Big sale on Casey Key --1588 North Casey Key Road, Osprey Florida Sold for $9,900,000

1588 North Casey Key Road was listed for $11,500,000 and just closed for $9,900,000.
This property is just two South of the famous author Stephen King who wrote Duma Key as a fictional island off the South end of Casey Key.

There have only been five other single family sales this year on Casey Key.

1538 N. Casey Key Road listed for $8,295,000 and sold for $6,200,000
1512 Casey Key Road listed for $4,499,000 and sold for $3,300,000
805 Casey Key Road listed for $2,385,000 and sold for $1,700,000
506 S. Casey Key Road listed for $1,995,000 and sold for $1,800,000
3804 Cutlass Bayou listed for $1,385,000 and sold for $1,075,000

Two lots have sold this year:

Lot 13 Gulf Winds Way listed for $330,000 and sold for $290,000
Lot 15 Gulf Wind Way listed for $334,900 and sold for $287,500

There are currently51 single family homes listed with My Florida Regional MLS on the market for sale priced from $900,000 to $14,999,000

And there are two single family homes sales pending

The Herron Group, RE/MAX Alliance Group, Nick Herron and Kathleen Herron would be glad to show you any of the properties for sale on Casey Key or any of the other Sarasota's Barrier Islands of Siesta Key, Manasota Key, Longboat Key, Lido or Bird Key.

615 Casey Key Road, Nokomis Fl. The Herron Group / RE/MAX Alliance Group

615 Casey Key Road Reduced to $1,999,000.
Buy a piece of the past and create your own future. This property is part of Casey Keys History the Original Main House has been in the Same Family for over 60 years. Come Enjoy Beach Front Living at its Best from this Three Bedroom, Three Bath Main House and Separate Two Car Garage with Caretakers Studio and Bath. The Formal Dinning Room Has a Vaulted Ceiling and Fireplace. The Great Room (Living Room) has Large Glass Windows Across the Front of the House So You Wont Miss any of the Magnificent Sunsets Over Your Private Wide Sandy Beach. Off the Great Room to the South is Sliding Glass Door That Opens onto a Screened Lanai With Lush Tropical Florida Landscaping on Three Sides. The Property is Nicely Landscaped in Low Maintenance Native Florida Vegetation. Step Back in Time and Enjoy This Wonderful Opportunity. If You Are Looking to Build a Large Estate the Former Guest House and Swimming Pool Property to the North are also on the Market for Sale.
Beach Bay or Back Nine...Live the Dream

“September sales for Sarasota Real Estate Skyrocket as Market Approaches Equilibrium” The Sarasota Board of Realtors Announces Statistics for Sept.

On the Oct. 6th Today Show, Barbara Corcoran a National Real Estate Expert said Sarasota was the top place to buy real estate in the nation today, an opinion shared by Sarasota Board of Realtors and Nick and Kathleen Herron. Barbara listed Sarasota as the number one place in the US to buy a single family or condo in her latest “Hot Market” prognostication. She cited the lower property prices of 30% below last year at the same time combined with a recent price surge of 13% in the last quarter, plus Sarasota’s unique “metropolitan” cultural appeal for boosting the Sarasota area to the top spot.

Click here for a complete Press Release:

The Herron Group, Nick Herron and Kathleen Herron, RE/MAX Alliance Group would love to slow you the values in Sarasota Real Estate. If looking in Sarasota mainland or on one of Sarasota’s Barrier Islands (Casey Key, Manasota Key, Lido Key, Siesta Key, Bird or Longboat Key. Please give us a call at: 941-350-5035

Beach, Bay or Back Nine…Live the Dream

Casey Key “Buy a Piece of the Past and Create Your Own Future”

According to records, the first published mention of Casey Key was in a colorful report of a meeting in 1849 of Captain John Charles Casey with the Indians at Casey’s Pass, the site of the present Jetties.

The famous and courageous Captain Casey, although born in England, was appointed to West Point, where he graduated in the same class with General Robert E. Lee in 1829, eventually becoming connected with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This duty took him to most parts of Florida, especially the West Coast, during the efforts of the Government to drive out the Indians. In retrospect not an admirable action, but at the time, considered justified and a matter of duty.
In 1856 a costal map from Tampa south was formulated mostly from Captain Casey’s detailed notes and sketches, which proved to be amazingly accurate and perhaps responsible for the Key having been named after him.

Casey Key remained a garden spot with wild game and fish in abundance. It was the latter that lured the first settlers from Osprey, across the bay to the Key. Like most of the first fine families who had land grants up and down the mainland coast across from the Key, they were excellent fishermen. Casey Key is grateful for its few remaining old homes.

From then on the Key’s growth was gradual and healthy: friends of friends coming to share the lush, tropical green foliage and the white sand of the unspoiled beaches. About 1917, a resident of the Key attempted to promote a real estate development by changing the name Casey Key to Treasure Island. As an enterprise it failed, but resulted in quite q bit of good-natured feudin’ and figtin’—“Casey Key” versus “Treasure Island”—in later years, as the nom de plume lingered on.

In September, 1921, a terrific hurricane arbitrarily gave approximately two-and-one-half-miles of north Casey Key to Siesta Key by moving the then existing pass just south of Point of Rocks to its present location where it is said, Nature, at midnight, with its frightening force, finally finished. This geographic change started a series of still unsettled litigations between the two Keys as to whose land was where and who owned what.

At the south end of the Key the story was different. Because of the shifting sands of Casey’s Pass, there was more portage than navigation, so some energetic citizens in that part of Venice known as Higelville, along with interested people from Laurel and Nokomis, successfully dug a channel to the Gulf with manpower alone. It was not until the Thirties that the Army Corps of Engineers built the first Jetties.

The Herron Group, Nick Herron and Kathleen Herron have four properties that were built back in the 1940’s. All are on very different locations on the Key. Three are Gulf front properties and one is Gulf to Bay.

Our newest listing is 615 Casey Key Road a Gulf Front home that was built for the Grandmother( who has passed away) as a wedding gift and has been in the family for over sixty years.
The Herron Group, Nick Herron and Kathleen Herron would love to show you some of the Casey Key history. As we say, “Buy a Piece of the Past and Create Your Own Future”.

Beach, Bay or Back Nine…Live the Dream

Snook Season is Upon Us

We mentioned in our post on our other Casey Key Blog: http://caseykey-real-estate.blogspot.com/ about the fantastic fishing opportunities in the Sarasota area being one of the many reasons to relocate here. Well one of those opportunities has just begun: Snook season just started on Tuesday, September 1st.

Snook are one of Florida’s most sought after game fish. Also known as “linesiders”, they are easily identified by their distinct lateral line along their sides. They can reach lengths up to 4 feet and can weigh more than 50 pounds. Snook are highly regarded as one of the top eating fish in Florida. But you will not find them on restaurant menus…it is illegal to buy and sell Snook.

If you want to eat Snook, you have to catch it yourself, or have a good neighbor. My former neighbor on Casey Key Kenny Reutlinger (who has now passed away) would go fishing off his dock at two or three in the AM. He would be knocking on my door the next morning with plate in hand with a Snook all prepared and ready to go in the oven. Now that is the way I like to fish for Snook.

Snook can be a hard fish to catch. You need to use a long leader, because once hooked they will turn fast and cut your line. Snook prefer shrimp and come around the docks looking for shrimp especially when your Snook light is attracting shrimp and other bait fish at night. The Herron Group has two listings for wonderful Snook fishing. One is 2108 Casey Key it is a Gulf to Bay property on Casey Key with good boating water. The other is 7785 Manasota Key which is a Bay Front on Manasota Key. It has a large covered dock and open slip. Both properties have a Snook light.

The Snook Foundation, founded by William R. Mote of Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota, provides excellent information on regulations, conservation, and events in the area, including the Kids Fishing Clinic and The Snook Shindig.

Nick Herron & Kathleen Herron of the Herron Group, RE/MAX Alliance Group would be glad to show you any of the properties listed on Sarasota’s Barrier Island of Lido Key, Bird Key, Longboat Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key, Manasota Key, and Island of Venice, or mainland Country Club. Call 941.350.5035.

Beach, Bay or Back Nine…Live the Dream

Remembering Hurricane Charley

Today marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Charley and its massive surge of damage to Southwest Florida and our state as a whole.

Charley formed as a Tropical Depression on Monday, August 9th, 2004 off the coast of Grenada. The storm quickly moved west and gained strength, becoming a Tropical Storm by early morning on Tuesday, August 10th. By afternoon, Charley had organized into a hurricane, becoming the third of the 2004 Atlantic Season.

Gradually moving over the Gulf of Mexico, Charley rapidly intensified the morning of Friday, August 13th. By 2 pm that afternoon, Charley was upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds reaching over 145 mph.

Charley’s erratic path made it difficult to determine where it would make landfall. Initial reports expected the storm to hit somewhere near Tampa, but at approximately 5 pm, the storm veered. The wrath of Charley made landfall near Charlotte Harbor, damaging the coastal cities of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. The storm followed along the Peace River corridor, devastating the small towns of Arcadia, Zolfo Springs, Sebring, and Wauchula. Charley continued along the path through Orlando and eventually made its way out of Florida at Daytona Beach, emerging as a Category 1 storm.

Hurricane Charley is considered the 5th costliest hurricane in US history. It attributed to over $5 billion in property damage and $285 billion in agricultural damage in the state of Florida. Charlotte County saw the most damage with over 80% of its buildings destroyed including hospitals, schools, the local airport, and hundreds of homes.

As we look back on this day, we know it is nearly impossible to be fully prepared for the destruction left by a natural disaster, but there are steps we can take to minimize that destruction. The following link to our local news channel, Sarasota’s WWSB channel 40, Hurricane Preparedness page gives you tips on: Making Your House Storm Ready, Shelter Information, Evacuation maps, Survival Kits, Boat Safety Tips, and After the Storm. Their Hurricane Guide can be downloaded and printed for your convenience.
Be prepared and stay safe!

The Sarasota's Barrier Islands had very little damage from Hurricane Clarley.

The Herron Group / RE/MAX Alliance Group , Nick Herron and Kathleen Herron would be glad to show you any of the homes or condos listed on Sarasota’s Barrier Islands of Bird Key, Casey Key, Siesta Key, Manasota Key, Longboat and Lido Key. Call 941.350.5035. or 800.789.6580

Beach, Bay or Back Nine…Live the Dream

Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

The landmark Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall has been at the center of the City of Sarasota’s dynamic performing arts scene for over 35 years. Built along the bayfront in 1968 and partly funded by a bequest from Lewis and Eugenia Van Wezel, the hall brings a wide range of first-class performances and artists to the Sarasota community.

The hall opened its doors in 1970 with a performance of Fiddler on the Roof. Since then, a host of Broadway shows, world-class symphony orchestras, top national and international performers, and an array of dance troupes have performed to meet the theatrical needs of Sarasota’s residents and visitors.

The Van Wezel’s unique design and color have helped in making the building a Sarasota landmark. The seashell design was the brainchild of William Wesley Peters, an architect with Taliesin Associated Architects of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and the lavender and purple color scheme was the idea of Wright’s widow, Olgivanna Lloyd Wright. The 1,736-seat hall also offers a spectacular dining opportunity at Michael’s at the Van Wezel, the delectable cuisine of Michael’s on the East in a fabulous dinner buffet.

There are still many great shows to catch in the 2009 season, including Kathy Griffin Live (appearing Aug. 14th), Camelot, Avenue Q, and the Moscow Ballet performing The Nutcracker, and the 2010 season has a wonderful calendar already booked.

The Van Wezel is located along Sarasota’s beautiful Bayfront and easily accessible from any of the Downtown Sarasota Condos or barrier islands.

Nick Herron & Kathleen Herron of the Herron Group would be glad to show you any of the Downtown Condos or any of the properties listed on Sarasota’s Barrier Island of Longboat Key, Lido Key, Bird Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key or Manasota Key. Call 941.350.5035.

Beach, Bay or Back Nine…Live the Dream