- December 26, 2025
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The hot topic on Longboat Key this year was a debate on whether to change the name of the barrier island’s main road. That conversation started when a resident suggested the renaming at a public meeting in July, but didn’t escalate until the Florida Department of Transportation removed road signs that identified the road as Gulf of Mexico Drive in late August. As the town prepared to hold a public meeting to discuss whether to change the road’s name, residents weren’t shy about sharing their opinions, with more than 500 emails from residents received by the town, 80% advocating to keep the name of the road Gulf of Mexico Drive, which it still is.
Serenissima means “the most serene” in Italian, but in real estate, it means most expensive. The six-bedroom, eight-bath mansion broke the record for the highest-price home sale not only in Longboat Key but in Sarasota County. Serenissima, located at 845 Longboat Club Road, previously sold for $16.5 million in 2020. With a beach-facing infinity edge pool, Venetian murals, a 12-car garage, 10-seat home theater and a marble hall with a glass dome, the property doesn’t lack amenities.
The Country Club Shores turn lane project wrapped up in December on 0.84 miles of Gulf of Mexico Drive. The project added double-lined bike lanes and a middle turn lane for access in and out of the Country Club Shores neighborhood. The curbed medians was a debated feature during the design process. The project is considered the first step in the town’s goal to transform Gulf of Mexico Drive into a “Complete Street,” which caters to pedestrians and cyclists as well as vehicle traffic.
Manatee County property tax revenue is about 12% lower than it was in the previous fiscal year due to a $295 million decrease in property values. Town leaders noticed that some properties that saw their values reduced by as much as 70% did not suffer water damage from the 2024 hurricanes. Longboat Key’s town manager reached out to the Manatee County property appraiser for answers, noting the importance of property tax revenue for the town. Discussions between the town and property appraiser are ongoing.
A record number of sea turtles nested on Longboat Key’s beaches in 2025. It was a 17% increase from the previous year and more than double the amount tracked a decade ago. Sea turtle volunteers and experts warn, however, that disorientations were also at a record number, caused by beach lighting and a hurricane-aided lack of dunes.
At Bayfront Park, a “living seawall” has been installed atop 300 feet of the existing plastic seawall that separates the park from Sarasota Bay. The concrete panels designed to mimic mangrove roots are friendly to marine life, already sheltering starfish, seaweed and small fish. Environmental advocates are monitoring the living seawall, hoping to soon see oysters, which filter water, reduce wave strength and provide another habitat for the unique Sarasota Bay ecosystem.
The town of Longboat Key spent millions recovering from hurricanes Helene and Milton, which battered the barrier island in September and October 2024. Most of that cost, $4.3 million, was spent on debris removal. About $738,000 was spent to replace and raise electric panels, and $706,000 was spent to repair Joan M. Durante Park and Quick Point Nature Preserve. The repairs to Quick Point are the last item on the repairs checklist, expected to be complete by early April.
It took about a decade, but the last utility pole on Longboat Key was removed this year, marking the completion of the town’s utility undergrounding project. 743,000 feet of wiring was buried as part of the project, which cost $6 million less than the $49.1 million the town bonded (with residential referendum approval) for the power line burying effort.
The city of Sarasota will get $13.5 million for St. Armands Circle after the county decided how it would split up its $57 million in hurricane recovery funds. The money will be used for much-needed stormwater drainage improvements to the Circle, including the retrofit of pump stations and installation of tide check valves to prevent sea water from entering the system. The drainage improvements to the Circle will mean a more reliable evacuation route for Longboat Key and Lido Key.
