Question 1

Is there enough construction labor in Sarasota-Manatee to run a build on schedule?

Accepted Answer

Construction runs about 9.3 percent of all metro jobs, 33,400 of 359,000 as of June 2026, against a national construction share in the mid-5s. That is roughly 1.7 times the national rate, so the trades bench here is deeper than in most metros this size, and it is the honest reason this is a builder's market rather than a slogan. Two caveats worth pricing in: the count fell 1.2 percent year over year, from 33,800 to 33,400, and you are pulling from the same pool as the master-planned community pipeline at Lakewood Ranch and Wellen Park. Confirm your subs' availability against the draw schedule rather than assuming it.

Question 2

How long does permit review take in Sarasota County or Manatee County?

Accepted Answer

Florida sets a statutory backstop, not a courtesy target: 30 business days for a single-family permit under 7,500 sq ft, 60 business days for a larger single-family or multifamily project up to 50 units, and 60 business days for commercial under 25,000 sq ft. The local government has to give written notice of anything missing within 5 business days, and if it blows the deadline the permit fee drops 10% per business day of delay. We don't have observed, jurisdiction-specific review times for Sarasota County, Manatee County, or any city inside the metro beyond that statutory clock, so budget to the statute and confirm the working timeline with your local building department before you set a draw schedule.

Question 3

What are impact fees on a new single-family build in unincorporated Manatee County?

Accepted Answer

$33,875 per unit on a single-family detached home of 1,701 sq ft or more, effective September 9, 2025. That breaks down to $19,768 alternative transportation, $7,658 education facilities, $4,404 parks and natural resources, $986 law enforcement, $345 public safety, $419 libraries, plus a $295 administrative surcharge. Smaller homes scale down: $27,459 for 1,301 to 1,700 sq ft, $23,233 for 1,001 to 1,300 sq ft, $13,574 at 750 sq ft or less. That is roughly $34,000 of soft cost before a shovel moves, on a metro where the mid-tier resale home trades around $415,000, so build it into the pro forma from day one.

Question 4

Does Sarasota County publish the same kind of impact fee schedule as Manatee?

Accepted Answer

Not as a static dollar table. Sarasota County levies seven growth-related impact fees (education, EMS, fire, general government, justice facilities, law enforcement, parks) plus a separate Mobility Fee, and the county's own notice shows Mobility Fee rates rose the maximum 3% on February 1, 2026, indexed to FDOT and PPI transportation cost factors. The county runs a parcel-driven online estimator instead of a flat rate table. We don't have a citable dollar figure to publish here, so run your specific lot through the county's estimator before you finalize a construction budget.

Question 5

What does a CDD or Stewardship District assessment mean for a new build in Lakewood Ranch or Wellen Park?

Accepted Answer

It's a second, permanent line on the tax bill that a listing price does not spell out. Lakewood Ranch (RCLCO's No. 2 selling master-planned community nationally at mid-year 2026, 1,064 sales) and Wellen Park (No. 3, 727 sales, up 37% year over year) both carry Community Development District or Stewardship District assessments that ride on the same county tax bill as the millage, with a fixed bond-debt component and a variable operations component. Sarasota County's tax roll lists LWR Stewardship District, LT Ranch CDD, Windward of Lakewood Ranch CDD, and the West Villages Improvement District behind Wellen Park, among others. We don't have a dollar figure to cite for any specific district, so pull the current assessment from the district or the county tax collector before you underwrite the exit. Once the build is delivered and rented, a DSCR loan is the typical refinance out of the construction facility.

Question 6

Does a barrier-island lot in this metro cost more to build on because of flood elevation rules?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and the storm history is why the county enforces it closely. Hurricane Milton made landfall on Siesta Key in October 2024, two weeks after Hurricane Helene, and the National Hurricane Center measured storm surge of 4 to 6 feet above ground level from Longboat Key to Venice, 6 to 9 feet from Venice to Boca Grande, and up to 10 feet at Manasota Key, where a new inlet was cut through the island. Sarasota County's floodplain management regulations set a minimum flood elevation that new construction has to meet regardless of what it costs, and the same standard is what decides whether an existing coastal building has to be elevated once repair costs cross 50% of the structure's depreciated value. Budget an elevated or piling foundation, flood-resistant materials below the flood elevation, and a longer engineering review for any barrier-island parcel from Longboat Key south to Manasota Key.

Question 7

How much of a Sarasota-Manatee build do I have to fund myself?

Accepted Answer

Roughly 15% of total cost, and it has to be real equity. We go up to 70% LTV and up to 85% of cost, so on a $1,000,000 all-in Sarasota-Manatee project that is up to $850,000 from us and $150,000 from you (1,000,000 x 85% = 850,000), with the vertical work drawn against the build schedule. Count the soft costs in that total: a single-family detached home of 1,701 sq ft or more in unincorporated Manatee County carries $33,875 per unit in impact fees before a shovel moves. Subject to underwriting.

Question 8

Do I need a building track record for a Sarasota-Manatee construction loan?

Accepted Answer

It changes your leverage rather than your eligibility. Experienced builders can access higher leverage. We run credit, but on an asset-based construction loan it carries far less weight than at a bank and there is no minimum score; a thinner file is usually met with lower leverage rather than a decline. What we look at closely is whether your subs are actually available against the draw schedule. Construction is about 9.3% of all metro jobs here, a deep bench, but the count fell 1.2% year over year and you are pulling from the same pool as the master-planned pipeline. Subject to underwriting.

Question 9

What is the largest ground up construction loan you will write in Sarasota?

Accepted Answer

Up to $5M. That is the program ceiling for a Sarasota or Manatee build, spec or build-to-rent, on a 12 to 24 month term with draws per the build schedule. Size the request against total cost, not just the vertical: impact fees, a mobility fee on the Sarasota County side, and an elevated foundation on a barrier-island parcel all land inside the number we underwrite. Subject to underwriting.

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