The show will go on

Here is the news: There will be fireworks on the Fourth of July. 

There will be fireworks on the lake on Thursday, July 3, at Nathan Benderson Park. There will be fireworks on Friday, July 4, on Siesta Key public beach. And there will be fireworks on Friday, July 4, in downtown Sarasota. 

No fireworks on Longboat Key (Maybe the St. Regis will step up next year?). However, there will be a great parade at 9 a.m. Friday, July 4, at Bicentennial Park (see box). 

Let’s just say: Whew. As of a few months ago, the Sarasota fireworks were not a sure thing.

At a special City Commission meeting May 12, Deputy City Manager Pat Robinson (full disclosure — my husband) reported to commissioners that as of that date, the city did not have a permit application for the Fourth of July fireworks. Mayor Liz Alpert expressed concern: “I just don’t know how we can as a city not have fireworks.”

Robinson reminded the commission that the downtown Sarasota Fourth of July fireworks display launched from Bayfront Park is not a City-run event, and a private entity previously operated it.

For the past 15 years, Suncoast Charities for Children in partnership with Marina Jack (Suntex Marinas) has organized the Fourth of July fireworks. 

Last year, I wrote a similar column when Suncoast Charities for Children turned to the community for support. Rising costs and the dissolving of the Sarasota Grand Prix P1 powerboat races during the July 4 festivities put the fireworks show in jeopardy.

While the agency managed to pull off the 2024 fireworks display, Suncoast Charities for Children’s board of directors ultimately voted in February 2025 to abandon the fireworks business.

Photo by Ian Swaby 

Hearing this, Greg Corvelle, regional director of food and beverage for Suntex Marinas in Florida, started working on finding a new non-profit partner for the Independence Day show, an event that draws around 15,000 spectators each year. 

Suntex Marinas, which operates Marina Jack, is fronting the $35,000 cost of the firework show at this year’s event, because of its importance to the community, says Corvelle. 

“There’s a perception that the city pays for fireworks,” Covelle says. But while Marina Jack is a city-leased property, the city does not contribute funding for any events.

Even though the city does not provide direct financial assistance, it does provide in-kind services from the Sarasota Police Department, Special Events Department and Public Works. In 2023, the city’s in-kind personnel costs for the fireworks display came in at $41,047. The city also waives any special event fees for the Fourth of July fireworks. 

To solicit additional financial support to cover other fixed costs such as barricades, port-o-lets, etc., Corvelle needed a 501(c)3 to accept contributions from vendors. So he reached out to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. 

Selby is Marina Jack’s neighbor to the south, had previously sponsored the Fourth of July fireworks display and hosts its own Fourth of July “All-American Cookout” on its campus. Which is a great place, by the way, to enjoy food and family-friendly games and view the fireworks over Sarasota Bay.

Thankfully, a week after the special City Commission meeting on May 21, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens agreed to serve as a co-sponsor with Suntex Marinas. Corvelle says any funds left over will go to Selby. 

“The Fourth of July fireworks are such a wonderful Sarasota tradition and a Selby tradition. We’ve had a viewing event for many years,” says Jennifer Rominiecki, president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. “We’re thrilled to co-sponsor with Marina Jacks to continue this really beloved tradition for our city.”

Meantime, while Sarasota was scrambling, the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce was working on a grassroots fundraising effort for the chamber’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display. Chamber CEO Sarah Firstenberger says, at a minimum, it costs $50,000 for the experience. “The more we raise, the bigger the show is every year,” she says.

The Siesta Key fireworks, which is 100% community-funded, will be a 20-minute show at dusk produced by Zambelli Fireworks.

To fund this production, the Siesta Key Chamber fundraises year round; it will begin fundraising for 2026 immediately following this year’s event. Firstenberger says there are opportunities to get involved up to the day of July 4. You can donate on its website: My.siestakeychamber.com/store/fireworks-contribution. 

Many of the chamber’s partner businesses are involved as sponsors, but Firstenberger is most pleased with how the entire Siesta Key community came together to fundraise this year. She highlighted how Morton’s Siesta Market and Crescent Market orchestrated “roundups,” asking customers to round up their grocery charges to go to the 2025 fireworks display.

Todd Morton, owner of Morton’s Market and Morton’s Siesta Market, said the roundup campaign that ran from March to May raised more than $4,000. 

“Running the campaign during tourist season spread out the cost of the fireworks with them too,” said Morton. “Most of the money for the fireworks is coming from business owners, very few off of the island. The money with tourists helps ease the pain, which is nice.” 

Morton said he plans to repeat the campaign next year starting in February. 

Firstenberger says what’s really special about the Siesta Key Community Fireworks is the fact it is on the beach and about the community. “It’s an amazing feeling to have your toes in the sand while you watch the fireworks over the Gulf,” she says. “It’s truly unique to Sarasota and our community.” 

Not only is the Siesta Key Chamber raising funds for next year’s fireworks show, it also has started fundraising for the nation’s 250th anniversary next year. Firstenberger says in mid-July or early August the chamber will announce some of the activities it has planned.

Sounds like Sarasota needs to learn a lesson from Siesta Key and get its act together in time for the Semiquincentennial. Where’s Paul Thorpe when you need him? 

We have a saying at the Observer that if you want to get something done, you need a champion, someone to lead the initiative. Maybe we should put together a Sarasota version of America250, which is the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission that was established by Congress in 2016, to organize all the events and activities surrounding our 250th anniversary. 

How about a committee called America250 SRQ with founding members including the mayor of Sarasota, Corvelle from Suntex, Rominiecki, Firstenberger and Morton? 

Let us know if you’re interested. Let’s make sure to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with a Big Bang.

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