As a Home Watch provider, we want each of your return trips to Sarasota to feel as refreshing as the first. Our "Piece of Paradise" newsletters provide a brief glimpse into Florida homeownership, followed by a featured activity for your next visit.

Homeowner Insight

With summer rapidly approaching, we're sharing the obligatory reminder that Hurricane Season begins June 1. Please review Sarasota County's Emergency Preparedness Guide to help set your frame of mind for potential storms. Should a storm track include our area, Ben will be in communications with our clients regarding any last-minute preparations. Please keep in mind that after a storm, damaged communication infrastructure may delay our ability to respond. Additionally, Coastal Haven Home Watch will not conduct post-storm visits until the county has issued a GREEN status (no travel limitations) for our origin point, travel path, and the client's home.

Sarasota County is home to one of 155 national cemeteries maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Did you know that approximately 10% of Sarasota County residents are U.S. military veterans? If you're looking for a way to reflect on the sacrifices of our veterans and their loved ones the next time you're in town, dedicate some time (and tissues) to a walk through the exhibits at Patriot Plaza in the Sarasota National Cemetery.

The center entrance to Patriot Plaza at Sarasota National Cemetery.

The cemetery opened in 2009 and the plaza was completed in 2014. Patriot Plaza is intended to be "a place of peace and reflection" that "honors veterans, inspires patriotism, and embraces freedom." Guided tours are offered at 10am on Tuesdays, although admission to the plaza/cemetery is free and open to the public from sunrise to sunset.

Patriot Plaza displays an Art Site Map describing the location and vision behind each exhibit.

Visitors are sure to be awed by the architectural symmetry that opens to the skies. They will be moved by the stone tablets, each assigned a single-word descriptor of military life and sharing a personal story and sketch.

Sarasota National Cemetery is an unexpected but impactful place to embark on a photographic journey.

The captioned photography exhibit features scenes from more than 100 years of military life. As we walked it with our son, we saw his eyes gently opened to small realities of war and wisdom.

Of course beyond the plaza, rests a seemingly endless sea of manicured tombstones. What could better convey the immensity of the years, relationships, wholeness, and lives that have been sacrificed in the name of our nation? To all of our clients who have served or supported someone who served, thank you for protecting our family and for protecting America. God bless!

Nearby or Similar Considerations

The City of Sarasota's "Unconditional Surrender" statue..

Switching to the other emotional extreme: has your photo been taken underneath the Unconditional Surrender statue at Bayfront Park? It's one of the most photographed spots in Sarasota County, and has inspired replicas to be installed in New Jersey and France. According to the sculpture's plaque, it is intended to portray the profound joy that was prompted by the surrender of the Japanese and resultant end of World War II; however, the sculpture has not been without controversy. Some viewers find it cartoonish; others don't consider the computer-aided copy of a photograph to be true art; and in 2019 the sculpture was tagged "#MeToo."