City of Sarasota history

Sara Sota first appeared on a map in 1839, but we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves.

He was deeded 144.82 acres on September 1, 1851 on Sarasota Bay.

Sarasota, variously spelled Sara Zota, Sarazota, and Sarasote, appeared on maps in the 1700s, but the origin of the place-name is uncertain; one explanation is that it may have been derived from a Spanish term meaning “a place of dancing.” The first settler arrived in 1856 and planted orange trees.

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The area began to develop in the early 1870’s, with settlers visiting the area and beginning to stay.

Located in Pioneer Park, the Historical Society of Sarasota is also home to the oldest standing residence in Sarasota, the Bidwell-Wood pioneer house, dating back to 1882.

Scottish settlers came in 1884 and two years later built a golf course.

Sarasota essentially got its beginning in 1885 at the foot of Main Street when Scottish colonists arrived to find their dream.

His legacy can be found at the modern core of downtown Sarasota, known as ‘Five Points’, where he constructed Sarasota’s first hotel, the DeSoto Hotel, in 1887.

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The Florida Mortgage & Investment Co., Ltd. was one of the companies that would make an attempt to revitalize the colony by selling off parcels of land and making steamship connections with Tampa in 1894.

The Spanish-American War in 1898 also aided in the colony’s growth, as cattlemen would drive their herds to slaughter to feed the soldiers.

In 1902, the town of Sarasota was incorporated, and J.H. Gillespie was named its first mayor.

In 1904, Gillespie built the first golf course in the state; just the second golf course in the United States.

By 1910, two other very influential people discovered us, the international socialite and businesswoman, Bertha Palmer and developer and contractor Owen Burns.

Burns helped to organize the Sarasota Board of Trade—which would later become the Chamber of Commerce—in 1911, and established the first locally-owned bank, the Citizens Bank.

Just one year after Palmer, the McClellan sisters, and the Ringling Brothers boosted the activity in the region, Sarasota was incorporated as a city on May 13, 1913.

When Palmer became the Vice President of the Florida Livestock Association in 1917, she used her platform to revolutionize the cattle ranching industry with innovative modern practices, and introduced purebred hogs to the region.

The compound grew and in 1919, the Ringling Brothers Circus established its winter home in Sarasota.

Selby Gardens is the legacy of horticulturalist Marie Selby—the first woman to travel across the country by automobile—who settled in Sarasota in the 1920s.

Sarasota, city, seat (1921) of Sarasota county, west-central Florida, United States It lies along Sarasota Bay (an arm of the Gulf of Mexico), about 60 miles (95 km) south of Tampa.

FPL owned half the island as part of the purchase price for buying the city power plant in 1926, and was going to build its next generating plant there, but never did.

Her two sons, Potter and Honoré, continued her agricultural legacy by establishing citrus groves and cattle ranches in southern and eastern Sarasota County, as well as the Palmer First National Bank in 1929.

In 1939, the city acquired part of the island and dedicated it as a park.

The airport has two crossing asphalt surfaced runways, 4/22 (NE/SW) and 14/32 (SE/NW). Both runways were built in the early 1940's.

In 1941, Myakka River State Park opened, and remains to this day a reminder of Bertha Palmer’s naturalist legacy in Sarasota.

Aviation facilities were completed by early 1942 at a cost of nearly one million dollars.

FPL added $30,000 to the deal and the city acquired the entire island, except for one acre, in 1944.

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By late 1947, transfer of land and facilities back to the Airport Authority was completed.

The hotel catered to African American tourists up until the 1950’s when it was renamed the Hotel Palm.

In 1955, the Florida Legislature passed the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority Act.

In 1958, the Sarasota Sailing Squadron approached the city about leasing a portion of the island as its headquarters.

Following the adoption of the act, the Authority Members undertook several ambitious programs, including the opening of a new terminal building in 1959.

In the 1960’s, the Van Wezels built a performing arts hall on the bay front and visitors to Sarasota can still enjoy a show at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall today.

Eastern Airlines began commercial service in 1961.

In a series of articles in the Sarasota Journal in 1973, City Island was called the city's “Forgotten Jewel.”

By the mid-1980's, the Airport Authority owned over 1,100 acres.

The current terminal opened to travelers on October 29, 1989, after an open house celebration attended by thousands the day before.

In August 1992, the connector road located on the southeast side of the airfield, leading to I-75 and University Parkway to the airport entrance, was completed by Sarasota County.

In March 1993, the perimeter road project located inside the airfield fence on airport property was completed.

In 2000, the voters of Sarasota and Manatee counties approved legislation that changed the Airport Authority selection process from public election of an eight-member commission to a six-member commission appointed by the Governor.