Lakewood Ranch as alternative to TV?
 

Anyone with experience living at Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota with pros or cons to share?

My buddy lives in Lakewood Ranch, he used to live in The Villages. He likes it a lot but admits that Tampa area is his hometown and that was a big part of his decision. From what I gather, it's a lot of small communities (ie: villages) tethered under the Lakewood Ranch umbrella, but it's many builders, not just one.

It’s nice but you won’t get the amenities availability like here. Only certain sections are 55+. It’s spread out over large area like TV. Lots of traffic makes it feel like The NYC area. Plus is you are near beach and plenty of shopping but it may take you a half hour or more to go a very short distance

I've been there. I have friends there. They like it there. I like it here.
They like different things than I like.
Go check it out. It's very nice. You might like it better than here, or like TV better than there. Only way to know for sure is to check it out.

My friend lived in the 55 plus Del Webb community in Lakewood ranch. Took about 45-hour to get to beach with traffic. Not lots of activities compared to TV but neighbors were great and they had a lot of block activities. Much warmer than here.

We checked it out after 3 yrs of living in TV. Similarities - nice landscaping throughout, home layouts are nearly duplicate to TV's open floor plan, however no Roman showers (walk -in), there's always a shower door to clean. Everything is spread out. Pros - close to lots of hospitals, services, beaches, cultural events, restaurants. Con - every "village" has its own pool(s) tennis courts, yoga classes etc. You can't use another villages' amenties unless you get invited as a guest. We didn't move there.

Take The Villages and move it up 3 or 4 notches in style, sophistication, location & golf accessibility ... you have Lakewood Ranch.

Great spot and has been running neck & neck with TV for #1 in the country for a couple of years and recently has surpassed TV. Lakewood Ranch is the #1 community in the U.S. for all ages

Different concept than TV. Not as much a "company town".

Most of Lakewood Ranch is not Age Restricted.

As someone else mention, traffic can be tough, but I don't think it's much worse that TV in season ... the problem is, LR is almost always "in season".

No neck and neck.

The Villages retained its title as the No. 1 master-planned community in the United States. Florida’s Friendliest Hometown had 3,923 sales in 2022, a 2 percent decline from the record pace set in 2021.
New home sales among the 50 Top-Selling Master-Planned Communities declined by 20 percent in 2022 compared to the pace set by 2021’s top communities.
Sarasota’s Lakewood Ranch claimed the number two spot overall, and is the top-selling multi-generational community in the country, with 1,846 sales, less than ½ of The Villages sales.

https://www.**************.com/2021/...-no-1-ranking/

We lived in Tampa for many years before moving here.
Went to Lakewood Ranch many times.

Traffic is bad, taxes are high, way too congested.

It’s located in Bradenton which has quite a bit of crime.

The only thing that we liked was it was near Siesta Key
which is our favorite beach.

After living for almost 20 yrs. in Tampa with so many hurricane scares we decided in our old age we didn’t
want to be that close to the coast.

I frequently visit my brother, who lives there. Gorgeous and much more expensive with less amenities and activities. You have to pay for golf and it’s more of a country club feel. It doesn’t come close to the amount of golf courses in TV (and the majority are free), or the amount of activities of TV having 3000+ clubs. The few advantages of Lakewood Ranch are some of the large custom homes, closer to the ocean, some true gated communities but all for more money.

Sounds like you're running an advertisement for them. Why would you ask about another development when you're on this site? Very strange. Why wouldn't you ask people on their neighborhood site? Hmmmmm?

I was convinced we were buying in Lakewood Ranch during my pre-purchase analysis phase. Then we visited, and I hated it! Each community is very separated from the next. You cant even really walk or bike between them easily, so your social life ends up being just your gated community. The main golf course/country club is nice but an additional membership and had many families (not an issue for us). The traffic around the mall area was unbearable and their “town square” is very small with only a few restaurants and shops. Nicer homes, closer to the beach but it ended there with the pros for us.

Visited Lakewood Ranch maybe 6+ years ago, I've been living in the villages for four years. They had a waiting list to become a member of their main tennis club. Which pretty much nixed it for me.

Did you happen to notice the words "FOR ALL AGES" at the end of that sentence?

Apples and oranges.

Lakewood Ranch
 

My sister and brother-in-law live at Del Web. It is very nice. One advantage is that Lakewood Ranch does all the lawn work. This means you listen to mowers and blowers once instead of a steady stream of landscapers working on everyone's lawn every day. It is close to beaches, but it may take you a long time to get there because of traffic. The biggest drawback for us that you can't get to much on your golf cart. The different communities are not connected like The Villages, so you can't cruise to restaurants and shopping or friends living in another Lakewood Ranch community in your golf cart.

We spent considerable time renting there with the intention of buying and making that our home. We looked and rented at both the 55+ communities and those that were not. For us, the biggest drawback was every community is gated, so its not like you can easily go for long walks from one community to the next. All are under the Lakewood "umbrella" but they are really separate and distinct communities with some shared amenities surrounding those communities.

I'll caveat this comment with traffic is horrible everywhere, but it seems like it is especially bad there. I think some of the Villages traffic is tempered by the fact that we can travel via golf cart, where that is not an option at Lakewood. If you need to go somewhere, you and every other person is in a car driving. That ties into my final factor that led us to move to The Villages....

I can't say there is no "snowbird" season at Lakewood, but its minimal since so few of the communities are 55+. There were two when we were there, so maybe there is 3 now? Both communities were smaller than their counterparts. The majority of Lakewood is families that work, go to school, and make LR their permanent home. Where there are a few months at TV where reservations are a little harder, traffic is a little heavier, etc, at Lakewood the ebbs and flows are negligible. I say all that just to convey that the traffic and activity in the community is largely static, so if things seem busy to you then just know that is the baseline.

There were some benefits to LR (for us). Since we both still work and the vast majority of LR works, a significant number of activities were during the evenings and on weekends. Since there were so many teenagers around, there was always someone wanting to do some handyman work or wash your car for a few bucks....lots of young strong neighbors willing to move heavy items , etc. The final positive was the abundance of food delivery, ranging from Uber Eats to lots of restaurants having their own delivery service. There were 4-5 pizza places that delivered, so all the national chains plus a few local.

Visit the Southern areas of The Villages and you'll see that "ALL AGES" now includes The Villages ... if not legally, certainly practically. Getting further away from "Age Restricted" every day.

Something you surely don't understand.

The average age of a 1st time home buyer in the USA, is 33.

The average age of all home buyers in the USA, is 47.

The average age of all home buyers, who are buying to "upgrading" their home, is 57 years old.

1st Time Home Buyers make up a fairly small portion of folks buying in Lakewood Ranch. The Demographic is very similar to the southern portions of TV, other than more money in Lakewood Ranch.

Our good friends moved to Lakewood Ranch from The Villages after being here for several years. They moved from a premier house here to a house of higher design quality and build. I think that, along with being near Sarasota and Siesta Key, was the main motivation.

I simply asked for pros and cons. There's no 'advertising'! I've visited TV several times and about to buy a place, but the last time I was there (Nov. 2022) it was rainy and cold the first week and a half. I thought maybe I should consider a place farther south for warmer weather.

I've never been to Sarasota area. I simply asked a question, and was showered with (and grateful for) a lot of good information and opinions which will be factored into my decision.

the good thing about LR and TV is that they are different. It wouldn't do you any good if they were the same, would it? When I visited LR I went with a really good friend of mine (who introduced us to TV), and we played golf with his brother who lives in LR. There were differences everywhere. While we appreciated LR for what it had to offer, and my friend's brother and his wife are definitely happier there than they would be in TV, we wouldn't change even if the $ were the same (and they aren't).

Check it out. You might love it. It's not a competition between LR and TV. They are quite different. The important thing is to find the place that suits you.

Got t Fl in 1972 and after that the roads have NEVER caught up with the population EXPLOSION.

“This story is paid for by an advertiser. Members of the editorial and news staff of the USA TODAY network were not involved in the creation of this content”. (From a disclaimer at the very top of the linked article—sometimes it helps to read the small print)

There is a rather large sign in the Minneapolis - St. Paul airport. It claims that MSP was (as I remember the sign) NAMED THE #1 AIRPORT IN AMERICA THREE YEARS RUNNING. I don’t recall the sign indicating just who, or what, did the “naming”. But anyone who has flown into or out of MSP will understand instantly just how ridiculous this claim is.

The linked article is a SALES PITCH. It has as much (or as little) credibility as the sign at MSP. The reason for the small-print disclaimer is obvious. No reputable news service would want anyone linking them to such an article.

We looked at Lakewood Ranch 5 years ago. Communities ar smaller. You can’t use each others amenities, but some of the pools are real pools with a deep end and some have diving. TV has shallow pools by comparison. No really deep water for water polo or deep water water aerobics. The design goal seems to be water volleyball pools. I taught water aerobics and do my recertifications with a trainer at ..Lakewood Ranch. We have “walking pools”. As for traffic, we both are congested during peak. My fav beach is Lido, near the SA
Circle

Then why aren't you looking for comments in the Lakewood neighborhood forums? Seems like getting it straight from their residents would be the smart thing to do. I find it amusing you're in a Villages forum asking about someplace else.

We've been to Lakewood Ranch and took a hard pass, despite an affinity to Siesta Key. The weather is a little nicer, but it's pricier and the amenities subpar.

Thanks for your transparency living in Lakewood Ranch. What I have found that there is a lot of smoke and mirrors living at the villages

Wow, the post I responded to got axed by the mod.

Or that they likely have large mortgages being of a younger demographic.

Just stumbled across this.
Lived in the villages from 2012 to 2020 in a premier for reference behind Bonifay.
Built a new home in LWR on a lake and preserve.
You have to work harder at meeting people here. There is an optional CC with dining and social in my neighborhood.
Social alone is now $5,000 to join and $140. A month for the privilege of eating there.
I did not want another 55+. I like the sights and sounds of kids and Young parents.
Golf. Can be expensive unlike TV. Pop Stroke at UTC Mall.
Proximity to beach, upscale shopping and tons of dining is a plus.
Location is a plus. Not in the middle of nowhere.
Closer to airports.
We have bonds and HOA fees too. Not cheap.
Both have polo. Not a big deal to me.
Still have many friends in TV and spend many weekends there as friends introduced me to a wonderful woman there.
I have met and have many friends in LWR that have moved from the villages for various reasons.
Some moved to Del Webb and you can spot them with their gas golf carts instead of electric.
LWR draws people from all over as they are the next best selling community in the nation after TV a does the villages.
Great for resale as people have about both places.
That’s about it off the top of my head.

Why be snarky? Let the poster post however they want. Not everyone does everything like you see is proper. This isn't a big deal to be asking motives.

my bro-in-law & sis-in-law live there. it's beautiful beyond words, but pretty expensive by my standards. their hoa is so much more than our amenity fee, and we have twice as much to do. Sis-in-law LOVED the amount of pools here, & knowing she had access to all when they came to visit. over in Lakewood, there is 1 pool for the entire complex. stores & restaurants are VERY good, but far away from the homes, -you will need a car to get there. all homes can have fences to keep the gators out of your yard, and they must be iron & not chain link as stated in another thread. go over a take a drive! it's a beautiful area, and word has it one of Mick Jagger's girlfriends has a house in the truly gated part.

The biggest detriment, IMHO, is Lakewood is too close to the coast. We like it here because hurricanes usually peter out by the time they get to the center of the state.

Typically Sarasota/ Lakewood Ranch are spared.
2 tiles did come off my roof and the post lamp globe snapped off.
Trees did need straightening.

I would recommend that you understand the cost of flood and homeowners insurance for property there before you purchase. This area is marginally higher than the gulf coast. If you have a home mortgage on the purchase, you will be required to have flood insurance … and those rates are rising fastest on the coast

Were U being naughty again??

Apples and Oranges comparing to TV.

Lakewood is a development with limited everything, TV is a lifestyle.

yes, you are correct. & you should know the homes come with these very heavy metal shutters that go over the windows to keep from breaking. (if possible, residents often install windows for heavy storms @ their cost.) it was'nt easy to get those shutters in, btw, they needed to hire help, and are not pleased with having to do it for every major wind storm. these are some of the factors to think about if planning to move there, ...personally,
i'd stay here! :ho:

Absolutely agree with your comments. We went on a sales tour and except for some nicer houses and closer to the beach it was way more expensive and we had the feeling of being isolated and no activity - traffic was horrible

Exactly, it's like asking "which is the BEST steakhouse in the area"...LOL ! But I think there is great value when people READ the question accurately, and actually replay with the "pros" and "cons" as they have experienced them. The post that listed advantages like proximity to great beaches, unlimited shopping, etc. are so accurate, and the cons of HEAVY traffic, and so on are also very accurate. Personally I believe that area has access to higher quality medical care than this part of central Florida, but again, many would certainly argue that medical care if of much higher quality here... so there you go !