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2026-27 Gulf Coast Board of Directors Announced, Phillip Lanham Renews Contract as President and CEO - The Giving Coast
Gulf Coast Community Foundation (Gulf Coast) is pleased to announce the renewal of President | CEO Phillip Lanham’s contract through 2031 and the election of its 2026-2027 Board of Directors, including the re-election of Anand Pallegar as Chair and Rose-Anne Frano as Vice Chair, and the addition of three new board members: Jaime DiDomenico, Will Dolan, and Emily Walsh.
ArtsBeat Launches as a New Model for Community-Supported Journalism in Sarasota
ArtsBeat, a digital-first cultural journalism collaborative, officially launches this month through a partnership between DreamLarge, Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Suncoast Searchlight. The initiative is designed to restore consistent, authoritative coverage of Sarasota’s performing, visual, and cultural arts while cultivating the next generation of arts writers and critics.
Colson Hotel to be restored as a business incubator
With a goal of providing business startup space across all demographics, the group preserving the Colson Hotel plans to renovate it as the Colson Collective.
Colson Hotel plans call for transformation of historic structure into ‘space for community and ideas,’ with focus on young people
Sarasota City Commission gets update from member of group that saved building from demolition
New owners of historic Colson Hotel aim to repurpose building, preserving its story
SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — City leaders got a look at plans for the old Colson Hotel Monday.
The structure was built in 1925-1926 and was the only hotel where Black visitors to the city could stay during the Jim Crow era.
A New Chapter and a Familiar Voice: Welcoming Susan Burns Back to Sarasota Magazine
Please join me in welcoming back Susan Burns as the editor-in-chief of Sarasota Magazine.
Sarasota Magazine’s Unity Awards Luncheon Returns to Honor Local Changemakers
Join Sarasota Magazine and DreamLarge for the 2025 Unity Awards, a special luncheon dedicated to celebrating individuals and organizations making a difference in Sarasota and beyond.
Rob Gronkowski Tackles His NFL Days, Competitive Upbringing and Post-Retirement Career in Wide-Ranging Sarasota Talk
The retired tight end was in town as part of the Ringling College Library Association’s Town Hall lecture series.
Colson Hotel purchase ensures preservation of Black history landmark
Today it doesn’t look like much, but for decades the Colson Hotel building at 1425 Eighth St. meant everything to the African American community as the only lodging in Sarasota where Black people were welcomed.
Historic Colson Hotel saved from demolition after purchase by coalition
Led by Anand Pallegar, the owner of DreamLarge, a coalition including the city of Sarasota, paid $700,000 to protect the building for restoration.
Community rallies to save landmark African American hotel in Sarasota
FOX 13's Kim Kuizon reports on community efforts to preserve the Colson Hotel, which was built in 1926 and was the first hotel to serve African American people in Sarasota.
A historic Sarasota hotel finds a buyer who wants to return it to the Black community
A developer bought the Colson and wanted to tear it down, saying the structure would require millions to fix. But a local company with another plan bought the structure after building an alliance of local leaders.
Sarasota's Historic Colson Hotel purchased after year-long demolition, preservation clash
In a landmark effort to preserve Sarasota’s African-American heritage, DreamLarge has successfully acquired the historic Colson Hotel, finalizing a year-long negotiation and collaboration with the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, the City of Sarasota, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, and a newly established Community Development Corporation (CDC).
The Historic Colson Hotel is a vital piece of Sarasota's cultural heritage. Here's why.
The Colson Hotel, a symbol of Sarasota's Black history and one of its most significant cultural heritage landmarks, has been saved from demolition through a groundbreaking effort that brought together preservationists, philanthropic leaders, and local organizations.
Local Leaders Strike Deal to Save the Colson Hotel for Good
Recently slated for demolition to make way for new townhomes, the historic hotel in the Rosemary District has officially been saved.
Behind the PINC curtain: How the annual experience has pioneered Sarasota's creative pulse
What does it take to turn a bold idea into a community institution — and keep it thriving for a decade?
For Anand Pallegar, founder of DreamLarge, it began with a vision: a space where curiosity could flourish, creativity could soar and perspectives could be challenged. That vision took shape as PINC — a full-day conference of People, Ideas, Nature, and Community — that started in the Netherlands and made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to Sarasota in 2014.
Join Us for a Hurricane Block Party, Supply Drive and Fundraiser
DreamLarge will host a block party, supply drive and fundraiser in the Rosemary District on Saturday.
City of Sarasota cuts the ribbon on Overtown Square park
Despite the high speed at which it is growing, the Rosemary District had been without a neighborhood park, although a "civic square" was envisioned in the city's master plan.
Overtown Square, Sarasota’s Newest Park, Is Now Open
The Rosemary District officially has a pocket park. Overtown Square, the City of Sarasota’s newest park, opened to the public this morning after a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by city leaders, local business owners and residents.