The county of Sarasota was established on May 14, 1921.
Sarasota County consists of (from north to south): Longboat
Key, Lakewood Ranch, the city of Sarasota, Lido Key, Siesta
Key, Osprey, Casey Key, Laurel, Nokomis, Venice, North Port,
Englewood and Manasota Key. Together, they make up six
islands and 35 miles of beaches.
Siesta Key consists of eight miles of sand and includes Turtle
Beach, Crescent Beach and award-winning Siesta Beach.
Two colleges call Sarasota County their home—Ringling
College of Art + Design and New College of Florida.
Unconditional Surrender, the iconic “kissing statue” located
at the downtown waterfront, was originally erected in 2005
as part of a seasonal art exhibit. It returned in 2010 and has
remained except for a temporary leave in 2012 after a car
crashed into the 26-foot-tall couple.
There are 92 parks in Sarasota County, including two state
parks—Myakka River State Park and Oscar Scherer State Park.
The namesake of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens was the
first woman to cross the country by car.
A SMAL L
GLIMPSE INTO
WHAT M A K E S
US SPECIAL
A Few
Fun
To learn more about Sarasota,
go to VisitSarasota.com or
download our FREE APP today.
52 The Official Destination Guide of Sarasota County
/VisitSarasota.com