Is Sarasota Selby Gardens falling short of the city’s tree canopy cover goal?
Yes.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ downtown Sarasota campus is falling short of the city’s tree canopy coverage goal of 40%, according to American Forests.
Tree coverage, which is the footprint of tree crowns when viewed from above, is just 30% at the 15-acre botanical gardens hugging Sarasota Bay, data from the conservation nonprofit shows.
Sarasota city documents cite a tree canopy coverage goal of 40%, which is also the national standard. The Selby plan in its current iteration may dwarf this number as builders cut down more trees for construction.
Sarasota’s city planning board approved the second phase of Selby Gardens expansion plan in August.
It will focus on building a new conservatory complex, learning pavilion and adding “strategic landscape features” to its downtown Sarasota campus.
Selby Gardens has two campuses (one downtown and another in Osprey) that encompass 45 acres.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
— Aaron Mammah
DeSantis said Florida was the first to ‘eliminate DEI’ in higher ed. Is that true?
No.
Florida was the second state to implement legislation targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education, contrary to what Gov. Ron DeSantis said during an Aug. 13, 2025, speech in Hillsborough County.
However, it was a close race.
North Dakota was the first state to do so when Gov. Doug Burgum signed Senate Bill 2247 into law in April 2023, which placed limitations on required diversity trainings and prevented institutions from asking students about their dedication to DEI initiatives.
Just one month later, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 266 into law. The legislation placed budget restrictions on DEI programs and changed requirements for some general education classes that lawmakers said featured DEI content.
While it wasn’t the first state to enact anti-DEI laws, Florida’s status as a blueprint for GOP ideology made it highly-publicized.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
— Clinton Engelberger
This story was originally published by Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom delivering investigative journalism to Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org.
