Very hard to pay and understand. More complicated than it needs to be. Great location but the…read moreelevator was broken. Does not look well maintained.

Sadly NEVER noticed any visible signage indicating that State Street garage has now gone on a gate…read moreless entry system. Nor were any payment kiosks evident anywhere. Unless one has the parking app, how would one pay for parking????? Pulled into the garage last week and parked at about 3:50pm. When we returned at 6pm, noticed a ticket on the windshield that had been written at 4:20pm. Thanks, Sarasota County for your overreaching and overbearing parking regulations. As full time residents, don't we pay enough in taxes, fees, and other county charges AD NAUSEUM? And to use a garage with a consistently non-working elevator and filthy stairwells?

Had a charge that was not mine and they corrected it promptly. One phone call explained what…read morehappened and presto all fixed.

In March we hired Florida Quality Parking for the first time to provide valet service for the three…read moremain nights of our Jazz Festival. They came, they set up, they looked great - very professional! Then at the last minute we had to cancel the event for that night and the rest of the week - coronavirus! I won't get into why the decision was made at the last moment, but I will tell you what happened next. When I informed FQP of our decision, they were naturally disappointed. After all, they were loosing money for a three night gig. But the first thing they ask me was if I would like them to manage the people as they arrived, not knowing of the cancellation. These guys made a tough evening go a little easier. I will never forget how they stepped up. Again, very professional.

Sarasota Bayfront is such a beautiful place to spend an evening, the bay views are amazing, and you…read morecan walk around and take pictures. The night views in Sarasota Bayfront are absolutely stunning. The views are really picturesque. There's plenty of parking, and there's a tiki bar right on the water, which makes for a really great experience.

Sarasota is blessed with so much natural beauty and as well as man made beauty. There is so much to…read moresee and do here! One of the fun things is Bayfront Park, which is located at the south end of the Ringling Causeway. There, you have the Marina Jack's II filled with beautiful boats and yachts to admire as you walk on the paved pathway around the park by Sarasota Bay. They have a 2 stiry restaurant there also. Birdlovers can enjoy pelicans, seagulls, egrets, and many other varieties of birds flying around. The views of the Bay, the Banyan trees, flowers, and palm trees in this park are a sight for sore eyes. I especially love the giant Unconditional Surrender statue of the sailor and nurse kissing and celebrating the end of WWII. If you get hungry or thirsty, there is O'learys for food and drinks to enjoy by the water. There is a huge parking lot for free parking with wheelchair accessiblability. Dogs are welcome as long as you clean up after them. An enjoyable and unforgettable excursion!

Wonderful place to eat on St. Armand's circle!!we were there on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, met…read moreup with a former neighbor there for afternoon lunch. IT WAS AWESOME ,! You'll definitely need reservations! The island was very crowded with shoppers and eaters,so be prepared for traffic crossing the bridges. Had an awesome time. The waiter was very attentive, but not overly attentive that made us feel rushed! When we go back to Sarasota, St. Armand's is a very popular place to go. Tommy Bahamas store is right below it! A definite "must go to" place for us on our next Florida visit.

This was a passionate project of the Ringling's who in the 1920's wanted to build a shopping,…read moreliving, dining & nightlife destination for visitors. They used circus elephants to haul the timber used to construct the causeway & bridge connecting h Key to the mainland. The circle offers a European-style atmosphere with tropical courtyards, upscale boutiques, and sidewalk cafes steps from Lido Beach. This circular district features over 130 shops, galleries, and restaurants. It is a highly walkable with a vibrant, pet-friendly, and, in the evening, lively atmosphere. Renowned for it's relaxed elegance, diverse dining options, including the historic Columbia Restaurant, Crab & Fin, along with rooftop bars. The circle hosts boat parades, car shows, and holiday-themed parades. It's a fabulous area to wander around & people watch. I love the plaques that acknowledge all of the famous circus performers with their biographies.

Nice office building in downtown Sarasota. They have Wells Fargo bank inside. They provide lounge…read moreand outdoor place for people to eat. Lobby is clean and nice.

Charming and super close to the water!…read more There are some great cafes, watering holes and restaurants scattered along and around Main Street. I gravitate towards bookstores like a moth to a flame and found a cool bookstore selling new books and a super cool used bookstore which in addition to its great selection of books also sold old maps! What a find. If you follow Main Street towards the water, take a right and explore the Sarasota Bay Front Park.

City of Sarasota City Council/Mayor and City PD are in control and benefit from the corrupt and…read morepredatory towing and of course the insane ticketing fees and are rewarded after they mismanaged & allowed the over development and almost elimination of free and available parking. Imagine after spending $200 in the city to dine, stopping off to get two gelatos where no parking is available or in sight but finding and empty lot with NO chain or barrier and NO handicap place anywhere in site. My handicapped placarded car was snapped up in under 10 minutes and towed (stolen but allowed by the City and PD) half way to Venice. My poor wife with a bone on bone knee recovering from a t-bone to the driver door at 40MPH car accident, had to walk the many blocks to FST where we spend hundreds per year and thousand$$$$ per year going to Sarasota restaurants ever time we go to a show. You people are bastards. Those two gelatos cost me over $155 EACH. The towing price, fees, administrative charges, 20% credit card fee (if you don't have $200 cash sitting in your wallet?) $30 Uber, all told over $300 mistake because the City of Sarasota wants to be in the Parking, Towing, and Ticketing fine stealing business!!! F-YOU. My family is taking our $ thousands per year and going anywhere else. Telling everybody, posting reviews, spreading the word. Residence and tourists are not wanted by the City of Sarasota and sadly we can't be patrons of the fine Merchants trapped there unless we PAY THE KING HIS VIG? Screwed my family financially, abused my car, hurt my wife, ruined our evening for NO reason. I hope you all travel or go somewhere and YOU get financially raped unexpectedly and find your car has been stolen and held hostage until you pay the towing mafia/MS-13/City of Sarasota whatever they want. F-YOU.

An interesting town for sure. The crime rate is rampant, dangerous to walk around downtown after…read moredark. Anywhere you park in downtown is an issue. The parking rules are ambiguous. If you're not a local you WILL get a ticket. Parking enforcement is a problem, overzealous workers giving out tickets to tourists who are non-familiar with their predatory practices. A sour experience as I walked the downtown area. Had Vietnamese food at a local restaurant, only to come back and see an infraction ticket left on my windshield for not so clear rules. If you're a tourist contesting the parking citation, they will add another $8 to your fine. And after that, they keep adding even more fees when you try to pay online, as they use a third-party company to process the fines. They label the additional fees as "convenience fees". Convenience for who? Obviously not for you, but for them as they laugh their way to the bank after taking tourists money. They know you're a tourist and they're out to get you! There are no real attractions in the town other than hair salons and cheap eatery places. Save yourself the trouble, best to stay in St. Pete or Tampa areas where there's a ton of sites to explore.

The Selby public library in Sarasota is centrally located in downtown with it own parking lot which…read moreallows up to 2 hours of free parking for patrons. The library is an architectural landmark and a nice space to work in, though it can also feel a bit utilitarian. They have a range of books and audio collections to browse and borrow. A lot of people come to use the computer stations or work on their laptops. The ground floor has more of a social atmosphere where some people play board games and there's a store that sells used books. During tax season they have help with that if you need it.

The huge pillars & interesting done make it look more like a stadium or auditorium than a library…read more This Selby Library is the flagship branch of the Sarasota County Library System, located in downtown Sarasota. This is the county's first library, established in 1907. It offers a wide range of resources, including books, digital materials & computer classes. It is known for its vibrant space, including a children's area with an aquarium arch. The library is supported by a permanent endowment from the Selby Foundation.

I like malls. I always have. I also have a foundness for plazzas…read more The nice think about UTC is that it has AC. I talk walks daily. I don't mind being hot, but there are some Florida days that walking outside just isn't healthy. Gyms can be too stuffy or crowded. The UTC, except around the December holidays, is never that crowded. I park at one end, go in, walk through one anchor store, walk all the way down the mall righ through the other anchor store. I do this two or three times, than walk up the escalator and making the same end to end pass another two or three times. While walking with purpose I can see what stores are open, moving, have sales, are busy or slow. Then, after my walk with purpose, I will make one more pass, stopping at stores I may want to look in, or get a snack, or beverage. UTC is clean, cool, has usefull stores. Too many loud kids in the kids area is a drag, but oh, well.

Great mall up in Sarasota. Very clean inside. Majority of shops leased out, and more to come on the…read morespaces available for lease. Tons of nane brand stores you come yo expect when going to a mall. Didn't purchase anything g but did some browsing. Tons of parking. FYI the main road out onto University parkway can get jammed at times, so be prepared.

This is a very popular bridge in the Sarasota-Siesta Key-Longboat areas because of their…read moreconnection. The RCB was reconstructed in the early 2000s and is supposed to last for 75 years. It is a favorite with pedestrians, runners and walkers, fishermen, mommas with baby strollers, tourists, bicyclists, and dog-walkers. There is a walkway built on the bridge, which measures about .6 miles one way or 1.3 miles there and back. Good exercise. You can also walk over to the Bayfront Park in Sarasota, which is located on the north end of the bridge. Bird Key Park is located at the south end of the bridge. Both parks are worth visiting. At night, the bridge is lit up with bright royal blue lights. In the evenings, it is pretty crowded with people watching the sunset! I love it. We traveled over it at least twice a day while we stayed in Sarasota.

The John Ringling Causeway, known as the Ringling Bridge, is a 4 lane bridge in Sarasota, Florida…read morethat connects Sarasota to Lido Key, St. Armands Key & Bird Key. It's a vital hurricane evacuation route for barrier island residents. This segmental box girder bridge is 3,097 feet long and 65 ft tall.