Kitchen Remodeler in Longboat Key, FL

Gulf of Mexico Drive Condos: Salt Air, Surge and Association Rules

Longboat Key’s housing is mostly mid-rise and high-rise condominiums, villas and single-family homes on canals and the bay side, much of it built after the Arvida Corporation bought a large part of the island in 1959.

• Salt air. Gulf-front units live with constant salt exposure, which corrodes plated hinges, slides and pulls; stainless or coated hardware is worth the upgrade.
• Storm surge. Helene’s surge in late September 2024 reached ground-level units, lobbies and garages on the island, and Milton followed two weeks later. Kitchens below flood elevation may need replacement rather than refinishing; see flood-damaged kitchen cabinets.
• Seasonal occupancy. The 2020 Census counted 48.8 percent of the island’s housing units as seasonal or occasional use, so many owners schedule remodels for months they are away.
• Condo governance. Associations typically require written approval, set weekday work hours, reserve and pad the service elevator, and restrict noise and dumpsters.

For larger post-storm rebuilds below flood elevation, the Town’s floodplain administrator applies FEMA’s substantial-improvement test, triggered when repair costs reach half of the building’s market value, which can limit what is rebuilt at ground level.

How Does a Longboat Key Visit Work When You Spend Summers Up North?

1. 1

   Association first

   Before booking, we ask for your building’s contractor rules: approval forms, work hours, elevator reservations and where trucks may park at the tower.

2. 2

   On-site measuring

   A salesperson or technician from our team records the dimensions of the kitchen and any wet bar, bath or built-in on your list, and discusses ideas with you in the unit.

3. 3

   3D presentation

   A 3D presentation, prepared in specialized design software, is ideally scheduled while you are still on the island to see finishes in person.

4. 4

   Delivery and installation

   Cabinets are delivered within the building’s allowed hours, brought up on a protected elevator and installed.

Longboat Key has its own Town building department, which reviews permits for the whole island no matter which county your unit falls in. Moving plumbing, electrical or walls is permitted work for trade contractors licensed in Florida, and in a condo the association may review it as well. Owners planning around time away can read our seasonal home remodeling page.

What Can We Honestly Say About the Island, From Longboat Pass to New Pass?

We have no published Longboat Key projects or island-specific reviews at this point, so these are the facts we can stand behind.

• The entire island uses ZIP 34228.
• The north end, toward Longboat Pass and Anna Maria Island, is in Manatee County; the south end, toward New Pass and St. Armands, is in Sarasota County. One town government and building department cover both.
• Our route: across the John Ringling Causeway, around St. Armands Circle to the New Pass bridge, then north on Gulf of Mexico Drive (State Road 789).
• Neighboring pages include Bradenton Beach across Longboat Pass.

Longboat Key incorporated as a town on November 13, 1955, and inside its limits there are only about 4 square miles of land against nearly 12 of water. Permits go to the Town’s Planning, Zoning and Building Department at 501 Bay Isles Road, which moved applications to an online Accela portal in April 2025. Storms are part of the island’s record: a 1921 hurricane destroyed most of its farmland and buildings.