The Truth About Living in Sarasota After 4 Years

What is going on, everyone? It is July 24th, 2026, and today marks my four-year anniversary of living here in Sarasota. To celebrate, I filmed a video from the back patio of Fin and Tonic on 41 in South Sarasota, and I put together an honest hit list: five things we love and have been most surprised about, two real negatives, and two tidbits at the end that Western New Yorkers and parents especially will not want to miss. Four years in, my wife, our daughter, and I are absolutely loving it. Here is the full breakdown.

Five Things We Love, and Were Surprised By

1. The Weather and an Outdoor Life

The weather down here changes how you live. Yes, a July afternoon can be a hot one, which is exactly why I was grateful for the umbrella while I filmed. But the trade-off is that there is something going on outside all the time, all year long. My daughter is at sailing camp on Sarasota Bay as I write this, and she and my wife play tennis year round. Whether you are into paddleboarding, cycling, running, or rowing, there is even an elite rowing facility up at UTC. The result for our family has been a genuinely healthier lifestyle. I have lost twenty pounds since we moved, and let's just say I had to buy my wife a smaller wedding band.

2. The Diversity of People

This one surprised us the most. My wife is originally from Thailand, and we have met people from Thailand and from all over the country and the world right here in Sarasota. We joke that the tennis courts at Potter Park feel like a United Nations meeting some days. Because so many people are moving here from somewhere else, everyone is looking to make connections, so it is not hard to make friends. We arrived knowing two people, and our circle has expanded more than we ever expected.

3. Constant New Development

Coming from Western New York, where things do not seem to change much, the pace of new development here is refreshing. Fin and Tonic behind me is relatively new, UTC keeps expanding, there is a new Mote aquarium going in up there, and the old Sarasota Square Mall down the road from me was bulldozed and is being rebuilt into apartments, outdoor dining, shopping, and event space. Some people lament the growth, but I find it encouraging that people feel confident investing their capital in this community.

4. That Enormous Sky

When I first moved here, I could not put my finger on why the sky felt so big, until I flew back to Rochester and it clicked. The landscape here is flat, the biggest elevation you will find is an overpass on 75, and the trees are shorter, so the sky feels absolutely enormous. And on the West Coast, which I call the best coast, the sunsets are breathtaking, especially when a storm has just rolled through and the light bounces off the clouds.

5. Newer Housing Stock

I have been selling real estate up in Western New York since 2012, where an old house means the 1800s or early 1900s. Down here, while you will find some pockets from the 1950s and 60s, the vast majority of the housing stock is 1990s and newer. If you are worried about sorting through a lot of aging homes, you will be pleasantly surprised by how much newer inventory there is across our Gulf Coast communities.

A Bonus: Central to Everything

One more we did not expect: how centrally located Sarasota is. Tampa is about an hour away, Orlando two, the East Coast around three, and even the Keys are a doable drive. It makes day trips and weekend getaways easy. In fact, we are heading up to Orlando and Universal this weekend to meet up with family.

The Honest Negatives

It is not all sunshine and palm trees, and I would never pretend otherwise. There are two real negatives, so let's talk about them.

The Heat

For some people, the heat is a dealbreaker. I will admit that during my first year I barely wore long pants for twelve straight months. But it grows on you. These days, when it dips into the low 80s with no humidity, I am the one reaching for a sweatshirt, which my New York self would never believe. My take is simple: I would rather put on a polo because it is warm than bundle up to scrape ice off my car. But how you weigh that is up to you.

Hurricanes

This is the one that is almost entirely a negative, and I am not going to sugarcoat it. We have had two hurricanes come through since we moved, the first hitting just nine weeks after we closed on our house, so I learned how my shutter system worked in a hurry. Hurricanes are a disaster, plain and simple, and they upend lives. The only silver lining I can offer from ours is a personal one: a friend up north asked me to check on his grandparents, who turned out to live three miles away, and they have become some of our favorite people to spend time with.

Two Tidbits You Do Not Want to Miss

I saved two for the end, and they are big ones for specific groups of people.

For parents: the year after we moved in, Florida rolled out a program that provides a substantial grant, around $8,000 per child per year, that families can use toward private school or homeschooling, and it is not based on income. Coming from New York, where I paid high property taxes for schools we were not using and then paid private tuition on top, this is a genuine game changer. Program details can change, so confirm the current specifics, but it is a big reason a lot of families are taking a serious look at Florida.

For my Western New York people: if you are in the Bills Mafia, you are in good company. It is strong in Sarasota. Wear the gear and you will meet folks from Buffalo and Rochester all day long.

So, Do We Love It?

After four years, I can tell you Florida is by far the best place I have lived. You would have to dynamite me out of Sarasota. We are not looking forward to the next hurricane, but the life we hoped to build here is the life we are actually living, and that is not something I take for granted. It is also why I love helping other families figure out whether this move is right for them. If you want the numbers behind the lifestyle, I broke down the financial side, from no state income tax to the homestead exemption, in my guide to Florida's tax perks.

Thinking About Your Own Move?

If our four-year story has you picturing your own life on the Gulf Coast, I would genuinely love to help. There is no pressure and no script, just an honest conversation about what you are looking for and whether Sarasota can deliver it. A great place to start is my New York to Florida relocation guide and my relocation page, and if you want a feel for the lifestyle, here are the Sarasota restaurants I send every new client to. When you are ready, reach out any time and let's talk. And if you have not yet, watch the full four-year hit list above, and subscribe on YouTube so you can follow along with year five. Go Bills, and go Sarasota.