Sarasota County, Florida: A Local Guide for Home Buyers and Homeowners

Sarasota County runs down the Gulf from the south end of Longboat Key to Englewood and Manasota Key, with Myakka River State Park and the freshwater canals of North Port inland. It covers 556 square miles of land, and about 480,000 people live here.

Before you tour a house on the keys or inland, this is the briefing we’d give you: how the loan limits and the FHA math work, which down payment programs apply inside and outside the City of Sarasota, homestead dates, and what Milton showed about storm surge on the keys.

Every source for this guide is listed at the bottom of the page.

  • County seatSarasota
  • Founded1921, from Manatee County
  • PopulationAbout 480,000
  • Land area556 sq mi
  • Barrier keysLongboat, Lido, Siesta, Casey, Manasota
  • FHA limit, 1 unit$547,400 in 2026
  • Conventional limit, 1 unit$832,750 in 2026
  • School districtSarasota County Schools

Cities, keys and communities across Sarasota County

Sarasota County has four municipalities: the cities of Sarasota, North Port and Venice, and the Town of Longboat Key, which it shares with Manatee County. Osprey and Englewood are unincorporated, and Siesta Key, Nokomis, Casey Key and Manasota Key are communities rather than cities. That line matters here, because the county’s SHIP money and the City of Sarasota’s housing money cover different addresses.

The county was created in 1921 from the southern part of Manatee County. Nobody knows where the name Sarasota comes from. An early-1900s story tying it to a daughter of Hernando de Soto was made up for a local pageant.

Sarasota

The City of Sarasota, incorporated in 1902, is the county seat on Sarasota Bay. Downtown has the Sarasota Opera and Florida Studio Theatre, independent films at Burns Court Cinema and galleries along Palm Avenue.

St. Armands Circle and Lido Key

St. Armands Circle is a ring of outdoor dining and shops with mid-century modern architecture and the Circus Ring of Fame. Next door, Lido Key was once home to the Lido Beach Casino.

Siesta Key

Siesta Key is an 8-mile-long barrier island with four public beaches: Siesta, Crescent, Turtle and Palmer Point. Siesta Key Village, the dining and shopping district, is near the public beach, and the drum circle meets on the sand every Sunday evening.

Longboat Key

Longboat Key is split between the two counties, with Sarasota County on the south end and Manatee County on the north. It has 12 miles of beaches and a bike trail of nearly 10 miles running the length of the island.

Venice

Venice incorporated in 1926, and its historic district has buildings dating to about 1920. It has a 700-foot fishing pier, the Venetian Waterway Park Trail on both sides of the Intracoastal Waterway, and about 14 miles of beaches from Casey Key to Manasota Key. Downtown hides about 30 tiny fairy doors.

North Port

North Port, incorporated in 1959, is the largest city in the county by land area, and more than 80 miles of freshwater canals run through it. Wellen Park, a shopping and dining district, sits near CoolToday Park and Warm Mineral Springs, and Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park has miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, plus kayaking and primitive camping.

Osprey

Osprey sits on the Tamiami Trail and is home to Oscar Scherer State Park, at 1843 S. Tamiami Trail, one of the stops on the Legacy Trail.

Englewood and Manasota Key

Englewood straddles the Sarasota and Charlotte county line, about 30 miles south of Sarasota. Dearborn Street runs through Olde Englewood Village, and Englewood Beach on Manasota Key has a 900-foot boardwalk. Lemon Bay Park and Environmental Center, Cedar Point Environmental Park and Stump Pass Beach State Park are all in the Englewood area. Milton’s surge in 2024 cut a new inlet through Manasota Key, now called Milton Pass.

Buying a home in Sarasota County and the loan limits

What you buy here varies a lot by area: barrier-island property on Longboat, Lido, Siesta, Casey and Manasota keys, 1920s-era homes in the Venice historic district, and canal lots in North Port. Prices move month to month and differ sharply from the keys to the inland neighborhoods, so we don’t print one. Tell us the area and we’ll pull the closed sales for it.

If you’re renting in Sarasota County, call 888-601-8344 and we’ll set your rent beside a real payment on a home here.

The county’s evacuation guidance treats homes built after 2002, or with shutters or window and door coverings, differently from older ones, so the year a house was built matters in hurricane season.

Loan limits in Sarasota County for 2026 Maximum loan
FHA, single-family home $547,400
FHA, two-unit home $700,750
FHA, three-unit home $847,050
FHA, four-unit home $1,052,700
Conventional, single-family home $832,750

HUD sets the FHA limits and FHFA sets the Conventional limits for every county, and both change each January. This table refreshes itself from HUD's published figures.

The FHA and Conventional limits for Sarasota County are in the table below. HUD and FHFA reset them every January, and the table pulls HUD’s new figures automatically.

For Sarasota buyers, here’s the FHA math on an example purchase. On a $450,000 home, FHA’s 3.5% minimum down payment is $15,750. County SHIP money, the Lee County HFA second and the statewide programs below can cover part or all of it. Call or text us at 954-816-8820 with the address, a 1920s home in Venice or a North Port canal home, and we’ll work out the payment and the cash to close.

The Property Appraiser has a tax-estimating page built for buyers. Use it, because the seller’s tax bill may not look like yours.

Down payment help for Sarasota County buyers

Where the house sits decides which local program you use. Sarasota County’s SHIP program covers addresses outside the City of Sarasota, the city runs its own SHIP and HOME money inside city limits, and the Housing Finance Authority of Lee County and the statewide Florida Housing programs work across the county. To Florida Housing, a Sarasota buyer who hasn’t owned a primary residence in the past 3 years is a first-time buyer, and veterans with a DD-214 can be exempt.

Sarasota County SHIP Purchase Assistance

The county’s HERO office (Housing Enhancement and Redevelopment Office) lends low-income first-time buyers a share of the purchase price, set by household income and capped, as a 0% deferred loan that’s forgiven a little each year while the home stays your primary residence. It covers down payment, closing costs and gap financing on single-family homes and townhomes, new or existing.

The purchase-assistance page lists unincorporated Sarasota County plus North Port, Venice, Osprey, Nokomis and Englewood; homes inside the City of Sarasota are excluded. You get pre-approved first, any licensed lender can take part, and the lender submits the application. Contact: 941-861-5336, SHIP@scgov.net, 4510 Fruitville Road, 2nd floor, by appointment.

HERO releases its SHIP money in funding rounds, awarded first come, first approved, with priority for applicants with special needs, and each round’s size and terms are set when it opens. Call us before you write an offer and we’ll ask the Fruitville Road office whether a round is open and how much is left for your address.

Official program page

City of Sarasota Office of Housing and Community Development

The City of Sarasota administers its own SHIP and HOME funds for homes inside Sarasota city limits. The office is at 1575 2nd Street, Sarasota, (941) 263-6340.

The city sets its own amounts and opens its programs on its own calendar. If the house is inside Sarasota city limits, call us and we’ll ask the 2nd Street office whether purchase money is available for it.

Official program page

Housing Finance Authority of Lee County (covers Sarasota)

Lee County’s Housing Finance Authority runs its Own a Home Opportunity Program in Sarasota County as well. You get a 30-year fixed first mortgage (FHA, VA, USDA-RD or Freddie Mac HFA Advantage) plus a 0% down payment assistance second, deferred 30 years, that comes due if you sell, refinance or rent the home out. The program is for first-time buyers, though veterans and buyers in targeted areas can be exempt.

eHousingPlus administers it and updates the Sarasota price caps and the second-mortgage amount from time to time. Call us and we’ll confirm reservations are open and what applies to a Sarasota County address before you sign.

Official program page

Florida Hometown Heroes (statewide)

Florida Hometown Heroes lets a Sarasota County buyer combine a Florida Housing 30-year fixed first mortgage with a 0% second for the down payment and closing costs. The second carries no monthly payment, and it isn't forgiven: it comes due when you sell, refinance or pay off the home, or move out of it.

At least one buyer must work full time for an eligible Florida-based employer in health care, K-12 schools, first response, public safety, the courts or licensed child care, say a nurse at Sarasota Memorial or a teacher with Sarasota County Schools. If you’re on active duty, the employer doesn’t matter, and veterans and Reserve or National Guard members in Sarasota County qualify by working full time for a Florida-based employer.

Florida Housing assistance is a once in a lifetime benefit, so put it on the right home with the right lender. Limits vary by county and household size and money is reserved loan by loan, so call us first and we’ll check what Hometown Heroes covers for your Sarasota County closing.

Official program page

FL Assist and HFA Preferred / HFA Advantage (statewide)

For a Sarasota buyer, FL Assist is a 0% Florida Housing second that covers the down payment and closing costs with no monthly payment, and it’s repaid once you sell, refinance, transfer the home or move out. You use it with a Florida Housing first mortgage, which can be FHA, VA, USDA or Conventional HFA Preferred or HFA Advantage.

HFA Advantage PLUS pairs a Freddie Mac Conventional first with a second that’s forgiven over 5 years while you live in the home, and the FL HLP second carries a small fixed monthly payment over 30 years.

Florida Housing changes what these seconds pay. Call us and we’ll see which one does the most for a Sarasota County purchase, alone or next to the HFA or county money.

Official program page

FHA 100% financing is the other route here: a 96.5% FHA first mortgage with a down payment assistance second behind it, so the down payment doesn’t have to come out of your savings. Because the county’s SHIP money goes first come, first approved, call 888-601-8344 before you write the offer and we’ll check which programs still have funds and how each one stacks with your loan.

Property taxes and your homestead exemption

A Sarasota County home that’s your primary residence qualifies for the Florida homestead exemption. It cuts as much as $50,000 from the taxable value, with the first $25,000 applying to all property taxes and the rest to non-school taxes. Save Our Homes then limits yearly increases in assessed value to 3% or the change in CPI, whichever is lower, and part or all of that difference can move with you to your next Florida homestead.

In Sarasota County, January 1 is the valuation date and the day you must qualify, and March 1 of the year after you buy is the deadline to file. You can apply online.

TRIM notices, the Notice of Proposed Property Taxes, go out in August and September, and final tax rates are certified in October. Most buyers with a mortgage pay taxes through escrow, so the lender pays the bill.

Sarasota County Property Appraiser

2001 Adams Lane, Sarasota, FL 34237

Phone: 941-861-8200

Homestead filing and property search: sarasotapropertyappraiser.gov

Tax bills and payments: Sarasota County Tax Collector, 941-861-8300

Hurricanes, surge and evacuation levels

Hurricane Milton made landfall on Siesta Key on the evening of Oct. 9, 2024, as a Category 3 with 100-knot winds. Its surge reached 6 to 9 feet above ground from Venice south to Boca Grande, with an isolated peak near 10 feet near Manasota Key, where it destroyed structures and opened Milton Pass. A USGS sensor near the Venice Fishing Pier recorded 6.74 feet above normal high tide, and from Longboat Key to Venice the water ran 4 to 6 feet deep.

Two years earlier, during Hurricane Ian, about two of every three electric customers in the county lost power on Sept. 29, 2022.

Sarasota County uses evacuation levels, not zones, and doesn’t separate voluntary from mandatory orders. Homes built after 2002, or with shutters or window and door coverings, may be able to shelter in place.

  • Before you make an offer on a bayfront home or a canal home in North Port, run the address through the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. A high-risk zone on that map means an FHA, VA or other federally backed loan comes with required flood insurance.
  • Look up the evacuation level with the county’s address tool before you buy, not after.
  • Get a homeowners quote in the first days of your inspection period, and sooner on the keys. Insurers price hard on the age of the roof, and a wind mitigation inspection can bring the premium down.

Jobs, schools and getting around

The Economic Development Corporation’s list of top industry employers includes Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, MITER Brands/PGT (windows and doors), Sun Hydraulics, HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital, HCA Florida Englewood Hospital, The Ritz-Carlton, Ringling College of Art + Design, FCCI Insurance Group and MyUS.com. Arts employers matter here too: the Sarasota Ballet, Sarasota Opera, Sarasota Orchestra and The Ringling.

Sarasota Bradenton International Airport handles the county’s airline service.

Schools and colleges

Public schools are run by Sarasota County Schools, 1960 Landings Blvd., Sarasota, (941) 927-9000.

Colleges include New College of Florida, Ringling College of Art and Design, the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, the Venice campus of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, and the Sarasota regional campus of the Florida State University College of Medicine.

Getting around

The main roads are Interstate 75, U.S. 41 (the Tamiami Trail) and U.S. 301. Sarasota is about 60 miles south of Tampa and 75 miles north of Fort Myers, and from Englewood the drive to Sarasota runs along U.S. 41 and SR 776.

Venice Municipal Airport is the county’s general aviation field.

Beaches, the circus and local favorites

Siesta Beach

Siesta Beach sand is nearly pure quartz, which keeps it white and cool underfoot. Turtle Beach, at the south end of the key, is a popular kayak launch, and the drum circle gathers on Siesta Beach every Sunday evening.

The Ringling

The Ringling, the State Art Museum of Florida under Florida State University, includes the Museum of Art, the Circus Museum, the Historic Asolo Theater and Ca’ d’Zan, John and Mable Ringling’s 36,000-square-foot bayfront mansion. Sarasota is known as the Circus Capital of the World, a legacy of John Ringling, and the Circus Arts Conservatory and the Sailor Circus keep it going.

Myakka River State Park

Myakka River State Park covers more than 37,000 acres, about 58 square miles, at 13207 State Road 72. The Myakka was Florida’s first state-designated wild and scenic river, and a Canopy Walkway looks out over the prairie.

Shark teeth in Venice

Venice calls itself the Shark Tooth Capital of the World, and Caspersen Beach is described as one of the most productive shark-tooth spots in Florida, with teeth dating to the late Miocene and early Pliocene. The Venice Sharks Tooth Festival is held each April.

The Legacy Trail and Oscar Scherer

The Legacy Trail is an 18.5-mile paved rail-trail from the Historic Venice Train Depot to Fruitville Road in Sarasota, and its final segment opened in 2022. One stop is Oscar Scherer State Park, with 1,400 acres of Florida scrub-jay habitat, 15 miles of trails and Lake Osprey, the only freshwater swimming lake in the county.

Warm Mineral Springs

North Port’s Warm Mineral Springs is promoted as Florida’s only natural warm-water mineral spring. It’s also an ancient burial site where human remains, artifacts and Pleistocene-era fossils have been found.

Selby Gardens and Mote Marine

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium are two long-standing Sarasota attractions, and Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week comes around every summer.

Spring training

The Atlanta Braves train at CoolToday Park in North Port, and the Baltimore Orioles train at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota.

Venice Beach and Lemon Bay

Venice Beach is a certified Blue Wave Beach with a reef about a quarter-mile offshore. Down in Englewood, the Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve borders Lemon Bay Park and Environmental Center and Cedar Point Environmental Park.

Moving to Sarasota County: your first-month checklist

  • Electric: Florida Power & Light serves almost the whole county, and Peace River Electric Cooperative serves a small number of accounts.
  • Water and sewer: providers differ between the cities and unincorporated areas, so confirm who serves the address before you close.
  • Driver license and tag: the Sarasota County Tax Collector handles them at the Downtown Sarasota, Mid-County, Venice and North Port offices (North Port by appointment), 941-861-8300.
  • Homestead: apply with the Sarasota County Property Appraiser, online or at 2001 Adams Lane, by March 1 of the year after your closing.
  • County services: start at scgov.net or the county’s 311 portal.

Buying or refinancing in Sarasota County with AAA Capital Funding

Buying a home

FHA is the loan most of our Sarasota County buyers use: 3.5% down with a 580 or higher credit score, and it pairs with SHIP and the other programs above. Eligible veterans can buy with a VA loan and no down payment, and we also write Conventional loans, Hometown Heroes and FHA 100% financing.

AAA Capital Funding has been a licensed Florida mortgage broker since 1997, lending statewide in all 67 Florida counties, and we shop your loan with multiple wholesale lenders. Get pre-approved with us before you start touring homes in Sarasota or canal homes in North Port, since a pre-approval is the first thing the county’s SHIP program asks for.

Refinancing the home you have

A refinance on your Sarasota County home can lower the monthly payment, take cash out for a new roof, hurricane shutters or repairs left from Milton, pay off higher-interest debt, or buy out someone else’s share of the home.

Call 888-601-8344 and we’ll put your current payment next to the new one, with the cash you’d take out and every closing cost listed, so the decision is made on paper with your own numbers.

Sarasota County questions we hear a lot

What is the FHA loan limit in Sarasota County, Florida?

It’s in the loan limit table on this page, which pulls HUD’s published Sarasota County figures. HUD and FHFA reset the FHA and Conventional limits every January, so the table is the figure to go by.

Is there down payment assistance in Sarasota County?

Yes. The county’s SHIP program lends to first-time buyers outside the City of Sarasota through its HERO office, in funding rounds awarded first come, first approved. Inside city limits, the City of Sarasota runs its own SHIP and HOME programs. The Housing Finance Authority of Lee County, Hometown Heroes and Florida Assist work here too. Confirm what’s available before you count on it.

Can I use county SHIP money on a home in the City of Sarasota?

No. Homes inside the City of Sarasota are excluded from the county program because the city runs its own. Call the city’s Office of Housing and Community Development at (941) 263-6340, or call us and we’ll check both.

When do I file for homestead in Sarasota County?

By March 1 of the year after you buy, with the Sarasota County Property Appraiser. On January 1, you need to both own the home and live in it.

Do I need flood insurance in Sarasota County?

You do when FEMA maps the house in a high-risk flood zone and the mortgage is federally backed. Milton pushed 4 to 6 feet of water from Longboat Key to Venice and more to the south, so get a quote on any home near the water before you write an offer.

Sources for this guide (34)
  1. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Sarasota County, FL
  2. Sarasota County, Florida (Wikipedia, history and roads)
  3. List of municipalities in Florida (Wikipedia)
  4. Siesta Beach (Wikipedia)
  5. Legacy Trail (Wikipedia)
  6. Visit Sarasota: Sarasota County at a glance
  7. Visit Sarasota: Spring training
  8. Visit Florida: Siesta Key
  9. Visit Florida: Longboat Key
  10. Visit Florida: Venice
  11. Visit Florida: North Port
  12. Visit Florida: Englewood
  13. Visit Florida: Sarasota
  14. Florida State Parks: Myakka River
  15. Florida State Parks: Oscar Scherer
  16. The Ringling: About
  17. Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County: Top employers
  18. Sarasota County Property Appraiser
  19. Sarasota County Property Appraiser: Important dates
  20. Sarasota County Tax Collector
  21. Florida Department of Revenue: Property tax exemptions
  22. National Hurricane Center: Hurricane Milton report
  23. Florida Public Service Commission: Hurricane Ian outage report
  24. Florida Public Service Commission storm report (electric providers)
  25. Sarasota County 311: Evacuation levels
  26. Sarasota County HERO: SHIP
  27. Sarasota County HERO: SHIP purchase assistance
  28. City of Sarasota: Office of Housing and Community Development
  29. Housing Finance Authority of Lee County program guide (eHousingPlus)
  30. Florida Housing: Hometown Heroes
  31. Florida Housing: Homebuyer programs
  32. Sarasota County Schools
  33. Sarasota County Government
  34. Sarasota Magazine: Venice, Shark Tooth Capital of the World

AAA Capital Funding, Inc. NMLS #374739. Jason J. Sarji, NMLS #374700. Licensed Florida mortgage broker serving Sarasota County and all 67 Florida counties since 1997. Equal Housing Opportunity.

You work with the same person from start to finish, in every county in Florida.

We've been closing Florida loans since 1997, in all 67 counties. If you want to know what's possible in Sarasota County, call 888-601-8344 or text 954-816-8820. One call, under ten minutes. No application needed to start.

AAA Capital Funding, Inc. · NMLS #374739 · Jason J. Sarji, NMLS #374700