Laurel

Laurel, part of the Nokomis region on the Intracoastal Waterway, offers a wide range of housing options at different price points to prospective homebuyers.

U.S. Highway 41, also known as Tamiami Trail, runs through Laurel. Not only is Tamiami Trail the primary retail and dining corridor along much of the central Gulf Coast, but it also acts as a dividing line for real estate values. On the east side, smaller, more affordable housing options are predominant, including manufactured homes listing for less than $90,000. On the west side, near the water, homes are larger and more expensive, with massive multistory homes that can sell for upwards of $5 million. “West of Trail is optimal,” says Roberta Olney, a Realtor with White Sands Realty Group. “You have some really nice waterfront homes there, but you’re not going to get the same value on the east side of the Trail.”

However, value is in the eye of the beholder, and Laurel can be attractive to prospective homebuyers looking for a more affordable home in a waterfront community. Manufactured homes, concentrated just east of Tamiami south of State Road 681, offer the convenience of being less regulated than in other areas of southern Sarasota County. This means they can be built as separate entities and do not require substantial “lot fees” normally paid to a developer at a mobile-home park.

Traditional single-family housing east of Tamiami consists primarily of ranch-style homes incorporating elements of the Spanish Mission and Spanish Mediterranean styles, with the latter also being featured in smaller, shotgun-type homes. Larger, more architecturally diverse homes can be found west of Tamiami on Laurel’s coastal side, although ranch homes are represented there as well. Additionally, condominiums are available in Laurel, and a large town house complex is scheduled to open in the fall of 2023.

Retail options along Tamiami Trail include the Publix-anchored Nokomis Village, while dining options range from the farm-to-table coastal cuisine of Paradise Grill to the upscale offerings of the family run Rosebud’s Steak & Seafood House.

Other local favorites can be found on the waterfront in the far southwest portion of the community. Pelican Alley is a recently remodeled dockside restaurant on the Intracoastal Waterway whose co-owners help cook the food and play the music that has become a staple of the popular eatery. Pop’s Sunset Grill is an award-winning restaurant that offers elegant indoor dining as well as a large open-air tiki bar. “Those two places, on the weekends they are always packed because you can walk or bike to the beach,” says Olney, who also mentioned you can dock your boat close to both restaurants. “This little pocket is becoming very desirable.”

Organized community activity is centered around the Sandra Sims Terry Community Center at the Laurel Park complex. The multipurpose facility, which includes a community garden and features and array of indoor and outdoor athletic spaces, offers recreational programs for ages. The center also is home to Laurel Civic, a nonprofit association dedicated to improving the lives of residents through youth and adult empowerment initiatives, including academic and fiscal classes and a twice-monthly on-site food bank. Additional recreation can be found at Oscar Scherer State Park on Laurel’s northern edge. Visitors to the rural oasis have access to 15 miles of trails as well as fishing, kayaking and swimming on South Creek and Lake Osprey. The park also includes a stopover for bicyclists on the nearby Legacy Trail.

The only school in Laurel is The Study Center, a small private school tailored to teaching students with special learning needs that has a unique rule: no homework. Public school students living in Laurel attend the nearest Sarasota County School institutions.

Written By

Matt Pallister

Photography Contributed By

Kristjan Veski

Video By

Matt Pangman