Presenting

SARASOTA COUNTY SARASOTA | LONGBOAT KEY | SIESTA KEY | OSPREY | NOKOMIS View from the property featured on page 27, Higel Avenue. H Home to Siesta Key Beach, consistently voted one of "America's Best Beaches", Sarasota County offers nearly 40 miles of dazzling shoreline along the crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Sarasota and her barrier islands, although world renowned for those gorgeous white sandy beaches, has in recent years become equally celebrated for its sophisticated and culturally rich lifestyle. Along those breathtakingly beautiful beaches, nestled among lush tropical lagoons, cozy inlets and hidden within pristine nature preserves, the residential communities of Sarasota County offer unlimited luxurious housing options, from grand estates to spectacular condominiums. When Chicago socialite and businesswoman Bertha Honore Palmer discovered the captivating southwest coast of Florida in 1910, she purchased most of Sarasota County and set about encouraging her socialite friends to winter with her in this tropical paradise. In a setting as beautiful as Sarasota, it was not exactly a tough sell. Bertha would be amazed to see the transformation today, but proud to know that she set the wheels in motion, taking a sleepy fishing village and turning it into an enclave of wealth, good taste, and culture. Thankfully Bertha and her friends, dedicated patrons of the arts, left their mark on the city of Sarasota, and their devoted and lasting patronage has given the city a cultural energy one would expect to find only in much larger cities. For a city of less than 400,000 residents to have its own opera house, symphony hall, ballet troupe, numerous playhouses, a world class museum, countless art galleries, and a botanical garden conservatory is a spectacular achievement. And to have all of that in an intimate seaside paradise makes it a truly rare and remarkable find. One of Bertha's closest friends was John Ringling, the great circus magnate. Ringling invested an enormous part of his fortune into making Sarasota what it is today, and his influence can still be seen. John Ringling purchased and developed both Bird Key and St. Armands Key, and in grand Ringling style, ingeniously used his circus elephants to build the first bridge to the keys. His vision of beauty and prosperity, and his love for Sarasota, remains clearly in evidence today. Those who love this city owe him a great debt of gratitude. The current real estate market in Sarasota County is healthy and vibrant, with key indicators pointing to a strong and very exciting future. And as testament to the area's continued potential to develop into an even stronger economy, Money Magazine has rated Sarasota at #7 for their "Top Places to Retire Young." Rarely will you find a community so rich in culture and graceful society as Sarasota. Rarer still to find a place so perfectly integrated into such magnificent natural surroundings. Combine that with everything sophisticated upscale living has to offer, exciting economic opportunities, and sunshine the year round, and you have a winning recipe for lush and luxurious living. 26 | SaundersBEST Sarasota County

• Cover