Longboat Key farmers market canceled for 2025-26 season

The seasonal farmers market, which sets up on the Longboat Key Town Green, is not happening in 2025, the organizer said.

“I was devastated,” said Nancy Ambrose, who has organized the event since it began in 2022. “I was so looking forward to it, and it’s really devastating to not do it and see my vendor family. I was really hoping to do it this year because I thought it would be great for the community especially after the hurricanes.”

The announcement first appeared on the market’s Facebook page on Sunday. Ambrose said a flurry to get the event in order didn’t pan out.

“We thought there would not be a market this coming year because of the library being built, but I found out this summer that we could do it,” she said. “I was going frantic trying to get the market back up. But I had to pay (permits) for the entire season on Nov. 1 and I had to pay liability insurance Nov. 1.”

As the application deadline for vendors neared, many had made other plans, and Ambrose could not find replacements to come to the Key for the bi-monthly market. 

With markets continuing to thrive, and new ones popping up across the area, many vendors had signed up for more frequently scheduled markets that were easier to access than on the island. 

Even with interest from several vendors, Ambrose said there wasn’t enough to warrant paying the permits and liability insurance.

“You really have to have about 60 vendors for it to really look like a market and have an enough variety of people to come and take part and want to come back to shop again,” Ambrose said. “Vendors had different reasons. One had to get a full-time job. Some are moving away from the area or are being priced out. There were a lot of reasons why some of our vendors couldn’t come back.”

The Market on Longboat Key was to begin on Dec. 1 and continue through peak season into April.

With the pending construction of a Sarasota County library at the Town Center Green, any potential return of a farmers market would need to be after construction is complete. 

Design has just gotten underway after the town met and exceeded its fundraising goal for the project. 

After the project is complete, assistant town manager Isaac Brownman said the possibility for a new market at the revamped Town Green could be feasible, saying “the event may revive after the library and community hall project comes to fruition in the future.”