North Port

Wellen Park offers many of the perks of living along Florida’s Gulf Coast, but has some unique traits of its own too. Those drawn to this coastal region will find plenty of housing stock here – especially new housing – due to this community’s ongoing development. The area’s greater development plan calls for the construction of roughly 18,000 homes over the next 15 to 20 years. As such, Wellen Park’s downtown area has expanded to include an 80-acre manmade lake and a number of entertainment venues like the CoolToday Park, which the Atlanta Braves use for spring training. And more is expected to come, “In fact, phase one is still under construction. It’s going to be spectacular,” says Scott Johnston, Realtor with Michael Saunders & Company. Many homes in Wellen Park exist in planned and gated subdivisions, which means housing options here feature replicas of the same design. Common styles include single-family homes featuring red-tiled roofs and stucco siding paired with stone veneers. Others feature Spanish and Mediterranean influences situated on 6,000- to 8,000-square-foot lots complete well-manicured lawns and palm trees. A single-story house with at least three bedrooms in the Tuscan-inspired Gran Paradiso community can easily run for over $600,000. While a single-story, three-bedroom home in the Wellen Park Golf & Country Club — and one of the larger upcoming ones at approximately 2,800 square feet — can go for as high as $1 million. Wellen Park is also home to some properties at lower price points like modest single-story ranch-style homes in the Antigua at Wellen Park community; or a second-floor coach style home unit in the Gran Paradiso development can go for $400,000 to $500,000. The coach styles seen in the Gran Paradiso are two-story buildings comprised of at least several units that are each accessed from the ground floor. Then, some two-bedroom condos being planned for the Wellen Park Golf & Country Country Club will have price tags within the $200,000 to $300,000 range. The CoolToday Park on West Villages Parkway is arguably this community’s center piece. “That’s kind of the anchor of Wellen Park,” Johnston says. This roughly 7,400-capacity ballpark serves as the locale for the Atlanta Braves’ spring training and offers additional entertainment throughout the year like live music and a beer run that involves a mile run around the venue’s concourse. The park features the Superior Pools Tomahawk Tiki Bar & Grill, an open-air, covered restaurant. Located just west of Wellen Park along U.S. Highway 41, the Venice Village Shoppes is a retail destination featuring several big box stores like Publix, a Walmart Supercenter and Target. Dining spots here include Skillets, which serves lunch and an extensive breakfast menu that offers traditional American fare like Eggs Benedict as well as healthier options like oatmeal or a yogurt, berry and banana bowl. Downtown Wellen Park has plenty of restaurants to choose from like Oak & Stone, which offers craft beer and artisan pizza. Villani & Co. is a steak and seafood bar where patrons can start the night with some oysters or a charcuterie board paired with the white wine of their choice, before eventually working their way to a sauteed fresh-caught gulf snapper or a grilled New York Strip. Golf-enthusiasts can practice their swing on the Wellen Park Golf & Country Club’s 18-hole course, while those who love the water can rent kayaks from venues like Kind Vibes Outfitters to paddle on the manmade Grand Lake downtown. For those seeking more natural scenes, a visit to Senator Bob Johnson’s Landing about 5 miles east of downtown is the perfect spot to launch kayaks or canoes and enjoy the Myakka River. An important nesting habitat for wood storks, American alligators and other wildlife, residents are bound to spot some wildlife while paddling here. Children in Wellen Park can attend Taylor Ranch Elementary School, Venice Middle School and Venice High School, all of which received ratings of an A-minus or higher from educational review site Niche. Younger children can also attend the College Preparatory Academy at Wellen Park, a kindergarten through eighth charter school. The Sarasota County Schools District also sponsors the neighboring State College of Florida Collegiate Schools’ Venice campus, a tuition-free public charter school known for a dual enrollment program that allows its students to graduate high school with an associate’s degree and have access to select scholarships from several institutions, including Florida Gulf Coast University.

Plantation offers considerable comfort both inside and outside the home. This Gulf Coast community sits almost perfectly between the Sarasota County cities of Venice and North Port. Like many other places in the county, this neighborhood lies within miles of white-sand beaches and within arms reach of a handful of golf courses, the latter of which provide the grounds for one of the area’s leading pastimes. Many homes here are grouped along peaceful streets lined by well-manicured lawns and palm trees. “But you also got the dining aspects, as well, and the camaraderie of your fellow community members,” Scott Johnston, a realtor with Michael Saunders & Company, says about the country club communities. Plantation, like much of Sarasota County, offers homes within well-organized planned developments. Populated with a number of single-family home options, houses here feature low-pitched tiled roofs and brightly colored sidings. Prospective buyers will find many traditional and ranch-style homes, as well as a number of Spanish and Mediterranean influenced designs. In fact, Johnston says the tiled roofing seen across much of the area is required in the Plantation Golf & Country Club and Sarasota National Golf Club communities. As far as prices, two-bedroom condominiums can start in the low $300,000s. “Then everything is up from there,” Johnston says, with the top end of the price range coming in at just under $2 million. For example, A single story two-bedroom and two-bathroom home off Rockley Boulevard can go for $520,000. A single story, but spacious home with a green tiled roof, circular driveway and covered pool in the back can go for $1.1 million. Golf is a leading pastime in this part of Florida and the amenities for it play a strong role in where many choose to settle. The Plantation Golf & Country Club is almost synonymous with the area built around Wexford and Rockley Boulevards and between Center Road and U.S. Highway 41. Members there can test themselves on the club's two 18-hole championship courses, named Bobcat and Panther. This site also proudly calls itself the home of the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s annual tour qualifier. Just a short distance south of U.S. Highway 41 is Sarasota National, which offers an 18-hole championship course that the club’s website describes as surrounded by wetlands and preserves that make it as beautiful as it is challenging. The club also includes a 32,000-square-foot resort-style clubhouse campus comprised of three buildings that offer dining, fitness, tennis and swimming amenities. And of course, the beaches are located within several miles. “The beauty is we have so much beach, so much beach available,” Johnston says. One of the closest retail destinations here is the Venice Village Shoppes, located just west of the golf club communities along U.S. Highway 41. This shopping center’s occupants include several big box stores like Publix, a Walmart Supercenter and Target. The dining spots include favorites like the Sand Trap Bar and Grill, and Skillets. The bar and grill offers a blend of Thai and American cuisines and includes choices such as a boneless Teriyaki wings appetizer and the “Eagle,” a grilled hamburger topped with bacon, American cheese and lettuce. While it mainly serves lunch options, Skillets has an extensive breakfast menu ranging from American fare like Eggs Benedict and traditional breakfasts consisting of eggs, potatoes, biscuit and bacon to healthier options like oatmeal and a yogurt, berry and banana bowl. The highly rated Sarasota County Schools district serves families here. Students in Plantation can attend Taylor Ranch Elementary School, Venice Middle School and Venice High School. Niche gave A-minus grades to both the elementary and middle schools and gave the high school an A. Venice High is ranked by Niche as the 10th best high school in the state for athletes. The community also sits near Venice Christian School, located on Center Road. The institution describes itself as a non-denominational private Christian school for students from prekindergarten all the way to 12th grade.