Manasota Key, Florida

Population: 1,345
Located in Sarasota County

Manasota Key in Englewood straddles Charlotte and Sarasota Counties and is located on the white sandy shores of the Gulf of Mexico and Lemon Bay. Sarasota and Tampa are an easy trip to the north and Fort Myers and Naples are an easy trip to the south.

If an island experience fascinates you but you’re among the less adventurous, you’ll enjoy bridged islands, barrier islands connected by bridges to the mainland. Manasota Key, the largest island, offers a complete range of homes from cottage to condo to permanent luxury homes. The absence of high-rise buildings helps make Manasota Key the natural center for island living in the greater Englewood area. Restaurants, taverns, shops, and both private and public beaches are comfortably with walking and biking distance.

Manasota Key claims four of the area’s best know beaches: Manasota Beach, Blind Pass Beach, Englewood Beach and Stump Pass Beach State Recreation Area.

Stump Pass Beach State Recreation Area is located at the south end of Manasota Key and is the most pristine and least known, and the largest beach on the key. This park sprawls south more than two miles to Stump Pass. Very few parks can match the natural beauty of the beach expanse. Running the width of the island, there are few parking spots and no public amenities. Great beaching, shelling and fishing are real delights for the stout of heart.

Manasota Key a fisherman’s paradise and a beachcomber’s delight.

There is something mesmerizing about being surrounded by blue seas, white sands and warm, caressing breezes. The allure of the Gulf and the climate is why people come to our area, and one of the reasons they usually stay.

So if you are looking for a community that offers homes from charmingly modest to uniquely luxurious and would like to choose island or mainland, waterfront or canal front, the Gulf or Bay, visit my hometown Englewood.

Did I mention the sunsets? Beautiful!