The other day my wife Opal and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Flemmings Steakhouse. We wanted to thank our client that sent us the gift certificate. I am blessed to have a wife like Opal and also to live,work and play in a town with so many excellent restaurants and things to do. The Sarasota life style is great.
This year the Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix Festival will celebrates its 25th anniversary. The races held in Sarasota’s one of the longest running race venues in the country. During the last the races and related events have raised over 14 million dollars for the benefit of the mentally and physically handicapped. Proceeds this year will benefit the Suncoast Foundation for the Handicapped. This year’s festival events will begin June 27 and run thru July 5th. For more information visit http://www.suncoastoffshore.org
Stephen P. Leatherman of the Florida International University’s Laboratory for Coastal Research has recently released his annual report of the best beaches. Siesta Key’s Crescent Beach was ranked second only to Hanalei Beach on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. If you prefer your beaches without volcanic activity you might want to check out Siesta Key. A quick Google search of the term “Hanalei Hawaii shark attacks” may also help you choose which beach is your personal favorite.
Forbes Magazine recently published a report that lists Sarasota Memorial among “America’s Safest Hospitals”. Our local hospital was ranked number 19 according to size among the top 50 hospitals in the nation. The report was compiled using data from HealthGrades which is an independent rating company. The highest scoring hospitals were ranked according to mortality and complications rates. according to the report, Florida is home to 38 of the safest 270 in the country. This is the second time in the past two years that Sarasota was recognized as “safest”.
USA Today and the Princeton Review has named Sarasota’s New College as the second best value among all public colleges.
While much of the north is experiencing the coldest holiday season in five years we have been enjoying unseasonably warm weather here in Sarasota. Currently it is 77 degrees in Sarasota and as I wright this post it is 15 degrees in Chicago. Check out the video from December 18th’s post to see what you are missing.
Sarasota is the thirteenth Florida city to receive the “Preserve America” designation, a program which recognises community efforts to protect and preserve historic buildings for economic development and community revitalization. The program is meant to encourage people to learn about their local historic resources and heritage through educational and heritage tourism programs. The designation makes Sarasota eligible to matching grants up to $250,000. Sarasota has many historic buildings including the John Ringling home, the Terrace Building, the Federal Building and the Opera House. Click here for more information.
During the boom years Sarasota real estate enjoyed a wave of prosperity and growth. Sarasota, with all of it’s attributes and accolades attracted more investment dollars, speculators and new residents than possible any other small city in Florida. Now that the boom is over and the prices have come down from the peak of August 2005, Sarasota is indeed looking very good. Interest in Sarasota real estate has been increasing steadily through out this second half of 2008. Many believe we are at or near the bottom of the price decline and the things that made Sarasota attractive in the past are all still in place. Little has changed in the past few years except the real estate prices. In this decade Sarasota has become well known for its’ many cultural and natural attractions and has received many accolades.
There are so many things to do here here in Sarasota. The lifestyle is wonderfully diverse and the weather is beautifull year round. Real Estate sales statistics indicate an upswing in closed transaction so now may really be the right time to get back into the market. Come on in, the water is fine.
This year, Site Selection Magazine has ranked Florida as number six on it’s list of states with the best business climate. Last year, our state was ranked Florida was ranked as the ninth. The ease of permitting, skilled work force, transportation infrastructure and financial incentives were some of the factors that contribute to Florida’s favorable ranking. Here in the Sarasota/Bradenton area, many large corporations, high tech firms and white collar jobs have come to the area for many of the same factors in addition to the high quality of life and cultural amenities.
Recently, U.S. News and World Report listed Sarasota’s New College as number 5 among the best public and private liberal arts universities in the country. Additionally, Forbes ranked New College as 3rd in the nation for liberal arts and 29th overall among all U.S. universities.
Money Magazine has, once again listed Sarasota among the best places the United States to live and launch a new business. They listed our cultural climate and great weather as two reasons to pick Sarasota. Our strong retirement and tourism markets were listed as additional factors. The Florida West Coast Symphony was also mentioned. Now is a great time to consider Sarasota. A favorable long term outlook for our real estate market is currenlty fueling increases in sales during this current short term down turn.
A recent study indicates that four Florida cities rank highest in the nation for total numbers of self-employed. Sarasota with 8% of it’s workforce being self employed. The top five cities are as follows:
West Palm Beach 10.81%
Miami 8.69%
Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood & Pompano Beach 8.48%
Sarasota 8.0%
Honolulu 7.76%
Sarasota, with its vibrant cultural offerings, world famous beaches and numerous golf courses has long been attractive to retirees. It is no surprise that AARP named Sarasota number 4 on its list of “The 15 Best Place to Reinvent Your Life.” In recent years, however the median age has be declining as many younger people have been attracted to the area because of the high quality of life and strong job markets. Sarasota County, which includes the city of Venice and parts of North Port ranks number 7 on the list of Top 10 U.S. counties with the highest percentage of residents 65 years or older. In 2000, census data placed Sarasota in the number 5 spot. It is expected that Sarasota’s influx of younger people will soon be out paced by aging boomers in the next few years. Currently 29.4% of Sarasota county’s population is 65 years or older. Nationally the percentage of people 65 years or older is 12.4% and in Florida the number is 16.8%
Top 10 U.S. Counties by percentage of persons over 65.
The Sarasota Bradenton Airport was been awarded the status of top commercial airport in Florida by the Florida Department of Transportation. It received a perfect score on a recent inspection by the Federal Aviation administration and exhibited high marks in security related issues. Our airport out performed 19 other commercial airports including Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami.
In addition to the upgraded security systems, the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport recently spent $5 million on the rehabilitation of it’s main runway. The recent addition of JetBLue and AirTran has also been a contributing factor in earning the award. Traffic at the airport has been up as well. In the last twelve months 1.5 million passengers have come through SRQ. Airport traffic is up 43% since 2003.
There is also plans for $2.8 million in improvements to the current airport concessions which will include a new Starbucks, Dewar’s Clubhouse & Grille. Other improvements will include an upgraded gift-shop and a new Dunkin’ Donuts.
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Sarasota and other areas of Florida are great places to live, work and play. According to Forbes Magazine, Sarasota is ranked number 40 among the top 200 “best places for business and careers“. In all, eleven Florida metros made the listed which were based on such criteria as cost of doing business, job growth and educational attainment.
Inc. Magazine ranked Fort Myers and Sarasota among the top “10 hottest areas for entrepreneurs.” Fourteen cities in Florida made the top 20.
Sarasota Experience 