When a board of conservative trustees installed by Gov. Ron DeSantis essentially took over New College in 2023, it seemed instantly clear nothing would be the same. The latest budget from DeSantis could signal a complete underestimation of the most grandiose or apocalyptic of expectations.

The Governor’s budget calls for The Ringling to become part of the adjacent New College. Admittedly, this could be a largely administrative shift. It’s not like the Circus Museum will suddenly become a dormitory or Ca’ d’Zan a student center. But this shift would elevate the school’s size and reputation as a school with its foundation in classical arts. One novel element for Sarasota historians would be the homes of John and Charles Ringling becoming part of the same institution.

But the proposal comes amid rumors the Florida Legislature may also make the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee part of New College. That’s a satellite campus with an enrollment of almost 1,900, many of those non-traditional students, while New College has in the neighborhood of 700 traditional students.

Should this come to pass, the New College of yore will be history, and Sarasota will have a full-fledged university on the waterfront. The combined campus would connect the Mildred Sainer Pavilion to the rest of New College and extend north all the way to USF science labs. This combined New College would span more than 210 contiguous acres overlooking Sarasota Bay.

It's worth revisiting the visceral reactions so many felt when DeSantis first decided he wanted to remake New College as the Hillsdale of the South, converting it from a progressive institution to a conservative one.

Immediately, there were essentially two outlooks, depending what anyone thought of New College before. Many viewed it as a bohemian chic liberal arts college and haven for free spirits. Then there were those who saw it as a drug den where students learned no real-world skills. The expression on someone’s face when they said the word “hippie” told you whether they saw New College as paradise or purgatory’s waiting room. The news of a makeover prompted excitement or despair in these respective groups.

I always tried to take a long view, as I do now, and suspected the ultimate impacts would have little to do with the ideology in Tallahassee or even the make-up of new trustees. But I must admit I’ve been disappointed on countless occasions in the past few years as the students and faculty who once thrived at New College fled or were driven out, like spirits in an enchanted wood bulldozed as part of a religious uprising.

Yet, one must always remember New College became vulnerable to a take-over only because of dwindling enrollment rates and a loss in standing as an honors school no longer as exclusive as the internal program at larger state universities.

I think back to an interview I did with New College President Richard Corcoran, a man viewed by lovers of the old New College as a clear usurper but heralded as a reformer by those who craved change. “We’ll get to a point where some of our harshest critics will say that this was a great moment for New College,” Corcoran told me then.

I imagine that quote still draws skepticism for an enormous number of people. But it’s a reminder the most important view of New College should look past the horizon.

Presidents, trustees and certainly governors come and go. But should the plans in the works come to fruition — which still seems far from certain — the leadership change at New College will be remembered as transformative not for the shift in the school’s ideology for the expansion of its vision and scope.

Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor for SRQ Media. 

Photo courtesy The Ringling: Ca' d'Zan

If you’re flying out of SRQ, you may be lucky enough to do so in coastal style. Last month, our Visit Sarasota County team was overjoyed to join our community at the opening of Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport’s new terminal. There, moments after the ribbon was cut, attendees walked out on the tarmac to view sea turtles and manatees – but not in the way you’d expect. Images of this marine life now adorn Allegiant’s latest aircraft, co-branded to celebrate our longstanding partnership with the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

It's symbolic that our regional collaboration with Bradenton is soaring to a new level at SRQ. Costs for this plane’s design were split between our tourism bureaus, allocated from Tourist Development Tax. You may know that half our airport sits in Sarasota County and the other half, Manatee County; our combined region is baked into its very name.

Tourism is becoming more regional in perspective, as visitors build itineraries across county lines. In this spirit, Visit Sarasota County and our partners in Bradenton share a deep commitment to Florida’s West Coast – the jet fuel for our collaborations together.

This includes our Airline Marketing Program. Launched in 2017, this program incentivizes airlines to boost the visibility and appeal of our local airport by creating new routes into our area. As flights are secured, both tourism bureaus provide marketing dollars to promote our region in those target markets and attract more visitors to those new flights – and by extension, our destination.

You could say we’ve seen success – with Allegiant, Southwest, Avelo, and Breeze Airways having expanded their routes just in the last year alone. And since its inception, the marketing program has highlighted our region in more than 40 destinations through seven different airline services.

We tend to think of visitors as the primary audience of tourism, yet sports teams are also groups of key mutual interest. We collaborate to attract national and international events by leveraging both counties’ sports facilities, ensuring athletes and their families have a seamless experience – and by extension, support lodging, transportation, and other local businesses. For example, over the past two years, we’ve worked together on the IWLCA Presidents Cup – the largest women’s lacrosse event in the country – to welcome 33,000 attendees across more than 60 fields.

Collaboration is critical in times of calm; yet, after the turbulent storm season we all experienced this past year, we know it’s even more so during times of calamity. The day after Hurricane Helene, we were on the phone with our tourism partner in Bradenton to plan a Florida’s West Coast campaign, which launched on November 1. In two months, more than 34,000 people visited our shared campaign website, where they could explore custom digital content illustrating how Sarasota-Bradenton remained a viable travel destination.

Our regional approach extends beyond Manatee County, too. Recently, we locked arms with Charlotte and Lee counties in conducting a post-hurricane perception study, which we’ve been sharing with government officials and our industry to help inform recovery efforts. We exchange best practices at monthly meetings with regional tourism bureaus from Crystal River down to Naples. And, our statewide advocate, VISIT FLORIDA, has partnered with us on countless campaigns, even providing $500,000 in matching funds to amplify our efforts throughout 2025.

Now, this isn’t to say there are not times when each tourism bureau devotes time to developing collaborations within their county. We know Sarasota and Manatee counties each have their own treasured properties, businesses, and tourism drivers – and that should be celebrated. That’s why regional cooperation is the most effective when it complements and strengthens local efforts, especially in areas where broad support for businesses and residents is essential.

From storms to sports to clear skies ready for takeoff, our programs work in tandem to elevate our region's connectivity and – of course – the potential for more visitors and future residents alike. By combining forces, we can stretch our marketing dollars even further and make our Gulf Coast more accessible to visitors. To that, we say, Florida’s West Coast, you are clear for takeoff.

Erin Duggan, CDME, is President and CEO of Visit Sarasota County. 

Pictured: The new co-branded Allegiant plane with one side featuring Visit Sarasota and the other the Bradenton Area Conventions and Visitors Bureau.