Hoveround is an American corporation that manufactures and distributes the Hoveround brand of power wheelchairs (also known as motorized wheelchairs ) and sells scooters , lifts, ramps and power chair accessories.
89-484: The company, founded in 1992 by former nurse and inventor Tom Kruse, is based in Sarasota, Florida . Its battery-operated products are primarily designed to assist mobility challenged individuals in getting around inside their homes and to facilitate mobility-related activities of daily living (MRADLs). Hoveround sells directly to consumers and relies primarily on television, mail and their website for sales efforts. In 2012,
178-520: A commission–manager form of government. There are a total of five city commissioners: two that are elected "at large" and three from single-member districts. The mayor and vice mayor are selected from the five city commissioners. Mayors of Sarasota, Florida include: Sarasota has many musical, dance, theatre, circus and other performing arts venues, including the Sarasota Ballet , Sarasota Opera , Asolo Repertory Theatre , Florida Studio Theatre ,
267-406: A bachelor's degree or higher. In 2020, the median household income was $ 56,093 with a per capita income of $ 43,387. 15.6% of the population lived below the poverty threshold . As of the 2010 United States census , there were 51,917 people, 22,775 households, and 11,603 families residing in the city. Sarasota municipal government was incorporated in 1913, changing from a town type to adopting
356-457: A census and birth registration, an area PTA, and a Red Cross Auxiliary. The Sarasota Woman's Club relocated in 1976 and the building became slated for demolition. Marian McKenna, a patron, and supporter of the arts, did not want to see the building and her memories destroyed. She purchased the building and later sold it to Florida Studio Theatre. In 1985, the Sarasota Woman's Club building
445-518: A county government office building. The adjacent courthouse that he donated to the new county in 1921 has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The courthouse complex was designed by Dwight James Baum . Calusa The Calusa ( / k ə ˈ l uː s ə / kə- LOO -sə , Calusa : *ka(ra)luš(i) ) were a Native American people of Florida 's southwest coast. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of
534-582: A crime drama starring Denzel Washington and Eva Mendes used the Blackburn Point Bridge , Boca Grande and Cortez . In 2013, Taylor Hackford 's action movie Parker , with Jason Statham , Jennifer Lopez , Nick Nolte had scenes filmed at Ca' d'Zan in Sarasota. In June 2017, director Kevin Smith shot his 2022 film, KillRoy Was Here , in Sarasota. Sarasota is home to Mote Marine Laboratory ,
623-703: A dugout canoe was found during excavation for a middle school in Marathon, Florida . Not conserved and in poor shape, the canoe is now displayed at the Crane Point Museum and Nature Center in Marathon and is tentatively attributed to the Calusa. The Calusa lived in large, communal houses which were two stories high. When Pedro Menéndez de Avilés visited the capital in 1566, he described the chief's house as large enough to hold 2,000 without crowding, indicating it also served as
712-410: A finely carved deer head. The plaques and other objects were often painted. To date, no one has found a Calusa dugout canoe , but it is speculated that such vessels would have been constructed from cypress or pine, as used by other Florida tribes. The process of shaping the boat was achieved by burning the middle and subsequently chopping and removing the charred center, using robust shell tools. In 1954,
801-518: A man who spoke Spanish approached Ponce de León's ships with a request to wait for the arrival of the Calusa chief. Soon 20 war canoes attacked the Spanish, who drove off the Calusa, killing or capturing several of them. The next day, 80 "shielded" canoes attacked the Spanish ships, but the battle was inconclusive. The Spanish departed and returned to Puerto Rico . In 1517 Francisco Hernández de Córdoba landed in southwest Florida on his return voyage from
890-724: A marine rescue, research facility, an aquarium, the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens , the Sarasota Jungle Gardens and the Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary. Since 1998, the city has hosted the Sarasota Film Festival annually. The festival attracts independent films from around the world. It claims to be one of Florida's largest film festivals. In 2009 the annual Ringling International Arts Festival , held its premier and held its closing event in
979-593: A mission to the Calusa but left after a few months. After the outbreak of war between Spain and England in 1702, slaving raids by Uchise Creek and Yamasee Indians allied with the Province of Carolina began reaching far down the Florida peninsula. The Carolinan colonists supplied firearms to the Creek and Yemasee, but the Calusa, who had isolated themselves from Europeans, had none. Ravaged by new infectious diseases introduced to
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#17330930271811068-736: A place named Stapaba, which was identified in the area on an early 16th-century map. Paleo-Indians entered what is now Florida at least 12,000 years ago. By around 5000 BC, people started living in villages near wetlands. Favored sites were likely occupied for multiple generations. Florida's climate had reached current conditions and the sea had risen close to its present level by about 3000 BC. People commonly occupied both fresh and saltwater wetlands. Because they relied on shellfish, they accumulated large shell middens during this period. Many people lived in large villages with ceremonial earthwork mounds , such as those at Horr's Island . People began firing pottery in Florida by 2000 BC. By about 500 BC,
1157-454: A regular basis, but did not tattoo themselves. The men wore their hair long. The missionaries recognized that having a Calusa man cut his hair upon converting to Christianity (and European style) would be a great sacrifice. Little was recorded of jewelry or other ornamentation among the Calusa. During Menéndez de Avilés's visit in 1566, the chief's wife was described as wearing pearls, precious stones, and gold beads around her neck. The heir of
1246-410: A replacement of the population. Between 500 and 1000, the undecorated, sand- tempered pottery that had been common in the area was replaced by " Belle Glade Plain" pottery. This was made with clay containing spicules from freshwater sponges ( Spongilla ), and it first appeared inland in sites around Lake Okeechobee. This change may have resulted from the people's migration from the interior to
1335-702: A small town just South of Sarasota. The name Sarasota Chalk Festival remains the same. It is also home to the Fabulous Arts Foundation, formerly the Harvey Milk Festival, an independent music festival in support of civil rights , focusing on the LGBTQ community. It has been celebrated in May annually since 2010 on the weekend closest to Harvey Milk 's birthday. It is currently the largest independent music festival in Sarasota , with thousands of attendees throughout
1424-442: A standard mesh size; nets with different mesh sizes were used seasonally to catch the most abundant and useful fish available. The Calusa made bone and shell gauges that they used in net weaving. Cultivated gourds were used as net floats, and sinkers and net weights were made from mollusk shells. The Calusa also used spears, hooks , and throat gorges to catch fish. Well-preserved nets, net floats, and hooks were found at Key Marco , in
1513-526: A theater that could be adapted for either vaudeville performances or movie screenings. Renowned stripper Sally Rand did her bubble bath and fan dance here. Tommy Dorsey , Will Rogers and Elvis Presley each performed at the Edward Theatre. It is now the Sarasota Opera House . It remains at the intersection of Pineapple Avenue and Second Street, having been restored and used for performances by
1602-686: Is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida , United States. It is located in Southwest Florida , the southern end of the Greater Tampa Bay Area , and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Bay and several barrier islands between the bay and the Gulf of Mexico . Sarasota is a principal city of the North Port- Bradenton- Sarasota, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area . According to
1691-420: Is an eyewitness account from 1566 of a "king's house" on Mound Key that was large enough for "2,000 people to stand inside." In 1564, according to a Spanish source, the priest was the chief's father, and the military leader was his cousin. The Spanish documented four cases of known succession to the position of paramount chief, recording most names in Spanish form. Senquene succeeded his brother (name unknown), and
1780-591: Is disputed, with some claiming that it is based on conquistador Hernando de Soto's daughter Sara, and others claiming that it comes from "sara-de-cota," meaning "an area of land easily observed" in the language of the Calusa indigenous tribe. Around 1883 to 1885, The Florida Mortgage and Investment Company of Edinburgh bought 60,000 acres for development in what is now Sarasota. Many Scottish people began to arrive in Sarasota in December 1885. The municipal government of Sarasota
1869-632: Is located in Sarasota. The Circus Ring of Fame is a series of commemorative plaques in St. Armand's Circle , honoring prominent figures in circus history, similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame . Honorees include Paul Binder , Nik Wallenda , and the King Charles Troupe , among over 150 others. Residents of Sarasota that have been associated with the circus include daredevil and Guinness World Record holder Bello Nock , himself an honoree of
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#17330930271811958-664: Is one of the largest and most active jazz clubs in the United States and has promoted jazz events in Sarasota for 39 years. Elvis Presley , Tommy Dorsey and Gregg Allman each played concerts in Sarasota. Joe Perry of Aerosmith , Brian Johnson of AC/DC , Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band , Donald Dunn of the Blues Brothers and Graeme Edge of the Moody Blues have all settled in Sarasota. Sarasota and
2047-452: Is water. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is the name given to the many natural deep water sections as well as humanmade channels, canals, and cuts that link the entire Sarasota Bay system. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 54,842 people, 25,209 households, and 12,474 families residing in the city. Of that population in 2020, 3.9% were under 5 years old, 14.6% were under 18 years old, and 28.0% were 65 years and older. 52.5% of
2136-506: The 2020 U.S. census , Sarasota had a population of 54,842, up from 51,917 at the 2010 census. The Sarasota city limits contain several islands, called keys, including Lido Key , St. Armands Key , Otter Key, Coon Key, Bird Key , and the northern portion of Siesta Key as well as Bay Island. Longboat Key is the largest key separating Sarasota Bay from the Gulf of Mexico but is a separate municipality. The city limits expanded significantly with
2225-465: The Archaic culture , which had been fairly uniform across Florida, shifted into more distinct regional cultures. Some Archaic artifacts have been found in the region later occupied by the Calusa, including one site classified as early Archaic, and dated before 5000 BC. There is evidence that the people intensively exploited Charlotte Harbor aquatic resources before 3500 BC. Undecorated pottery belonging to
2314-508: The Bauhaus and Frank Lloyd Wright 's "organic" architecture. The style developed as an adaptation to the area's sub-tropical climate and used newly emerging materials that were manufactured or implemented following World War II. By the end of the twentieth century, many of Sarasota's more modest historical structures were demolished. Recently, two historic buildings, the Crocker Church and
2403-655: The Circus Museum and the Tibbals Learning Center , established in 1948. Sarasota is also home to The Circus Arts Conservatory, which is responsible for the tent show Circus Sarasota and the "oldest youth circus", Sailor Circus. In 2017, The Circus Arts Conservatory took part in the Smithsonian Folk Festival. The Showfolks Club, a social organization that also puts on an annual circus performance billed as "Sarasota’s longest running circus event",
2492-583: The Everglades region. Previous indigenous cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years. At the time of European contact in the 16th and 17th centuries, the historic Calusa were the people of the Caloosahatchee culture . They developed a complex culture based on estuarine fisheries rather than agriculture. Calusa territory reached from Charlotte Harbor to Cape Sable , all of present-day Charlotte , Lee , and Collier counties, and may have included
2581-572: The Florida Keys at times. They had the highest population density of South Florida ; estimates of total population at the time of European contact range from 10,000 to several times that, but these are speculative. Calusa political influence and control also extended over other tribes in southern Florida, including the Mayaimi around Lake Okeechobee , and the Tequesta and Jaega on the southeast coast of
2670-615: The Sarasota Opera and others. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . In the early 1950s, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art purchased a historic Italian theater, the "Asolo" (now called the Historic Asolo Theater). This theatre was originally built for Queen Caterina of Cyprus' palace in Asolo, Italy in 1798 but was dismantled in 1931. A. Everett "Chick" Austin,
2759-542: The Yucatán . He was also attacked by the Calusa. In 1521, Ponce de León returned to southwest Florida to plant a colony, but the Calusa drove the Spanish out, mortally wounding Ponce de León. The Pánfilo de Narváez expedition of 1528 and the Hernando de Soto expedition of 1539 both landed in the vicinity of Tampa Bay , north of the Calusa domain. Dominican missionaries reached the Calusa domain in 1549 but withdrew because of
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2848-525: The "Going Vertical" project, and although it sometimes coincides with the chalk festival, it is distinct from it and often continues throughout the year. Except for a few commissioned on public property in the Palm Avenue Parking Garage, the murals are on private property and are in many sections of Sarasota and Manatee County. As of 2014 the Sarasota Chalk festival has relocated to Venice, FL,
2937-518: The Americas by European contact and by the slaving raids, the surviving Calusa retreated south and east. In 1711, the Spanish helped evacuate 270 Indians, including many Calusa, from the Florida Keys to Cuba (where almost 200 soon died). They left 1,700 behind. The Spanish founded a mission on Biscayne Bay in 1743 to serve survivors from several tribes, including the Calusa, who had gathered there and in
3026-621: The Bidwell-Wood House (the oldest remaining structure in the city), first restored by Veronica Morgan and members of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation that she founded, became city property. These structures were relocated to this park, despite protests from residents who objected to the loss of park area. In the late 1970s, Sarasota County purchased the Terrace Hotel that Charles Ringling built and renovated it for use as
3115-623: The Calusa and Europeans was in 1513, when Juan Ponce de León landed on the west coast of Florida in May, probably at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River , after his earlier discovery of Florida in April. The Calusa knew of the Spanish before this landing, however, as they had taken in Native American refugees from the Spanish subjugation of Cuba . The Spanish careened one of their ships, and Calusas offered to trade with them. After ten days,
3204-507: The Calusa buried their departed in mounds. After death, a body was placed in a charnel house to let the flesh fall away naturally or, in some cases, a medicine man with long fingernails would scrape the flesh from bone. Afterwards, the bones would be gathered up, placed in a basket, and buried in a mound. These mounds were both for burials as well as religious ceremonies, as the Calusa would gather atop them on "Holy Days to sacrifice aromatic plants and honey". The first recorded contact between
3293-504: The Calusa had institutionalized slavery, studies show they would use captives for work or even sacrifice. A few leaders governed the tribe. They were supported by the labor of the majority of the Calusa. The leaders included the paramount chief, or "king"; a military leader ( capitán general in Spanish); and a chief priest. The capital of the Calusa, and where the rulers administered from, was Mound Key , near present day Estero, Florida . There
3382-531: The Calusa served only fish and oysters to the Spanish. An analysis of faunal remains at one coastal habitation site, the Wightman site (on Sanibel Island ), showed that more than 93 percent of the energy from animals in the diet came from fish and shellfish, less than 6 percent of the energy came from mammals, and less than 1 percent came from birds and reptiles. By contrast, at an inland site, Platt Island , mammals (primarily deer ) accounted for more than 60 percent of
3471-532: The Calusas, nor does Zamia grow in the wetlands that made up most of the Calusa environment. Marquardt notes that the Calusa turned down the offer of agricultural tools from the Spanish, saying that they had no need for them. The Calusa gathered a variety of wild berries, fruits, nuts, roots, and other plant parts. Widmer cites George Murdock 's estimate that only some 20 percent of the Calusa diet consisted of wild plants that they gathered. While no evidence of plant food
3560-724: The Circus Ring of Fame, as well as aerialist and circus proprietor Dolly Jacobs , who cofounded The Circus Arts Conservatory. In 1952, Cecil B. DeMille filmed and premiered The Greatest Show on Earth (with James Stewart , Charlton Heston , Betty Hutton ) in Sarasota. In 1998, two studio films were filmed in Sarasota: Alfonso Cuaron 's Great Expectations , with Ethan Hawke , Gwyneth Paltrow , Hank Azaria , Anne Bancroft and Robert De Niro ; and Volker Schlondorff 's Palmetto , starring Woody Harrelson , Elisabeth Shue , and Gina Gershon . Out of Time (2003),
3649-635: The Cultural Coast are home to fine art, film-making, circus history and performance, and decorative arts. The Sarasota Art Museum and the Ringling Museum are both in Sarasota. One of Sarasota's nicknames is "Circus City", or alternatively "The Circus Capital of the World", owing in part to John Ringling's decision to move the winter quarters of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to Sarasota in 1927. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art houses
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3738-529: The Florida Keys. The mission was closed after only a few months. After Spain ceded Florida to the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1763, the remaining tribes of South Florida were relocated to Cuba by the Spanish, completing their removal from the region. While a few Calusa individuals may have stayed behind and been absorbed into the Seminole , no documentation supports that. Cuban fishing camps ( ranchos ) operated along
3827-569: The Hoveround prototype maximized ease-of-operation, comfort and durability. The name “Hoveround” is the brainchild of Tom Kruse. He blended the word “hover” (based on the hovering look of the wheelchair), with the Beach Boys ’ song “ I Get Around ”. Kruse had been listening to the song on the radio while driving to a power chair promotional event and came up with the Hoveround name. On June 28, 1994, Hoveround began selling its power wheelchairs direct to
3916-552: The Palm Tree Playhouse in 1951. The Playhouse closed again in the 1960s. In the mid-1970s, Asolo Theatre purchased the space for production purposes and their Stage Two Theatre program. It was subsequently sold to Anita Katzman and reoccupied by Siesta Key Actors Theatre and Theatre Works in the 1980s. The building was acquired by Florida Studio Theatre and renamed the Gompertz Theatre in honor of Mrs. Leila Gompertz, who made
4005-592: The Players Centre for Performing Arts, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Urbanite Theatre, Sarasota Contemporary Dance, Sarasota Orchestra, La Musica, Jazz Club of Sarasota, Sarasota Youth Opera, Circus Arts Conservatory and many others. Theatrical venues include Florida Studio Theatre , Asolo Repertory Theatre , Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall , The Players Theatre, Urbanite Theatre, and the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. In 1925, A. B. Edwards built
4094-459: The Sarasota Woman's Club, is amongst the oldest surviving buildings in Sarasota. Founded in 1903, the Sarasota Woman's Club eventually set out to create a meeting place to house social events, activities, and forums. On January 1, 1915, the cornerstone was laid at the corner of Palm Avenue and Park Street (now Cocoanut). It served as the town's first library and hosted numerous clubs and public committee gatherings. The Woman's Club also maintained
4183-399: The Spanish and Calusa. Re-entering the area in 1614, Spanish forces attacked the Calusa as part of a war between the Calusa and Spanish-allied tribes around Tampa Bay. A Spanish expedition to ransom some captives held by the Calusa in 1680 was forced to turn back; neighboring tribes refused to guide the Spanish, for fear of retaliation by the Calusa. In 1697 Franciscan missionaries established
4272-522: The United States of America. Celebrating the sixteenth-century performance art of Italian street painting, the festival hosted Maestro Madonnaro Edgar Mueller from Germany, who created the first street painting that changed images from day to night. The festival has a different theme each year and has introduced new techniques in street art. Other applications of street art such as murals and "cellograff graffiti" have become companion events also produced by Avenida de Colores, Inc. The murals are part of
4361-409: The airport, fire departments, property and ad valorem taxes, voting, the health department, extension services, stormwater control, mosquito control, the courts, and the jail. The municipal government of Sarasota was established when it was incorporated as a town on October 14, 1902. Sarasota was then reincorporated as a city on May 13, 1913. Since its incorporation, Sarasota has been governed by
4450-576: The archaeological record by the appearance of pottery from other traditions. The Caloosahatchee culture inhabited the Florida west coast from Estero Bay to Charlotte Harbor and inland about halfway to Lake Okeechobee, approximately covering what are now Charlotte and Lee counties. At the time of first European contact, the Caloosahatchee culture region formed the core of the Calusa domain. Artifacts related to fishing changed slowly over this period, with no obvious breaks in tradition that might indicate
4539-455: The baptismal name Doña Antonia at conversion. Menéndez left a garrison of soldiers and a Jesuit mission, San Antón de Carlos, at the Calusa capital. Hostilities erupted, and the Spanish soldiers killed Carlos, his successor Felipe, and several of the "nobles" before they abandoned their fort and mission in 1569. For more than a century after the Avilés adventure, there was little contact between
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#17330930271814628-425: The belief system; they were intermediaries between the gods and the people. Conversion would have destroyed the source of their authority and legitimacy. The Calusa resisted physical encroachment and spiritual conversion by the Spanish and their missionaries for almost 200 years. After suffering decimation by disease, the tribe was destroyed by Creek and Yamasee raiders early in the 18th century. Evidence shows that
4717-409: The body after death, and the Calusa would consult with that soul at the graveside. The other two souls left the body after death and entered into an animal. If a Calusa killed such an animal, the soul would migrate to a lesser animal and eventually be reduced to nothing. Calusa ceremonies included processions of priests and singing women. The priests wore carved masks, which were at other times hung on
4806-448: The ceremonial positions of "mayor" and "vice-mayor", as chosen by the commission every April. Two at-large commissioners are elected by all voters and the city is divided into three districts for which the residents of each elect one district representative to the five member commission. Many aspects of the city are overseen by the county government ranging from the schools, the libraries, the bay, major waterways, county-designated roads,
4895-408: The chief wore gold in an ornament on his forehead and beads on his legs. Ceremonial or other artistic masks have been discovered and were previously described by the Spanish who first encountered the Calusa. Some of these masks had moving parts that used pull strings and hinges so that a person could alter the look of a mask while wearing it. The Calusa believed that three supernatural beings ruled
4984-465: The city type of local government found in the United States and the title of its government changed to "City of Sarasota". Sarasota later was designated as the county seat when Sarasota County was carved out of Manatee County in 1921 during the creation of several new counties . In 1945 the commission-manager government form was adopted for the city and it is governed by a five-person commission elected by popular vote, two members of which serve in
5073-411: The coastal region, or may reflect trade and cultural influences. There was little change in the pottery tradition after this. The Calusa were descended from people who had lived in the area for at least 1,000 years prior to European contact, and possibly for much longer than that. The Calusa had a stratified society, consisting of "commoners" and "nobles" in Spanish terms. While there is no evidence that
5162-438: The company celebrated its 20th anniversary and had more than 500 employees. In early 2014, Hoveround laid off 20 or more workers at its Sarasota County headquarters offices. The worker reduction brought the total number of employees in the region within a range of only 290 to 295. According to spokespeople, competitive bidding at Medicare and the need for the company to trim payroll prompted the lay offs of staffers from throughout
5251-449: The council house. When the chief formally received Menéndez in his house, the chief sat on a raised seat surrounded by 500 of his principal men, while his sister-wife sat on another raised seat surrounded by 500 women. The chief's house was described as having two big windows, suggesting that it had walls. Five friars who stayed in the chief's house in 1697 complained that the roof let in the rain, sun and dew. The chief's house, and possibly
5340-528: The country and worldwide. The Festival has become a destination event, drawing thousands across Florida and beyond. Past performers have come from as far as Mexico, Canada, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom to perform on Florida's Gulf Coast. In 2010, the Sarasota Chalk Festival that is held yearly in the historic area of Burns Square became the first international street painting festival in
5429-707: The customer. Within 90 days, Hoveround was profitable. Hoveround achieved FDA certification as a registered manufacturer in 1994, followed by ISO 9001 certification in 1997. In 1998, private holding company Jordan Industries, purchased an 80% stake in Hoveround. The remaining stock remained with Kruse and his brothers. Hoveround custom assembles all of its power chairs at the company's manufacturing facilities in Southwest Florida. Hoveround sells power wheelchairs, motorized scooters, personal lifts, ramps and various power wheelchair accessories Sarasota, Florida Sarasota ( / ˌ s ær ə ˈ s oʊ t ə / )
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#17330930271815518-452: The early Glades culture appeared in the region around 500 BC. Pottery distinct from the Glades tradition developed in the region around AD 500, marking the beginning of the Caloosahatchee culture . This lasted until about 1750, and included the historic Calusa people. By 880, a complex society had developed with high population densities. Later periods in the Caloosahatchee culture are defined in
5607-481: The early 19th century, Anglo-Americans in the area used the term Calusa for the people. It is based on the Mvskoke and Mikasuki (languages of the present-day Seminole and Miccosukee nations) ethnonym for the people who had lived around the Caloosahatchee River (also from the Creek language). Juan Rogel , a Jesuit missionary to the Calusa in the late 1560s, noted the chief's name as Carlos , but wrote that
5696-581: The energy from animal meat, while fish provided just under 20 percent. Some authors have argued that the Calusa cultivated maize and Zamia integrifolia (coontie) for food. But Widmer argues that the evidence for maize cultivation by the Calusa depends on the proposition that the Narváez and de Soto expeditions landed in Charlotte Harbor rather than Tampa Bay , which is now generally discounted. No Zamia pollen has been found at any site associated with
5785-548: The free, public, multi-day event that also includes gallery showings, film, and other live performances. A large number of homes and buildings are designed in the Italian style. Italian architecture and culture are present in the area including at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Ringling's home, Cà d'Zan , was mostly modeled on the Venetian. Examples of those more typically seen in
5874-475: The historic Asolo theater, which had been moved and rebuilt again. The historic Venetian theater now is housed in the reception building for the museum where it is used for special events as well as performances, informative purposes, and another seasonal film series hosted by the museum. Florida Studio Theatre produces the annual Sarasota Improv Festival. Founded in 2009 by Rebecca Hopkins, FST's annual Sarasota Improv Festival brings together improvisers from across
5963-462: The hostility of the tribe. Salvaged goods and survivors from wrecked Spanish ships reached the Calusa during the 1540s and 1550s. The best information about the Calusa comes from the Memoir of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda , one of these survivors. Fontaneda was shipwrecked on the east coast of Florida, likely in the Florida Keys , about 1550, when he was thirteen years old. Although many others survived
6052-631: The lead gift enabling the purchase. Sarasota is the home of the Sarasota Orchestra , which was founded by Ruth Cotton Butler in 1949 and known for years as the Florida West Coast Symphony . It holds a three-week Sarasota Music Festival that is recognized internationally and boasts it attracts renowned teachers and the finest students of chamber music. Sarasota also boasts a symphonic chorus, Key Chorale, and professional vocal ensemble, Choral Artists of Sarasota. The Jazz Club of Sarasota
6141-635: The museum's first director, arranged the purchase and reassembly of the theater for performances of plays and opera. In the 1960s philanthropists Lewis and Eugenia Van Wezel enabled the city to build a performing arts hall on the bayfront. The auditorium, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall , was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright 's successor firm, Taliesin Associated Architects team under the direction of William Wesley Peters . Wright's widow, Olgivanna Lloyd Wright , who participated in
6230-606: The name of the kingdom was Escampaba, with an alternate spelling of Escampaha . Rogel also stated that the chief's name was Caalus, and that the Spanish had changed it to Carlos. Marquardt quotes a statement from the 1570s that "the Bay of Carlos ... in the Indian language is called Escampaba, for the cacique of this town, who afterward called himself Carlos in devotion to the Emperor" ( Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor ). Escampaba may be related to
6319-419: The organization. In late 2015, the Office of the Inspector General called for Hoveround to return $ 27 million to the government for power mobility devices that it said did not meet Medicare reimbursement requirements. Inventor Thomas Kruse, along with his brothers George and Robert and his stepfather Gerald Ewing, founded Hoveround Corporation in April 1992. Built to increase the mobility of wheelchair users,
6408-436: The other houses at Calos, were built on top of earthen mounds. In a report from 1697, the Spanish noted 16 houses in the Calusa capital of Calos , which had 1,000 residents. The Calusa wore minimal clothing. The men wore deerskin breechcloths . The Spanish left less description about Calusa women's attire. At the time, most Indigenous women of Florida wore skirts made from Spanish moss . The Calusa painted their bodies on
6497-525: The peninsula. Calusa influence may have also extended to the Ais tribe on the central east coast of Florida. European contact caused their extinction, through disease and violence. Early Spanish and French sources referred to the tribe, its chief town, and its chief as Calos , Calus , Caalus , and Carlos . Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda , a Spaniard held captive by the Calusa in the 16th century, recorded that Calusa meant "fierce people" in their language. By
6586-425: The population were female persons. As of 2020, 4,056 veterans lived in the city and 16.7% of the population were foreign born persons. In 2020, the median gross rent was $ 1,177. 92.5% of the households had a computer and 84.2% of the households had a broadband internet subscription. In 2020, 90.0% of the population over 25 years had completed a high school education, and 37.2% of the population over 25 years had
6675-557: The project, selected its purple color. In 1989, Stuart Barger, a local architect, designed and oversaw the construction of another Asolo Theater, housed in the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts . It is a multi-theater complex, located farther east on the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art property, being placed between Bay Shore Road and Tamiami Trail, and facing south toward Ringling Plaza. It
6764-407: The real estate rush of the early twentieth century, reaching almost 70 square miles (180 km ). The speculation boom began to crash in 1926 and the city limits began to contract, shrinking to less than a quarter of that area. The area known today as Sarasota appeared on a sheepskin Spanish map from 1763 with the word Zarazote over present-day Sarasota and Bradenton . The origin of the name
6853-530: The same style are the residences of Edith Ringling and of Hester Ringling Lancaster Sanford, that also are among the structures in the Caples–Ringling Estates Historic District . Italian inspired statues are also common and the copy of Michelangelo's David at the museum is used as the symbol of Sarasota. The Sarasota School of Architecture developed as a variant of mid-century modernist architecture. It incorporates elements of both
6942-516: The shipwreck, only Fontaneda was spared by the tribe in whose territory they landed. Warriors killed all the adult men. Fontaneda lived with various tribes in southern Florida for the next seventeen years before being found by the Menendez de Avilés expedition. In 1566 Pedro Menéndez de Avilés , founder of St. Augustine , made contact with the Calusa. He struck an uneasy peace with their leader Caluus, or Carlos. Menéndez married Carlos' sister, who took
7031-415: The summer regularly push the heat index over 100 °F (38 °C). There are distinct rainy and dry seasons, with the rainy season lasting from March to November and the dry season from December to February. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 24.08 square miles (62.4 km ), of which 14.70 sq mi (38.07 km ) is land and 9.39 sq mi (24.3 km )
7120-616: The territory of the neighboring Muspa tribe. Mollusk shells and wood were used to make hammering and pounding tools. Mollusk shells and shark teeth were used for grating, cutting, carving, and engraving. The Calusa wove nets from palm-fiber cord. Cord was also made from cabbage palm leaves, saw palmetto trunks, Spanish moss , false sisal ( Agave decipiens ) and the bark of cypress and willow trees. The Calusa also made fish traps , weirs , and fish corrals from wood and cord. Artifacts of wood that have been found include bowls, ear ornaments, masks, plaques, "ornamental standards", and
7209-464: The walls inside a temple. Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda , an early chronicler of the Calusa, described "sorcerers in the shape of the devil, with some horns on their heads," who ran through the town yelling like animals for four months at a time. The Calusa remained committed to their belief system despite Spanish attempts to convert them to Catholicism . The "nobles" resisted conversion in part because their power and position were intimately tied to
7298-399: The world, that people had three souls, and that souls migrated to animals after death. The most powerful ruler governed the physical world, the second most powerful ruled human governments, and the last helped in wars, choosing which side would win. The Calusa believed that the three souls were the pupil of a person's eye, his shadow, and his reflection . The soul in the eye's pupil stayed with
7387-604: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places. After completing more renovations to the historic building in 2003, the theatre was renamed the Keating Theatre in honor of Ed and Elaine Keating, and in 2004, additional lobby space was built in the theatre - the Bea Friedman Room. FST's Keating Theatre now seats 173 and remains a cultural center of Sarasota. In 2003, FST purchased the Gompertz Theatre. The building
7476-640: Was built around a rococo , historic Scottish theater previously called the Dunfermline Opera House , which had been shipped to Florida. The complex provides venues and facilities for students of Florida State University 's MFA Acting program, the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training . This was the administrative home of the Sarasota French Film Festival for several years. Florida Studio Theatre 's Keating Theatre, formerly
7565-582: Was demonstrated when Carlos offered his sister Antonia in marriage to the Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in 1566. The Calusa diet at settlements along the coast and estuaries consisted primarily of fish, in particular pinfish ( Lagodon rhomboides ), pigfish (redmouth grunt), ( Orthopristis chrysoptera ) and hardhead catfish ( Ariopsis felis ). These small fish were supplemented by larger bony fish , sharks and rays , mollusks , crustaceans , ducks, sea turtles and land turtles, and land animals. When Pedro Menéndez de Avilés visited in 1566,
7654-414: Was established when it was incorporated as a town on October 14, 1902. John Hamilton Gillespie was the first Mayor of the town government. When reincorporated with a city form of government on May 13, 1913, A. B. Edwards became the first mayor of the city government. Sarasota has a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and cooler, milder winters. The high temperatures and high humidity in
7743-516: Was found at the Wightman site, archeological digs on Sanibel Island and Useppa Island revealed evidence that the Calusa did in fact consume wild plants such as cabbage palm , prickly pear , hog plum , acorns , wild papaya , and chili peppers . There is also evidence that as early as 2,000 years ago, the Calusa cultivated a gourd of the species Cucurbita pepo and the bottle gourd , which were used for net floats and dippers. The Calusa caught most of their fish with nets. Nets were woven with
7832-520: Was in turn succeeded by his son Carlos . Carlos was succeeded by his cousin (and brother-in-law) Felipe, who was in turn succeeded by another cousin of Carlos, Pedro. The Spanish reported that the chief was expected to take his sister as one of his wives. The contemporary archeologists MacMahon and Marquardt suggest this statement may have been a misunderstanding of a requirement to marry a "clan-sister". The chief also married women from subject towns and allied tribes. This use of marriages to secure alliances
7921-706: Was originally the Park-Seventh Movie House in the 1920s. Due to the Depression, the movie house shut its doors and became an empty venue. During its predominantly vacant period in the 1940s, the theatre hosted a variety of roadshows and performers, including Tom Mix and his Wonder Horse and the All Girls' Orchestra. During this time it was known as the Garden Theater, and later the Art Theater, before becoming known as
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