Sarasota county has one of the best school systems in the state of Florida. It also has Pine View School for the Gifted, which was ranked the top school in Florida and one of the top schools in the Nation. It is a public school and the requirements are that you live in Sarasota county, have an IQ of 130 or more, pass the achievement tests required and have teacher recommendations. I have one child who graduated from PV and another who attended for many years. It's a great school but it's not for...

TO: Psychologist
FROM: Liz Elliott, ESE Specialist
DATE: 2007-2008 school year
RE: District requirements for gifted eligibility determination

Parents who are moving to Sarasota County may, at their own expense, provide psychoeducational evaluations that report both IQ and academic achievement scores necessary for gifted eligibility determination.

The following tests are required:
IQ Test
Either of the following IQ tests should be administered:...

Pine View School for the Gifted, Osprey FL
Pine View is a special program designed to meet the unique needs of intellectually gifted students in grades two through twelve on a broad-based campus. Pine View is a public school so there is no charge for attending this school. The school is located on a 74 acre campus. Pine View's current campus sports more than a dozen buildings situated around a central lawn and connected by blue open-air porticos.

Sarasota architect Carl Abbott...

I have people say to me, "come on it can't all be good." Tell me something bad about Florida. So here goes, the negative side to living in Florida. Well, negative for some people.

Some people find it to hot for their liking, especially in the summer months June-August. It does get really hot here. I usually plan my day and if I'm gonna go for a jog it's probably not going to be at 12 noon, if you're gonna mow the lawn it's probably best to do it in the early morning or late...

Sarasota has a lot of perks as far as its location and activities, but perhaps the greatest perk to me is just how nice the city itself is. Great people, clean street. What else is there??

There are other cities in Southwest Florida, however. Let me give you a quick rundown, starting from the south:

Punta Gorda - Quaint downtown area, a lot of older homes but some newer ones as well in nice communities. Good deals on waterfront properties right now.

Port...