Name: Sarasota, FL
Rating: 0.0

( 39 Ratings )

Living in Sarasota, FL

Ranks better than 80% of areas Follow

Population

57,787

Median Age

48.9 Years

Sarasota Area Facts

Sarasota has a Livability Score of 80_/100, which is considered exceptional
Sarasota crime rates are 108% higher than the Florida average
Cost of living in Sarasota is 17% higher than the Florida average

What do the locals think about Sarasota?

37%

Family friendly

27%

Public transit is accessible

30%

Walkable to grocery stores

40%

Yards are well-kept

50%

Lots of parks

37%

Walkable to restaurants

Friendly neighbors

Safe at night

Pet friendly

Streets have sidewalks

43%

A quiet area

27%

Sense of community

Based on 30 votes from AreaVibes users. Take the poll

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Sarasota Reviews

Write a review about Sarasota Tell people what you like or don't like about Sarasota…

BEWARE Unfriendly, Corrupt, but the beach is great! 1 rating By Anonymous ( May 07, 2019) Living is here is going to be easier, and less expensive if you do not need any work of any kind done to your property.

If you do, be prepared to be predated upon. And wait a really long time while it happens.
I'm going to refrain from the rant I'd really like to go on and leav ...Read More e it at this.

And don't expect to make new friends anytime soon, if ever. Read Less

Rediculous parking citations 1 rating By Anonymous ( Apr 21, 2019) I have family in Sarasota been here a lot. But the ways this city try's to gouge visitors is embarrassing. Recently visited Sarasota Bay Front Park . I backed into a parking spot, Im a public servant, I back in everywhere, have for 31 years .. its safer. Ive been hit before. I ...Read More got a ticket for not pulling in nose first, I backed in. A 35$ parking ticket!!! I paid it .. only because it was going to turn into a 100$ plus ticket for delaying it! The politics of Sarasota will not let me dispute anything without charging me more! BS! Im pissed I paid in person and a city truck was parked in a no parking spot when I got there. I took pics of the plate and sign. Im a guy that can follow the rules but give me a break this is BS! Read Less

Everything but the weather stinks 0.5 rating By jv409 ( Mar 17, 2018) I don't know about the rest of Florida, but Sarasota is definitely the most antisocial place I ever lived in (not anymore). I'm a college graduate and I’ve traveled quite a bit. Strangers insult you on the street. Privacy invasion by random strangers is common. Don't be surpris ...Read More ed if you get remarks from people you don't know about your personal life 20 years ago. I've never seen such an abnormal interest in the personal lives of strangers. I'm not a celebrity. At one point three sheriff's deputies came to my apartment banging on the door at 3 o'clock in the morning. I was sound asleep and it scared the heck out of me. Before I opened the door I called 911. When I finally did open the door the deputies appeared to be putting away drawn guns. I have no criminal history. They said they were looking for somebody I don't know, but I very much doubt they were telling the truth. I had been at that address for several months already. This was in a middle-class neighborhood just a few years ago. You can't live in a place like this.Too many people don't mind their own business. Too many people try to annoy you, apparently just for their own amusement. People won't leave you alone when you go out. Some shop and restaurant owners are exceedingly rude to their own customers. Living in Sarasota is a legal/crime problem waiting to happen. The vast majority of residents here are transplants from the northeastern US, say north of Virginia, or a military retiree. Many people, civilians of all ages, are obsessed with the Navy and won't shut up about it. Older veterans are a big part of the problem, and many of them have a some kind of mental disorder where they repeat the word "enlisted" all the time. People in the Navy do not address other sailors as "enlisted." Nobody calls you "enlisted." They usually address you by your last name or rank. I was a Navy medic in the '70s. Civilians don't want to hear about the military all the time anyway. If the old men/losers in Sarasota can't get along with other people, they should rejoin the military or leave the country. Move next to a military base. Sarasota is a rude, combative, confrontational, and hostile environment. Like I said, I never lived in a place this bad. Read Less

Kayaking Rentals and Tours in Sarasota 5 rating By paradiseadventures ( Aug 11, 2017) I just wanted to jump on here and recommend Paradise Adventures. They have the best http://www.paradiseadventuresfl.com/! I got to visit with the owners Josh and Orlando - both really great guys! If you're looking for something to do give them a call. 941-275-2971 ...Read More Read Less

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Everything but the weather stinks 0.5 rating By jv409 ( Mar 17, 2018) I don't know about the rest of Florida, but Sarasota is definitely the most antisocial place I ever lived in (not anymore). I'm a college graduate and I’ve traveled quite a bit. Strangers insult you on the street. Privacy invasion by random strangers is common. Don't be surpris ...Read More ed if you get remarks from people you don't know about your personal life 20 years ago. I've never seen such an abnormal interest in the personal lives of strangers. I'm not a celebrity. At one point three sheriff's deputies came to my apartment banging on the door at 3 o'clock in the morning. I was sound asleep and it scared the heck out of me. Before I opened the door I called 911. When I finally did open the door the deputies appeared to be putting away drawn guns. I have no criminal history. They said they were looking for somebody I don't know, but I very much doubt they were telling the truth. I had been at that address for several months already. This was in a middle-class neighborhood just a few years ago. You can't live in a place like this.Too many people don't mind their own business. Too many people try to annoy you, apparently just for their own amusement. People won't leave you alone when you go out. Some shop and restaurant owners are exceedingly rude to their own customers. Living in Sarasota is a legal/crime problem waiting to happen. The vast majority of residents here are transplants from the northeastern US, say north of Virginia, or a military retiree. Many people, civilians of all ages, are obsessed with the Navy and won't shut up about it. Older veterans are a big part of the problem, and many of them have a some kind of mental disorder where they repeat the word "enlisted" all the time. People in the Navy do not address other sailors as "enlisted." Nobody calls you "enlisted." They usually address you by your last name or rank. I was a Navy medic in the '70s. Civilians don't want to hear about the military all the time anyway. If the old men/losers in Sarasota can't get along with other people, they should rejoin the military or leave the country. Move next to a military base. Sarasota is a rude, combative, confrontational, and hostile environment. Like I said, I never lived in a place this bad. Read Less

Kayaking Rentals and Tours in Sarasota 5 rating By paradiseadventures ( Aug 11, 2017) I just wanted to jump on here and recommend Paradise Adventures. They have the best http://www.paradiseadventuresfl.com/! I got to visit with the owners Josh and Orlando - both really great guys! If you're looking for something to do give them a call. 941-275-2971 ...Read More Read Less

Beware of bizarre parking rules! 1 rating By Roger Twittaker ( Mar 21, 2017) The City of Sarasota counts on its parking fine revenues as a steady stream of income. I was properly parked in a city parking lot, and within two hours I received a parking ticket for an "expired registration sticker" on my tag. My vehicle was properly registered with the Stat ...Read More e of Florida at the time of the incident. It is true, I had not applied the new registration sticker to the license plate, but the City of Sarasota is using this as a money making machine.There is no State Statute stating that there is any penalty for not attaching the registration sticker. There is a penalty for not renewing your registration, but that was not the case here.I for one will not be spending my money at any merchant in the City limits unless they have a private parking lot. The City of Sarasota parking department is too eager to get my money!Roger Twittaker Read Less

Long boat key older Jewish men and the Golddiggers they buy 0.5 rating By concerned media ( Mar 03, 2016) I've lived here in Sarasota for 21 years. I spend a good amount of time in Long boat key and Anna Maria Island.By far, the most disgusting activity that goes on is what people around here call the Long boat Key Jews, ( LBK Jews) These rich predators prey on women that go to place ...Read More s like Tommy Bahamas' , The Blue Marlin and other places in the immediate area. The women are even worse. Fake boobs, lips, teeth, lipo suction bodies. It's all about the all mighty buck.The families of these people on both sides suffer.. Some of the women after starting to sell themselves, get into alcohol, drugs and other things.Facts are these Jewish guys are smooth and the women are dumb.. The guys use their money as a drug and the women, many AA, or recovering from other addictions fall right in... I could name names, but I won't. I would love to know if theres a LIST of local Gold diggers and local Predator men. Read Less

Best avoided 1 rating By Professional_guy ( Nov 17, 2015) I lived Sarasota for three years and I don't like it. There's a significant problem with police corruption for starters. Some people in Sarasota can be quite antisocial, even hostile, and it's not unusual to be insulted by total strangers in public. Privacy invasion is common. Do ...Read More n't be surprised if some stranger makes a remark about your personal life 20 years ago. You don't have to be a celebrity to hear this.

The demographics of Sarasota are just plain weird. Despite being part of the South geographically, almost everybody is a transplant from the Northeast: New York state, New Jersey, Massachusetts, etc. There's hardly anybody raised in the South, the Midwest, or anywhere else. My impression was that most people had been there less than a decade. So it seems like everybody's a tourist. There's a large retired military population. Many of those guys are hostile and go around insulting strangers everywhere. The married ones have ugly old wives with them. I was in the military a short time by the way. You kinda get the impression there are a lot of ex-cons and deinstitutionalized mental patients in Sarasota. About the only thing I like about Sarasota is the weather. Read Less

A great city for the those with means. 3 rating By NiccoleLee ( Oct 29, 2015) I was born in Sarasota in 1981. I owned a home there (Gulf Gate neighborhood) from 2002 until 2011. I will say this, if you are a person of means or at least upper middle class Sarasota is paradise. A history of art and culture, museums, botanical gardens, restaurants , festivals ...Read More and galas. The Siesta Key Beach is incomparable for beauty and white quartz sand. There is a film festival that comes around, bringing celebs. A keen eye may spot Stephen King or Jerry Springer out and about. From Sarasota it is a reasonable drive to Tampa or Orlando and all those cities have to offer. It is a lovely place to be. That being said, Sarasota has a terrible reputation for ill treatment of the low income and needy, despite it's success being built on the service industry that that economic class toils within. The reputation of my hometown was sadly besmirched only recently by a woman of means who attended a meeting of residents and business owners in the affluent Rosemary District saying, "You say they're people, they're not people. They don't have the same rights as we do. They're abusing their rights." refering to the homeless. Unfortunately this is pretty typical of the general attitude of the senior and wealthy in SRQ and this incident went viral, making Sarasota a focal point of the trend of illegalization of poverty. Don't let this fool you, it doesn't mean you can expect to find Sarasota free of poverty, it has simply been ghettoed. (Just behind Main Street and over into Bradenton) I warn you because what this leads to, along with OUTRAGEOUSLY skyrocketing rental prices, is the local drug trade. The prescription drug problem is rampant and is present, with varying degrees of visibility, in all parts of Sarasota and in all walks of life. It can be avoided, if you have the means to stay in the "money" areas. I would hesitate to raise an adolescent there though. For retirees, I wouldn't let these issues stop you. There is crime but most won't be affected by anything greater than a pilfered bicycle or something. All I can say is, if you have decent money and are a good egg, come on down. But please, treat everyone with respect, regardless of station. Read Less

Sarasota, Florida: Great Beaches & Great Weather 4.5 rating By Anonymous ( Apr 23, 2012) I've lived in Sarasota, Florida for about ten years, and I absolutely love it. I moved here from Orlando, because I just had to move closer to the beach. I couldn't have picked a better place. We were able to find a cute little house in a quiet neighborhood that's just a block aw ...Read More ay from Lido Beach. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of big condominiums near where we live, which can cause the area to get pretty crowded, especially during the summer. But who can blame the tourists? We have some of the bluest water and nicest white sand beaches I have ever seen.

While the influx of tourists can be annoying, it is because of them that we have some great restaurants and shops in the area. In Orlando, it seemed like we could only fine chain restaurants, but the nicer areas of Sarasota offer so many unique dining options. Some of our favorite places to eat are the Lazy Lobster, DeMarco's, Toasted Mango and El Toro Bravo. From Italian to fresh seafood, there is such a variety, and many of the restaurants offer great views for diners. When it comes to shopping, hands down, my favorite place is St. Armands Circle. It's got restaurants, clothing stores, a book store, gift shops, jewelry shops and much more.

If you enjoy the outdoors, you'll love the many parks located in Sarasota. You can surf, kayak, fish and go boating, and of course, the city is known for being a great golf destination. My husband plays often and says he has never seen such beautiful courses. With amazing weather and temperatures like ours, you will want to spend a lot of time outdoors, even if you are just laying out or swimming on the beach. Read Less

Beware Females! 2.5 rating By SammiBG ( Oct 16, 2011) Myself and a trusted girlfriend, both considered very attractive and intelligent 40-somethings, have lived here each for 8+ years, and we have the following words of wisdom:

We ourselves -- and many of our past and present female friends/acquaintances here -- have experienced ex ...Read More treme frustration with the quality of men to date! There are a lot of 'players' here, wealthy spoiled men who expect women to 'put out' pretty soon after a first date, if even that. What is a woman to expect in return? Not much other than unpredictable availability, no interest in bonding or getting to know you (they have a buffet to sample!), endless directionless dating with little hope of commitment or a spirit of teamwork, competition with bimbos of every age and variety, in a nutshell, it's a lottery ticket to meet a quality, well-rounded man of substance with a giving personality and the goal of couplehood.

There is a huge problem here with consumption of alcohol and infidelity! Peyton Place Incorporated, folks. We're talking Playground Central. It is BRUTAL if you have a heart.

Additionally, to find a living-wage job is way more to ask than what you will find, unless you're a nurse/doctor/med-related or a top-tier realtor. Otherwise, you may as well accept the fact that you are going to fall deeply into debt or struggle with 3 jobs to keep your nose above the water line. Bottom line: no diversity of industry, the politicians do not welcome too much activity other than servant or health-care type labor.

Come here when you're ready to retire with at least a few million. And don't think you're ever going to find a man help pay the bills -- the wealthy use their power to accuse you of being a gold digger. You're better off staying in a middle-class environment and growing a relationship with an equal.

The sunsets are gorgeous, the terrain is lacking but with a few cocktails and a few plastic surgery procedures, no worries mate! To be a trust fund baby (TFB) is to have it made in the shade. Otherwise, you're screwed literally and figuratively.

Traffic: strange, to say the least. You have demented 80 year olds intermingling with raucous drug-addled 25-year olds. Not a good mix. Newlyweds and Nearly Deads. Oh, also: You better be politically conservative, or keep your mouth shut.

You may interpret this review as tremendously negative in tone, however, we challenge you to prove us wrong. Like we said, if you're already wealthy, it's great fun playing with girls, golf, and boating, but otherwise you don't have a chance in HELL. This one's for all the girls.... Read Less