Sarasota businesses help with free programming at park

Sarasota area businesses and business leaders are essential to make free park programming sustainable at The Bay, a new downtown park that's become a beloved gathering place for the full and rich diversity of the Sarasota community.

In just the first year, more than 250,000 park guests have come to the park and 40,000 people have participated in one or more of the free park programs.

The Bay strives to be sustainable in every way as it preserves, restores and transforms 53 acres of city-owned land along Sarasota Bay into a blue and green oasis — revitalizing what was once a parking lot into a dynamic public park.