Sunday Favorites: The Sarasota Experience

Last week, an original documentary about the history of Sarasota premiered on WEDU PBS. Produced by Triforce Pictures, the hour-long video, features leading figures throughout the Sarasota community who came together to share impactful stories and highlight key figures behind the city and its thriving community.

The Sarasota Experience takes viewers on a journey through time, from the area's indigenous population to the early development of a sleepy fishing village, and finally, to the transformative city it is today.

Featuring both celebrated and little-known stories from the region, the video uses creative prompts including real historical postcards from people staying or living in the area sent to their loved ones. It also highlights the struggles residents faced over the years, including present-day issues like inequality, unaffordable living, and a need to protect natural resources.

One constant theme throughout the film is Sarasota's everchanging image, which was always prone to fast-paced development. The film opens in the historical Burns Court Herald Square where socialites clad in fancy evening gowns wave from a red carpet at Burns Court Cinema. In the street, performers showcased their talent by dancing along while an orchestra plays, and circus performers display incredible illusions.

From the first Scottish settlers to the Civil Rights movement, this film traces the evolution of community and explores what the future might hold. Architect Rick Garfinkel even offers a humbling warning towards the end, quoting "Those who fail to respect history are doomed to repeat it."

Most notably, the largest change that occurred in the area was Hernando de Soto's arrival in the 1500s. His discovery of Florida completely altered the trajectory of the land by bringing disease, destruction, and eventual demise to indigenous tribes. More devastation occurred during the Seminole Wars when natives resisted efforts to be exiled from their land and were eventually taken to join others on the Trail of Tears.

It was William Whitaker and his cousin Hamlin Snell who were the first white settlers to stay in the area. It's believed that the first "road" was created when William began courting a young woman from Manatee. He made the long journey so frequently; others began using his well-traveled path.

While light-hearted stories like the one above are present throughout the video, there are also plenty of unbecoming stories as well, like in 1885 when more than a hundred Scottish immigrants were taken advantage of by a local mortgage and investment company, who had no problem taking their life savings and feeding them false promises about a thriving community that didn't yet exist.

Injustice occurs throughout the film and becomes incredibly brazen when a 1952 song called "Having Fun in Sarasota" is played for some of the people speaking in the film. While the song, which describes a time at the beach, brought back fond memories for some of the white interviewees, others like Vicky Oldham, President and CEO of Sarasota African American Cultural Center, were reminded of a very different time.

"The song is the exact opposite of what African Americans experienced," Oldham said. "No African American felt comfortable going to Lido Beach in 1952."

The Lido Casino, one of Sarasota's most well-known buildings at that time, did not welcome black residents. During the Civil Rights Movement, people of color protested the discrimination by holding some of the first wade-ins in the country. Usually held on Sundays after church, black people would simply wade in the water at white-only beaches.

The documentary also highlights some of the most influential people in Sarasota. From Lewis and Irene Colson, who established Sarasota's first black community, to John Hamilton Gillespie, who built the first hotel and introduced golf to Florida, to Bertha Palmer, a philanthropist whose influence brought other prominent people to the community.

The director credits John and Mabel Ringling as establishing Sarasota's cultural scene, particularly when it comes to the arts. Ringling not only brought his circus to the area to attract tourists, but he and Mabel also left their famous home, the Ca'd'Zan, and their prized art collection to the residents instituting an artistic appreciation that still exists today.

Despite being affected by significant environmental and international struggles, (The Great Depression was preceded by a destructive hurricane, and Longboat Key was used for bombing practice during WWII), the resilient community survived and continues to thrive.

The film ends with influential residents sharing their hopes, dreams, and aspirations for the future of the community. Is Sarasota a perfect place to live? Not at all. But it has prevailed in the past and will most likely continue to do so in the future.

Funding for The Sarasota Experience was provided by the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation with additional support from Sharon Carole, Kilwins Siesta Key, Visit Sarasota, Gail and Skip Sack, Global Public Speaking, Gould Family Trust Foundation at Gulf Coast Community Foundation, One Stop Housing, Robert S. Russell, and Zen Foundation.