Photo from VisitSarasosta.com
The Beaches of Sarasota County
This website is a companion site to AffordableSarasota.com, which explains how to stay and live in Sarasota without breaking the bank.
Public Beaches
We describe the public beaches, mostly in parks owned by Sarasota County. They are listed here. There are only two
mainland beaches in Sarasota that allow swimming in the Bay. The others are owned condo complexes. Most prefer swimming in the Gulf on the beaches of the barrier reef islands or “keys.”
Shown at right are the Sarasota keys with beaches which include Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key and Lido Key.
Shown at right are the Sarasota keys with beaches which include Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key and Lido Key.
All Maps in this website are from Google.com
Venice is on the mainland and also has ocean facing beaches. To the south of Sarasota are Casey Key, Venice and finally Manasota Key. All the keys are all shown in the map below, along with their respective beaches.
Except for Brohard Beach’s Paw Park in Venice, no dogs are allowed on any public beaches. However, the Florida State Park association states that service animals are welcome in all Fl. State Parks. All beaches use a flag warning system:
- Single red flag means high hazard, which could mean high surf and/or strong currents
- Double red flags mean absolutely no swimming because of high winds and undertow currents
- Yellow flag means swim with caution and stay close to shore
- Green flag means that the waters are safe
- Purple flag means that marine pests are present.
We’ll review all public Sarasota beaches (especially with regard to getting to them and parking). First, let’s consider ways of getting around to avoid using your car given the parking issues during the season in the next section.
