SARASOTA (Jan. 1, 2026) – Sarasota Memorial Health Care System (SMH) rang in the New Year by welcoming the first babies of 2026 at both its Sarasota and Venice campuses in the early hours of Jan. 1.
The first baby of the year was born at SMH-Venice. Proud parents Corey Gifford and William Zimmerman welcomed their son, Zaiden Amaris Zimmerman, affectionately known as “Zaz,” at 12:50 a.m. Zaz weighed 6 pounds and measured 19.5 inches long. He will celebrate his birthday by meeting his older sisters, Taleah and Lianna later today, and he’ll now share in a special family tradition of sorts.
“It’s funny because my brother was the first baby of the year at Sarasota Memorial 14 years ago,” William said with a laugh.
“We thought we were going to have him on the 30th, but he decided to take his time and share a birthday with his uncle,” Corey added.
Baby Zaz was delivered by Elliot Santaella-Del Valle, MD, with assistance from the SMH-Venice obstetric team.
At the Sarasota campus, the first baby arrived shortly after. Austin Gordon Jr., known as “AJ,” was born at 1:25 a.m. to first-time parents Isabel Castillo and Austin Gordon. AJ weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces and measured 19.7 inches long. His arrival was an especially meaningful start to the year, coming just weeks before Dad’s own birthday later this month.
“I thought it was something really cool,” Castillo said. “I thought he was going to be the last baby of the year on December 31st, but then he arrived on the first. Everyone was shocked and we all think it’s so cool.”
Baby AJ was delivered by Certified Nurse Midwife Lindsay Carrasquillo, with support from the SMH-Sarasota labor and delivery team.
After giving the families time to rest and bond, nursing teams at both campuses celebrated the New Year’s arrivals by presenting each new mom with a special New Year’s baby basket filled with gifts.
As 2025 came to a close, Sarasota Memorial delivered 17 babies on Dec. 31, with the final baby of the year born at 11:57 p.m. Over the course of the year, the health system helped welcome more than 4,860 babies, including over 65 sets of twins.
About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
Founded in 1925, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional medical center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, with 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and nearly 2 million patient visits a year across its network of care. Sarasota County’s largest employer, the community-owned health system includes two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice, freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch, a rehabilitation hospital, behavioral health hospital, skilled nursing facility and comprehensive network of outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices. Sarasota Memorial has the only 2 hospitals in Sarasota County providing maternity care and delivered more than 4,860 babies in 2025. Visit smh.com for information.