Fertilizer restrictions in place on Longboat Key

Residents are prohibited from using certain types of fertilizers during the rainy summer seasons to protect the waterways.

By S.T. Cardinal
| 11:05 a.m. June 2, 2026

Municipalities across the region limit fertilizer use during the summer to protect local waterways.

Longboat Key
News

The first day of June marks the start of meteorological summer, and the first day of fertilizer restrictions for those caring for lawns and gardens on the Key.

The town’s annual fertilizer ban, in effect through September, prohibits residents from using nitrogen or phosphorus fertilizers. Any fertilizer used during the summer season must be at least 50% slow-release, according to the town’s fertilizer ordinance.

The ban is in place to prevent contamination of Sarasota Bay and the town’s canals. When it rains, fertilizer is swept up with the stormwater before it is discharged into water bodies. When nitrogen and phosphorus are carried into the bay, harmful algal blooms can result.

author

S.T. Cardinal

S.T. "Tommy" Cardinal is the Longboat Key news reporter. The Sarasota native earned a degree from the University of Central Florida in Orlando with a minor in environmental studies. In Central Florida, Cardinal worked for a monthly newspaper covering downtown Orlando and College Park. He then worked for a weekly newspaper in coastal South Carolina where he earned South Carolina Press Association awards for his local government news coverage and photography.