I live about an hour North of Sarasota. The weather about that time of year will be better than in most of the country. While it does get cold, it never snows and we don't really have alot of ice or anything.
Sarasota the town is nice, although I will admit I haven't spent alot of time there. I know that they have a couple Museums, like the Ringling Museum and Edison's home, but other than that, I don't know much...
However I can tell you that in the St. Petersburg/Tampa area, we have tons of museums, Florida Holocaust Museum, Salvador Dali Museum, Florida International, and also great restaurants and nightlife... I'm a Concierge at a large hotel in Tampa, so I have access to gobs of info on the area itself, if you'd like more...
The school does have a great reputation too, as The Man mentioned...

EDIT: There is a kick-ass aquarium in Sarasota too. Its called the Mote Aquarium. I loved it...