The following is a list of notable people who were born or who live or formerly lived in the city of Sarasota, Florida.
- Carl Abbott, architect
- Erik Arroyo, former mayor of Sarasota and lawyer
- Doug Band, assistant to Bill Clinton and businessman. Helped found the Clinton Global Initiative and assisted with the Clinton Foundation after his presidency
- Freddie Bartholomew, 1930s child actor
- Roy Basler (1906âÂÂ1989), historian
- Dickey Betts (1943âÂÂ2024), guitarist and founding member of The Allman Brothers Band
- Duane Betts, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and member of The Allman Betts Band
- Kevin Biegel, writer-producer, screenwriter
- Vern Buchanan (born 1951), U.S. representative
- Daniel Bukantz (1917âÂÂ2008), Olympic fencer
- Eugene A. Burdick, North Dakota Fifth Judicial District judge and surrogate judge for the North Dakota Supreme Court
- William J. Burns, Director of the Bureau of Investigation, later the Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Flossie M. Byrd, home economist and academic
- Lincoln Child, author of techno-thriller and horror novels
- Barber Conable, New York state senator, U.S representative from New York, and World Bank President under President Ronald Reagan
- Marlow Cook, U.S. senator from Kentucky
- Eric Curran, racing driver
- Vincent D'Autorio, Two-time Olympic gymnast
- Ian Desmond, professional baseball player for the Colorado Rockies
- Lois Duncan, writer, novelist, poet, and journalist
- Gil Elvgren, painter of pin-up models
- Richard Floethe, printmaker and illustrator
- Sonia Pressman Fuentes, lawyer; author and co-founder of National Organization for Women
- Jackie Gerlich, dwarf actor and circus entertainer
- Brian Gottfried (born 1952), tennis player, reached Nú3 in the world in 1977
- Carla Gugino (born 1971), actress
- Dalton Guthrie (born 1995), Major League Baseball player for the San Francisco Giants
- James A. Haley, U.S. representative from Florida and member of the Florida House of Representatives. Vice-president and later president of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1952, 1956, and 1960
- Denver David Hargis, U.S. representative from Kansas
- Forest Harness, U.S representative from Indiana and Sergeant at Arms of the Senate
- Ian Hornak, founding artist of the Hyperrealist and Photorealist fine art movements. Owned a winter home in Sarasota from 1985 to 2001.
- Tim Jaeger, artist
- Brian Johnson, lead singer of AC/DC
- Mackinlay Kantor, Pulitzer Prize winning author
- Josh Kaufman, soul singer and singer-songwriter
- Margaret Kerry, actress, radio host, and model for Tinker Bell in the 1953 Walt Disney film Peter Pan
- Stephen King, author
- David Lawrence, publisher; founded what would later become U.S. News & World Report
- La Norma Fox, trapeze artist in RBB Circus and Sarasotan from 1949 onwards
- Mirjana LuÃÂiÃÂ-Baroni, professional tennis player
- Victor Lundy, architect
- Jes Macallan, actress
- John D. MacDonald, crime novelist
- Marlon Mack, running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League
- George E. Martin (1902âÂÂ1995), US Army major general, lived in Sarasota during retirement
- Myka Meier, etiquette coach and writer
- Eric Minkin (born 1950), American-Israeli basketball player
- Daniel Myrick, director of horror films
- Bello Nock, daredevil and circus performer
- Carol Perkins, fashion model
- Jack Perkins, reporter, commentator, war correspondent, and anchorman
- Joe Perry, lead guitarist of Aerosmith
- Guy Peterson, architect
- Paul Reubens, actor known for creating and portraying Pee-wee Herman
- Michael Rey, abstract painter
- Charles Edward Ringling, one of the Ringling Brothers
- Stephen Root, actor, voice actor, and comedian
- Milton Rubenfeld (1919âÂÂ2004), pilot and one of five founding pilots of Israeli Air Force
- Randy Savage (1952âÂÂ2011), professional wrestler
- Tim Seibert, architect
- Monica Seles, former no.1 tennis player
- Sharon Shewmake, Washington State Senator was born and raised in Sarasota
- Sam Shields, cornerback in the National Football League
- George Snyder, Maryland state senator and majority leader
- Kyle Snyder, Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach
- Dick Smothers, actor, comedian, composer, and musician
- Syd Solomon, American artist
- Jerry Springer, television personality
- Ben Stahl (artist)
- Alex Steinweiss, graphic artist, credited with being the inventor of album cover art.
- Greg Steube (born 1978), U.S. representative and former Florida senator and Florida representative
- Mildred Ladner Thompson, journalist and writer
- Ralph Twitchell, architect
- Dick Vitale, college basketball coach and broadcaster
- Adrienne Vittadini, fashion designer
- Noelia Voigt, Miss USA 2023 winner
- Joseph Volpe, general manager of the Metropolitan Opera
- Nik Wallenda, tightrope walker
- Iain Webb, Director of The Sarasota Ballet and former dancer with The Royal Ballet
- Scott Weiss, venture capitalist
- Hoyt Wilhelm, MLB pitcher and Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
- George Howard Williams, U.S Senator from Missouri
- Geoff Wilson, entrepreneur, investor, and sports card collector
- Jack West, architect
- Robert Windom, former Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services under President Ronald Reagan
- Linda Winikow, politician and New York State Senator
- Roger Zare, composer and pianist
- Bridgett Zehr, ballet dancer with the English National Ballet
References