Seaplace is a gulf-front condominium community on the Sarasota County end of Longboat Key, at 2045 Gulf of Mexico Drive in ZIP 34228. It was built across the 1970s on roughly 43 acres of beachfront, with mid-rise buildings, garden apartments, and townhouse-style residences set behind a manned gate (community and listing guides, 2026; confirm exact unit count and building per the association).
This is a barrier-island condo, so the read is different from a mainland house. The community sits directly on the Gulf, which is the draw, but also means flood zone, windstorm and flood insurance, and the association's master policy and reserves drive the carrying cost. The buildings date to the 1970s, which puts them squarely inside Florida's milestone inspection and structural integrity reserve study (SIRS) framework, so the reserve and assessment posture is central diligence.
Rentals here are owner-occupied and seasonal in character, not nightly transient: the association allows a minimum two-month lease, a limited number of times per year (association rental rules, 2026). That makes Seaplace a primary or seasonal residence community rather than a vacation-rental building, and buyers should verify the current rental rules directly with the association.
The pitch is a gated, amenity-rich stretch of private Gulf beach with two pools, tennis, and walking trails, a few minutes up Gulf of Mexico Drive from St Armands Circle and downtown Sarasota. The work is reading the specific building, its SIRS and reserve status, its flood zone, and the full insurance and assessment math before you fall for the view.