Watermark
is proud to welcome you to Sarasota Living with
Pride, our second annual LGBTQ resource detailing
the ever-inviting and all-inclusive city of Sarasota!
We’ve looked forward to sharing even
more details about this cherished and
world-class community since our inaugural
issue last year. It’s the ideal place to live
authentically, one that showcases its
diverse population from gorgeous sunrise
to fabulous sunset.
More than 50,000 Floridians call
Sarasota home. The southwestern coastal
haven offers so many in our community
a safe place to live and love, which is why
we also proudly cover the area in our biweekly
newspaper throughout the year.
Watermark has proudly served LGBTQ
and ally readers for 25 years. We print
up to 20,000 copies of our newspaper
every other Thursday, distributing them
in more than 500 locations throughout
the Sunshine State—chief among them
Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Tampa and
Orlando. We donate more than $300,000
annually in free and sponsor advertising
to worthy LGBTQ non-profits, including
The Harvey Milk Festival, Sarasota
Pride and more.
As a multi-faceted media company,
we use opportunity and innovation
to communicate and advance LGBTQ
interests. That’s what led to the creation
of WatermarkOnline.com, updated daily,
and to Sarasota Living with Pride—where
we detail resources for your LGBTQ life
throughout Sarasota.
Equality Florida helps us do that this
year. The political advocacy group is the
state’s largest civil rights organization
dedicated to securing LGBTQ equality.
They proudly share the state of equality
in Sarasota.
We head to the stage and screen with
Sarasota actor Brian Craft next. He guides
us through some of his favorite places to
experience Sarasota’s thriving arts and
entertainment scene.
After that we grab a bite to eat with
Harvey Milk Festival founder and cover
model Shannon Fortner. She shares some
of her favorite dishes and details how to
dine with pride throughout Sarasota.
Joshua Beadle subsequently leads us
into Sarasota’s nightlife, rounding out our
“Ask the Locals” section. The Gay Group
Happy Hour (G2H2) and SarasotaOUT.com
founder shares a few of his favorite LGBTQ
and LGBTQ-friendly locales.
We also highlight Sarasota’s wide
variety of annual celebrations honoring
the LGBTQ community’s fight for equality,
from the long-running Sarasota Pride to
Venice’s growing celebration. We detail
Sarasota’s essential community and social
groups serving the area as well, from
its active adult gatherings to youthfocused
community organizations.
Surrounding each of those features
are the advertisers reaching out to the
LGBTQ community. We urge you to
familiarize yourself with each of them
and support those who support you. Our
directory listing on page 30 is a fabulous
place to do exactly that.
Sarasota is the perfect place to live
openly and honestly. We’re happy you’ve
joined us for the second annual Sarasota
Living with Pride.
RYAN
WILLIAMS-JENT
WATERMARK TAMPA
BAY BUREAU CHIEF
SARASOTA
WITH P R I D E
Cover photo
by Dylan Todd
SARASOTA LIVING WITH PRIDE
IS PUBLISHED BY WATERMARK
PUBLISHING GROUP
OWNER & PUBLISHER
Rick Claggett
BUSINESS MANAGER
Kathleen Sadler
TAMPA BAY BUREAU CHIEF
Ryan Williams-Jent
CFL BUREAU CHIEF
Jeremy Williams
CREATIVE/PHOTOGRAPHER
Dylan Todd
SALES DIRECTOR
Danny Garcia
SENIOR TAMPA BAY ACCOUNT
MANAGER
Russ Martin
SENIOR ORLANDO
ACCOUNT MANAGER
Sam Callahan
FOUNDER
AND GUIDING LIGHT
Tom Dyer
Contents of this Sarasota Living
with Pride 2019 are protected by
federal copyright law and may
not be reproduced in whole or
in part without the permission
of the publishers. Publication of
the name or photograph of any
person or organization in articles,
advertising, or listing is not to be
construed as any indication of the
sexual orientation of such persons
or members or organizations.
Watermark Publishing Group cannot
accept responsibility for claims
made by advertisers.
© Watermark Publishing Group
Phone: ORL: 407-481-2243
TB: 813-655-9890
Fax: ORL: 407-481-224
TB: 813-849-2986
Publisher@WatermarkOnline.com
WatermarkOnline.com
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