- June 1, 2026
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A home with a Longboat Key address, listed last week for sale at nearly $6 million, isn’t for everyone.
Michelle Ward, of Compass Florida, who is teaming up with Jessica Dunham to represent seller Stephen Ellis, concedes that point.
It’s not so much the $5.995 million price – there are five Longboat Key properties asking more. Nor is it the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage or anything else that normally figures into a mainstream buyers’ calculations.
It’s the address.
Specifically, the home is on LaLenaire Drive, 7143 to be exact, which means it’s on Jewfish Key, a 32-acre island alongside the larger island of Longboat Key.
Which also means, well, buyers and eventual owners need a boat to get there. Not, nice to have. Need.
But, what they get after a short, nautical jaunt from the northern end of Longboat Key is something unusual in Florida, which gains about 1,000 new residents every day, according to most estimates.
“They're not purchasing the square footage or how many bedrooms and bathrooms, they're purchasing the privacy, the adventure, the exclusivity, the lifestyle that very few people have access to,’’ Ward said.
The particulars include four bedrooms, four baths, 2,700 square feet of living space on 1.24 acres with 300 feet of waterfront overlooking Longbeach Village.
Marketing such a property can be as different as the lifestyle itself, Ward said. A lot of the typical approaches just won’t work.
“You can't simply rely on drive-by traffic or doing open houses or showings -- every showing with us has an experience, because we have to,’’ she said, adding she owns and operates her own boat. “We go get it from the marina, pick them up, and show them the areas where they can grocery shop, where they can go out to dinner, where they would pick up their boat, those sort of things. So, we're selling a life truly on this one. I know there's a lot of other properties people say, ‘well, we're selling the lifestyle,’ this one truly is selling the lifestyle.’’
Jewfish Key is a 38-acre island that’s home to 22 deeded properties, according to the Manatee County Property Appraiser, eight of which have homes built on them. Though LaLenaire Drive runs the length of the island, there aren’t any cars or trucks there, as such, though golf carts and four-wheel ATVs are often used to get around.
Boating from the island back to the bigger islands of Anna Maria or Longboat Key takes a matter of minutes. In the case of the property represented by Ward, the seller also owns a parcel just north of Broadway Street that allows for a car park and a dock. Other owners do the same or boat to Coquina Beach boat ramp.
It’s not the only choice on the island, either.
Up the beach, a Tiki-style home at 7147 LaLenaire Drive is also for sale, priced at $5 million. It’s represented by Chase Moore of Sight Real Estate. Tapping into that whole lifestyle vibe, Moore’s description of that home includes “Equal parts island hideaway and refined coastal home, this one-of-a-kind property offers the rare combination of true privacy, effortless access, and natural beauty, set against a backdrop of turquoise water, powder soft sand, and endless sky. Here, relaxation, adventure, and natural beauty converge in a setting that feels almost like an escape, yet unmistakably home.’'
