The entrance to Longboat Key Estates off Gulf of Mexico Drive. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-4-2016.
Longboat Key Estates is a charming boating community on the bayside of the barrier island for which it is named. All of the homes are located on two long, deep-water canals that jut into Sarasota Bay near Buttonwood Cove. You can see can see sailboats, catamarans and motorboats moored at the docks in the backyards.
“It’s on the narrowest part of Longboat Key, with beautiful gulf and bayside views,” says Nancy Jenkins, who moved into the neighborhood in 1995 and has been a board member and recent president of the homeowner’s association since then. “About half of the owners have boats. Many love to go fishing.”
Longboat Key Estates was developed in the early 1950s. The first house was built by Sam Gibbon in 1953. He had come to the area during World War II, when he was in the Army Air Corps, and fell in love with the place. He got involved when the town of Longboat Key incorporated 60 years ago and served as mayor from 1969 to 1974. His son, Sam Jr., a former director of the TV show “Sesame Street,” still winters there with his wife, Carol.
This canalfront house at 593 Kingfisher Lane in Longboat Key Estates is listed for sale at $1.75 million by Lynn Robbins of Coldwell Banker. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms and four baths in 4,016 square feet. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-4-2016.
Today, the neighborhood has an eclectic mix of homes, including some of the original Florida ranches that have been extensively renovated. The others have been torn down to make way for large Mediterranean, Key West and Florida contemporary-style luxury houses. Many residences have xeriscaping, with white, crushed shell covering the yards.
“It’s like a little resort,” says Lynn Robbins, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker. Her listing at 593 Kingfisher Lane, a 4,000-square-foot, West Indies-style home, has two-story ceilings in the living room, master bedroom suites on both the first and second floors, and spacious balconies offering panoramic views.
The 65-foot dock is longer than most in the neighborhood. “Boaters world love it,” says Robbins.
This community dock offers Longboat Key Estates residents a fishing venue, although most of them already live on the water. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-4-2016.
Although small -- there are only 46 home sites, including three empty properties -- Longboat Key Estates has two unusual amenities. One is a community-owned park on the north side, with a fishing pier and picturesque views of small mangrove keys and Sarasota Bay. The other is 600 feet of deeded beachfront on the other side of Gulf of Mexico Drive; it has a newly restored tiki hut and running water to wash off salt and sand.
“They are nice assets for the community,” says Jim Brown, a 15-year resident of Longboat Key Estates. “We meet on the beach for cocktails at sunset. In the summer, I invite friends and we have from four to 20 couples depending on the week.”
Residents of Longboat Key Estates have deeded, private access to a stretch of beach across Gulf of Mexico Drive. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-4-2016.
Brown, who just finished a term as mayor of the town, is selling his house at 566 Jessmyth Drive. It was originally built by Ralph Twitchell, one of the founders of the Sarasota School of architecture. By the time Brown bought it, it had already undergone several renovations and upgrades. In 2006, he tore down a portion and built a new section, adding 2,500 square feet of new space.
He notes that more than half of the residents are snowbirds. “It seems that the bigger the home, the less time they have to spend here,” he says with a smile.
But he also cherishes the sense of community. “It’s a great place to live,” he says.
This kitchen of a house at 566 Jessmyth Drive in Longboat Key Estates that is listed for sale at $1.995 million by Tina Rudek of Michael Saunders & Co. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-4-2016.
According to Robbins, there is a good mix of retirees and people who work on the barrier island and the mainland. “They’re friends with each other and like to do things together,” she says.
Jenkins agrees. “It’s a nice, old-fashioned neighborhood. People make a point to connect and take care of each other,” she says. “We’ve got lots of social life, holiday parties and good camaraderie.”
They also make sure that Longboat Key Estates is well-kept. HOA fees are $750 a year and pay for maintenance of the park, the private roads, irrigation and the extensive seawalls lining the bay.
With people caring so much about their neighborhood, they stay for a long time. “Homes do not come up for sale very often,” says Robbins. Only one residence changed hands over the past 12 months, an updated, ranch-style house that sold for $769,000.
Surprisingly, three residences on the market, ranging from $1.44 million to $1.995 million.
“I love it here,” says Jenkins.
