At the corner of Orange Avenue and Main Street, more than 200 feet of glass now tell a story that shaped a city. Inside the Main Street office of Michael Saunders & Company, a sweeping public installation, A Legacy in the Making: Sarasota’s Visual Arts History, 1945–1965, honors the artists and institutions that transformed Sarasota into a nationally recognized creative enclave.

By MSC Commercial Division — Insights for owners, investors, and brokers

National Impact

On September 17, 2025, the Federal Reserve cut the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 4.00%–4.25%. The move is designed to lower borrowing costs and support a slowing economy. For commercial real estate nationally, lower rates should [...]

Michael Saunders & Company's Commercial Division proudly returned to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) annual conference in Orlando from August 24–26, 2025, marking the first time since 2006 that the division hosted an exhibitor booth at the event. Six members of the MSC Commercial team staffed the booth throughout [...]

SARASOTA, FL (July 17, 2025) — Michael Saunders & Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Amanda Sanders as Commercial Property Manager, bringing extensive experience in property operations, tenant relations, and asset oversight to the firm’s commercial division. Sanders has managed a wide range of commercial property [...]

  Michael Saunders ON is a new video series that puts you in the room with some of the greatest leaders and thinkers in the global real estate community. In our first interview, our founder and CEO Michael Saunders, sits down with Leslie Appleton-Young, new Sarasota resident and VP Chief Economist at the California Association of [...]

The effects of the coronavirus outbreak on the tri-county area commercial market remain unclear. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the tri-county area had strong economic momentum, and the current report largely reflects the environment before the pandemic. It is too early to provide a quantitative assessment or forecast of the ultimate [...]

State of the Market

The tri-county area commercial market posted strong market fundamentals through 2019 for all property types. Looking back at the year and similar to 2017 and 2018, the largest commercial sales in the market involved multi-family properties. Overall office rents increased throughout the year. New industrial/flex [...]

Late October, Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County announced the 2019-2020 Corporate Board of Directors and Foundation Board of Directors as the agency prepares to celebrate its [...]

The tri-county area commercial market posted strong market fundamentals through the third quarter of 2019 for all property types. Looking back at the quarter, the largest commercial sales in the market involved multi-family properties. Becovic Management Group acquired the Preserve at Riverwalk in Downtown Bradenton, a 252-unit apartment [...]

The tri-county area commercial market posted strong fundamentals through the first half of 2019 for all property types. Looking back at the quarter, one of the largest commercial sales in the market involved a downtown Sarasota multi-family property. Bluerock Real Estate acquired The Desota, a 10-story luxury apartment building built in [...]