the Van Wezel recalling her sold-out 2011 concert and the Library Foundation for Sarasota County continuing her Imagination Library book program for local children.
Sarasota, FL
80°F
Sunny
Feels like 95° · 7% rain
SatMostly Sunny93°F38%
SunMostly Sunny92°F76%
MonMostly Sunny92°F81%
TueMostly Sunny92°F83%
WedMostly Sunny91°F72%
ThuScattered Showers And Thunderstorms91°F68%
FriIsolated Showers And Thunderstorms90°F60%
Community
Goosebumps cover artist Karen Chandler brings summer work to Apricot Avenue boutique
Sarasota artist Karen Chandler, whose credits include Goosebumps book covers, NASA commissions and a 20-by-24-foot COVID tribute mural downtown, is showcasing summer artwork, tote bags and T-shirts at The Bazaar On Apricot & Lime on Apricot Avenue.
Community
Lynn Goldsmith's Selby Gardens show traces 50 years of friendship with Patti Smith
Legendary rock photographer Lynn Goldsmith's exhibition "Shared Light" at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens' Downtown Sarasota campus celebrates her 50-year friendship with Patti Smith through oversized floral images and intimate portraits, on view through Sunday, September 13.
Community
Village on the Isle plans 180-unit satellite campus on East Venice Avenue
Village on the Isle, a Venice nonprofit senior living community, plans a 180-unit independent living campus called Arbor Vita on 50 acres at 2705 E. Venice Ave., with a sales office opening in August 2026 and groundbreaking set for 2028.
Community
New $30,000 sculpture headed to Payne Park Tennis Center courtyard
Brooklyn artist Michael DiCarlo's 8-foot stainless steel sculpture "SWING" will be unveiled at Payne Park Tennis Center on Thursday, July 30, at 11 a.m., funded by a $30,000 city public art budget approved unanimously by the Public Art Committee.
Community
Former Sarasota Opera leader Victor DeRenzi joins Selby Gardens as honorary curator
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens named Maestro Victor DeRenzi, who led Sarasota Opera for 44 years, as Honorary Curator for its Spring 2027 season at the Downtown Sarasota campus.
Community
Sarasota installs first of five bike-and-scooter hubs downtown, with four more on the way
The City of Sarasota installed its first micromobility hub at Ringling Boulevard and South School Avenue, with four more solar-powered bike-and-scooter stations coming to downtown and US-41 intersections using a $125,110 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Community
North Port adult basketball league expands to 14 teams, registration open
North Port Parks & Recreation opened registration Wednesday, July 15, for its 2026 Adult Basketball League, expanding to 14 teams with 16+ and 40+ divisions, running Aug. 18 through Oct. 21 at the Morgan Family Community Center.
Community
Founding board member recalls Education Foundation's start on a high school lawn
Beverly Koski, a founding board member of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, helped establish the teacher grants program that now funds classrooms across 53 public schools; the Foundation is in a growth period with a new office, a new scholarship program, and a $100,000 annual corporate pledge.
Community
Imagine School's $50 million North Port campus ready for August 2026 opening
Imagine School at North Port's new $50 million, 139,500-square-foot K-12 campus on East Price Boulevard is set to open for the 2026-27 school year, consolidating the charter school's separate upper and lower campuses and expanding capacity to 1,500 students.
Community
Sarasota Concert Association opens 'Choose Three' subscriptions for 82nd season
The Sarasota Concert Association began selling its flexible Choose Three mini-subscriptions on Monday, July 13, 2026, offering residents a 10% discount to mix and match from seven classical concerts — including Daniil Trifonov's Sarasota debut and The Cleveland Orchestra — running December 2026 through March 2027.
Community
Two artists begin summer residency at downtown Sarasota's ARCOS gallery
Creative Liberties hosts artists-in-residence Alina Olofinsky and Leah Brown at ARCOS in downtown Sarasota through Aug. 31, with a free opening reception on Wednesday, July 22, and free community programming throughout the summer.
Community
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe takes Marvin Gaye revue to national stage
Sarasota's Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe heads to the International Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C., for its seventh appearance, performing "Marvin: The Marvin Gaye Revue" Thursday, July 30 through Saturday, August 1.
©2026 The Sarasota Record
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©2026 The Sarasota Record
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©2026 The Sarasota Record
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