Sarasota Investments

Sarasota and Sarasota County Investment opportunities
Due to the incredible growth in tourism and people relocating to the South East coast of Florida, investments ( both commercial and rental) in this region should be a strong consideration.
Aside from commercial investments the two situations most people are looking for in Florida are:
• Vacation homes/2nd homes, both single family or Condos that can be rented out.
• Generally a purchase involves a 1031 tax exchange or just someone looking for a second home in an area that he/she or the family will use occasionally.
• A home to eventually retire to and rent in the meantime to help pay mortgage costs.

As to Sarasota County-where would the best rentals probably be located? The following is a partial list.
• Venice Beach
• Bradenton, the inlets and the intracoastal
• Homes and Condos on the Ocean, canals, inlets, golfcourses or bays (all locations)
• Crescent Beach
• Englewood beach
• Downtown Sarasota (historic district)

*To get an idea on rates charged and potential income of vacation (short term) rentals, see http://www.vacationrentals.com/vacation-rentals/Sarasota-Florida.html

Long term
*The downtown areas in cities are also seeing strong growth. In short some people are going away from life in the suburbs and opting for closeness to theatre, restaurants and the vitality of a city environment. So, don’t overlook the downtown areas
To know:
• The best areas to rent are generally near the water and the best rental income will start at open water locations, followed by homes/condos with a partial view to homes on canals. The neighborhood and the furnishings will also dictate the rent amounts you can get.
• In the Keys-the best situation was a home at least three bedrooms and up on the Ocean or Gulf with a pool and a boat dock. In some cases these bring as much as $5000.00 per week, depending on the home/area.
• It is very important that you find out early on which residential areas and which condo associations allow weekly rentals-as this will be generally be your best return.
• In some cases you may want to just rent out long term and skip the dealings with handy men and cleaning services.
• In all of this—the most important thing is that you find a qualified agent. He/she can guide you through the process completely—including setting up property management.

Sarasota Education

Sarasota and Sarasota County Education
Sarasota County has one of the best school systems in Florida. Educational opportunity abounds here, including some of the nation's most unique and effective public and private school programs.

The county's 33 public schools include 22 elementary schools, six middle schools, four high schools, as well as other mixed-grade facilities and various adult and exceptional programs.
The school district placed among Florida's top five on every section of the state's comprehensive assessment test. County high school students have scored consistently higher than the national average on the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)

The county is a pioneer in incorporating leading-edge technology and distance learning into the classroom. All schools have Internet access and closed circuit TV through the County's Instructional Television System. There are over 10,000 instructional computers with an average ratio of 3 students per workstation. A full range of exceptional education programs is offered for both handicapped and gifted students.

For information on enrollment and immunization requirements, contact the Sarasota County School Board at 1960 Landings Blvd., 941 927-8811 and the Sarasota County Health Department at 2200 Ringling Blvd., 941 954-2900.

For a comparison of schools and school districts on a variety of criteria, view Florida School Indicators Reports at the Florida Department of Education's Web site. http://www.fldoe.org/

Sarasota County school specifics:
• 22 Elementary Schools
• 7 Middle Schools
• 5 High Schools
• 5 College-Universities
• 1 Community colleges
• 1 Vocational-technical schools
• 8 special schools
• 58 private schools (95 including Bradenton area)
• 8 Charter schools
• 33 Child care and pre school centers

For a complete listing of Schools by Region and addresses go to: http://www.sarasota.k12.fl.us/schools/ or go to
http://www.sarasotaschools.net/

Regarding Charter Schools. For specifics on what a Charter schools is and enrollment details etc go to http://www.educationcentral.org/schools/schchart.asp
Colleges/Universities
• Argosy University/Sarasota
• Eckerd College
• FSU Film School
• Goshen College
• Keiser College
• New College of Florida
• Ringling School Of Art And Design
• Sarasota County Technical Institute
• University of South Florida at Sarasota-Manatee

Junior/Community Colleges:
◦ Manatee Community College

Vocational/Technical Schools:
◦ Sarasota County Technical Institute

Other Schools:
◦ Goshen College
◦ Nova Southeastern Univ. - Graduate School
◦ Webster University

For specific locations and more information-check with either the school district or your REALTOR.

Sarasota Overview

Sarasota County is 60 miles south of Tampa, on the West coast of Florida. But while you might think its orientation would be toward Tampa Bay, you would be wrong.

This is a special place in Florida, beautiful of course, cultured like few places in the whole State with a wide range of activities in theater, music, art, and entertainment in general, and with both a fabulous “front-door” on the Gulf of Mexico and an exotic “back-door” featuring the Myakka River and Myakka Lakes wilderness areas.

Sarasota has a great year-round climate (average temp is 72), some 35 miles of long and largely pristine Gulf beaches on the barrier islands of Longboat Key, Siesta Key, and Lido Beach, an expanding and well balanced economy and plentiful recreational opportunities. And all this is mixed in with excelent health and educational facilities.

Top that off with Sarasota’s unique mix of cosmopolitan and small-town feel, and well, you get the idea. Add in lots of sun.The neighborhoods are diverse and the Real Estate ranges widely in price.

General Information.
• Located in the central west coast portion of Florida, 51 miles south of Tampa, 211 miles north west of Miami, 127 miles southwest of Orlando, and 236 miles south of Jacksonville.
• 600 square miles (Sarasota county)
• Average summer Temperature 91°F
• Average winter temperature is 71
• Average yearly temperature 72
• Average Annual Precipitation 53 in
• Average Rain Days 107
• Population projection 2005 -355,00 Sarasota County
• Average home cost-June 2005-$250,000
• Cost of Living-108.9-it's surrounding areas are less.
• Median age-50

Major job Employment By Industry in order of numbers
• Construction 8.6%
• Education & Health Services 20.2%
• Financial Activities 6.4%
• Information 2.0%
• Leisure & Hospitality 12.2%
• Manufacturing 5.0%
• Natural Resources & Mining 0.3%
• Other Services 4.0%
• Professional & Business Services 17.5%
• Public administration 4.6%
• Trade, Transportation and Utilities 19.3%

Sarasota offers a very high quality of life, one of the very best in Florida. The weather is great and it is a cultured place.

It offers a vibrant economy, good health facilities, rich environmental resources, excelent schools, and safe neighborhoods. Compared with the rest of the United States in terms of similar amenities, Sarasota is still a bargain.

Fort Myers Cost of living

Ft Myers and Lee County Cost of Living
The cost of living index is based on the composite price of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, clothing and entertainment.

Cost of living indexes will generally be higher in areas that offer access to beaches, culture, arts and recreation. In addition areas, that offer a wider variety of services such as health and education will run higher due to higher wages, and increased quality of living.

Cost of living indexing explanation
• A figure of 100 points is used as an average both for the USA and Florida. For example:
• Boise Idaho is ranked at a 99
• Boston Mass is rated at 240
• San Francisco at 217
• Orlando Fl is 99 and Miami is 116
• Statewide, Florida cities come in from a low of 90 and up.


• One way to compare Florida areas to salary requirements
For example-If you were relocating from Portland Oregon (whose rate 1s 120) to Orlando, and you currently make $50,000 per year, the formula is as follows
• Take the destination index, in this case Orlando-99.8 and divide by Portland’s index-120, then multiply by a salary of $50,000. This will give you a figure of $41,583, which would be required to make in Orlando and have the same quality of life.


Lee County is a great place to live. The cost of living index is 103.0 or just above the national average. See statistics below.

Median home cost, as of mid 2005 $281,000
Lee County offers affordable living with a composite cost of living of 103.0 which is just above the U.S. average.
*The average for all participating places equals 100, and each area/cities index is read as a percentage of the average for all places.
The Index does not measure inflation (price change over time).
• Information from Accra-Third qtr 2005

• Daytona 101.0
• Ft Lauderdale 117.4
• Jacksonville 92.7
• Miami/Dade 115.4
• Orlando 100.8
• Pensacola 97.1
• Sarasota 107.0
• Tampa 97.2
• Ft Myers 103.0
• Clearwater 94.3
• St Pete 94.3
• Bradenton 95.8
• Gainesville 99.4
• Port Charlotte 95.4
• Fl Keys 112.43
• West Palm Beach 114.1
• Naples 122.9
• (Population Weighted-State Average=100
See national comparisons
Cost of living (100 = nationwide average)