An eight-story, 105-residence beachfront condominium on Lido Key at 1100 Benjamin Franklin Drive — Gulf-front heated pool and spa, fitness center, saunas, secure parking, and a walk to St. Armands Circle. A buyer's guide from Alison Kanter and Danielle Gladding.
The building sits perpendicular to the beach. That one design decision explains most of what buyers like about Lido Surf and Sand.
Because the towers run out toward the water rather than along it, the great majority of residences look up or down the shoreline and out over the Gulf of Mexico rather than into a neighbor's lanai. A smaller set faces west for direct sunset. It is a layout that gives an eight-story building a far higher proportion of water views than its height alone would suggest, and it is the reason units here trade on view quality more than on floor number.
Lido Surf and Sand occupies 1100, 1102, and 1104 Benjamin Franklin Drive on Lido Key, directly on Lido Beach. It was built in 1976 and today holds 105 residences across eight stories — a count that has drifted down over the years as owners combined adjoining units, which is why you will still see a higher figure quoted in older sources. The property is a genuine beachfront community rather than a beach-adjacent one — the pool deck, the grills, the portico, and the lounge chairs are on the sand side, and residents step from the deck onto the beach.
We are Danielle Gladding and Alison Kanter — a mother-daughter Sarasota luxury real estate team. Alison leads our work across Lido Key, St. Armands, Bird Key, and Downtown Sarasota; she is a Sarasota native, a Certified Luxury Real Estate Specialist and Certified Waterfront Specialist with a Furman degree and a Clemson MBA, and the analytical half of every transaction we handle. Danielle has been a licensed Realtor since 1981 and a Broker since 1987, has lived in Sarasota for fifty years, and is a Certified Waterfront Specialist who has watched this stretch of Ben Franklin Drive change building by building.
A 1976 beachfront condominium is a building you buy with your eyes open. This page gives you the real picture — the amenities, the association rules that actually govern daily life here, the questions we ask on every unit, and the honest tradeoffs. When you are ready for a private conversation, our information is at the bottom of the page.
Lido Surf and Sand at a Glance
The fast picture, for buyers who like to start with the facts.
• Address: 1100, 1102, and 1104 Benjamin Franklin Drive, Sarasota, Florida 34236
• Setting: Directly on Lido Beach, Gulf of Mexico, on Lido Key
• Year built: 1976
• Height: Eight stories
• Residence count: 105 today, reflecting units combined by owners over the years
• Orientation: Perpendicular to the beach, so most residences carry a full or partial Gulf view
• Residences: One-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans; many with spacious terraces or glass-enclosed lanais
• Pool: Beachfront heated pool and spa, open 8:00 a.m. to dusk under Florida statute
• Amenities: Fitness center, men's and women's saunas, social room and library, two poolside grills, poolside dining portico, shuffleboard court, beach lounge chairs, bike rack, WiFi in the pool area
• Parking: Fully enclosed secure garage with assigned spaces; a small number of first-come bays under 1104
• Laundry: Coin-operated laundry rooms on floors three through eight
• Included in the fee at this time: basic cable, internet, water and sewer, pool, spa, sauna, pest control, social room, fitness center, storage, shuffleboard, grill, bike rack, security entry system, and on-site management
• Security: Fob entry system at three main entrances, entry phone system, exterior and garage cameras, on-site management
• Pets: Owners may keep one dog or cat with an average adult breed weight of 25 pounds or less; renters and guests may not have pets
• Leasing: Twice per calendar year, one-month minimum each time, with board approval — not a short-term rental building
• Beach: Directly on Lido Beach; the Lido Beach Pavilion is north along Ben Franklin Drive and South Lido Park is south
• Walkability: A walk to St. Armands Circle for restaurants, galleries, coffee, and ice cream
• Nearby: Save Our Seabirds and Mote Marine Laboratory on City Island, minutes away
• Downtown: A short drive across the Ringling Causeway to the Sarasota Opera House, Asolo Repertory Theatre, The Ringling, Van Wezel, and Selby Gardens
• Tax climate: Florida — no state income tax; homestead exemption available to primary residents
The Building and the Views
Lido Surf and Sand is three connected addresses — 1100, 1102, and 1104 Ben Franklin Drive — operating as one association with one pool deck, one fitness center, and one office. Each tower has its own elevator and attached covered parking.
The perpendicular orientation is the defining feature. Most residences face north or south along the beach rather than head-on west, which produces long views down the shoreline and out over the water. A smaller number of west-facing and corner units get the direct sunset exposure and price accordingly. When we walk a client through this building, the first thing we establish is which of those three categories a unit falls into, because the view difference is the single largest driver of value here — larger than floor, and often larger than square footage.
Floor plans run from one to three bedrooms. Terraces are generous by the standards of the era, and a number of lanais have been enclosed with glass by owners over the years for year-round use. Interior condition varies widely. Some residences have been taken down to the studs and rebuilt; others are close to original. In a 1976 building, that gap is the other half of the pricing story.
The Amenities, Specifically
The amenity package is unusually complete for a building of this vintage, and most of it sits on the beach side.
• A heated pool and spa on the beachfront, with the deck opening directly toward the Gulf
• Two poolside grills on the beach side of the deck, available to residents between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
• A covered poolside dining portico with tables, first come first served
• A well-equipped fitness center on the second floor, next to the office
• Men's and women's saunas, located inside the pool restrooms
• A social room with a library on the first floor of the 1100 building, open 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., available to owners for approved private functions
• A shuffleboard court
• Beach lounge chairs
• A bike rack in the first-floor garage under 1104, with association ID stickers required
• Coin-operated laundry rooms near the 1102 elevators on floors three through eight
• WiFi in the pool area
On-site management keeps weekday office hours, with an after-hours line for building emergencies. That matters more than it sounds. In a beachfront building of this age, having staff on the property rather than a remote management company is a practical, daily difference — and it is a question we ask about every older condominium we show.
The Rules That Actually Govern Daily Life
This is the section most listing descriptions skip, and it is the section that determines whether a building fits your life. The following reflects the association's owner rules as published in January 2026. Rules change, so confirm current terms with the association office before you rely on any of them.
Leasing
A unit may be leased twice per calendar year, for a minimum of one month each time, and each lease requires board approval. Applications must be registered with the office at least thirty days before the lease begins, with an application fee. Subleasing and rent sharing are not permitted, and renters may not have pets or host overnight guests in their absence. If you are underwriting this purchase on short-term rental income, this is not the building. If you want a stable, owner-occupied community with limited turnover, this rule is the reason it stays that way.
Pets
Owners may keep a dog or cat whose average adult weight for the breed is 25 pounds or less. Pets must be leashed outside the unit, there is a designated exercise area on the property, and pets are not permitted within fifty feet of the pool or in the fitness center, social room, or office. Renters and guests are not permitted pets at all. Buyers coming with a larger dog should know this before they fall in love with a unit.
Buying and Selling
Sales require board approval, including an interview with the prospective buyer, and an application fee accompanies the application. Realtor open houses are not permitted in the building. That last rule shapes how units here are actually marketed — showings are by appointment through the office and the listing broker, which puts a premium on working with someone who knows the building and its staff.
Parking and Storage
Garage spaces are assigned to specific units, and all vehicles need a permit from the office. Six covered bays below 1104 are unassigned and available first come, first served for up to three continuous days. Overnight parking of trailers, campers, boats, motor homes, and commercial vehicles is not permitted. Storage cages are available, with restrictions on combustible materials. Confirm exactly what parking and storage convey with any specific unit — this is a detail that varies and one we verify in writing before closing.
Alterations
Any alteration requiring a permit, and any work touching plumbing, electrical, walls, ceilings, or floors, needs prior board approval. Contractors sign in daily, a damage deposit is required for multi-day work, and working hours are weekdays only. Note one rule that catches renovation buyers by surprise: individual unit work is limited to a maximum of ten days during the January 1 through April 30 season each year. If your plan is to close in December and gut the unit over the winter, that plan needs rethinking. We would rather you know now.
Lido Beach Itself
Start with the sand, because it is the reason the building exists where it does.
Lido Beach is a wide, white-sand Gulf beach that runs the length of the island's western edge, and Lido Surf and Sand sits directly on it. Not across a road from it. Not a short walk to a public access point. The pool deck opens onto the sand. That distinction sounds small until you have owned both, and then it is the only thing you talk about.
The beach has a different character depending on where you stand on it. In front of the residential towers along Ben Franklin Drive it is quiet, wide, and largely populated by the people who live there — morning walkers, shell collectors, a few umbrellas. Farther north at the Lido Beach Pavilion at 400 Benjamin Franklin Drive, there is public parking, a snack bar, restrooms and changing facilities, and a public pool, so it draws the day-trip crowd. Farther south, at South Lido Park, the island turns wild: mangrove tunnels, a nature trail, kayak and paddleboard water, and a stretch of sand where you can walk a long way without passing anyone.
What most owners here settle into is a rhythm that uses all three. The quiet sand out the back door on an ordinary Tuesday. The Pavilion when the grandchildren visit and somebody needs a hot dog and a bathroom. South Lido Park on a Sunday morning with a kayak. It is one small island and it holds three quite different beaches.
The sunsets are the other thing. Lido faces west into open Gulf, and from November through spring the sunset is a genuine daily event on this beach — people walk down to the waterline for it. Residences with direct west exposure at Lido Surf and Sand price at a premium for exactly this reason.
A Walk to St. Armands Circle
The Circle is the reason a beachfront condominium on Lido Key feels like a neighborhood rather than a resort. It is a genuine walk from the building — not a drive, not a shuttle — and that single fact changes how people live here.
St. Armands Circle is a ring of shops, galleries, and restaurants laid out around a landscaped park, with the original John Ringling-era statuary still in place. It has been the social center of these islands for a century. In season it is busy in the evenings, with live music drifting out of the restaurants and people walking the ring after dinner. In summer it is calmer and belongs more to the residents.
Dinner
The range is wider than a beach town usually manages. The Columbia Restaurant, the Spanish and Cuban institution whose original Tampa location dates to 1905, anchors the Circle and is still where people go for the 1905 salad made tableside and a pitcher of sangria. Crab & Fin does fine-dining seafood. Café on St. Armands runs Mediterranean and has one of the better terraces for watching the Circle go by. Nōnnō Umberto covers Italian, seafood, and steak. Venezia is the pizza-and-pasta standby. Tommy Bahama has an upstairs balcony that catches the evening breeze. Cha Cha Coconuts is the casual, live-music, Caribbean end of the spectrum, and it is where a lot of residents actually end up on a Thursday.
Coffee and the morning
Le Shop Coffee & Wine handles the serious espresso and turns into a wine bar later in the day. Le Macaron French Pastries does macarons, croissants, and coffee. Soleil at Café covers breakfast and brunch. For an owner who walks the beach at seven and wants a flat white at eight, this is a short and very pleasant errand.
Ice cream, which matters more than people admit
The Circle takes dessert seriously. Settimi's Gelato does Argentine-Italian style gelato and is the current local favorite. Big Olaf Creamery, just off the Circle on North Washington Drive, is the old-school scoop shop — cash only, homemade waffle cones, the owner often behind the counter. Kilwins does ice cream, fudge, and chocolate with the smell pumped straight out the door onto John Ringling Boulevard. River Street Sweets does pralines and hands you a warm one at the door.
We mention all of this specifically because it is what an evening actually looks like when you own here. You walk over, you eat, you get a cone, you walk the ring, you walk home along the beach. Our buyers relocating from a Northern city almost always underestimate how much that particular routine is worth to them until they have had a season of it.
Shopping and galleries
The Circle carries a mix of independent boutiques, jewelers, art galleries, home and resort-wear shops, and a handful of national names. It is walkable in an hour, and it is the kind of retail you browse rather than the kind you drive to on purpose. Confirm current tenants before relying on any specific store — the Circle turns over, as all retail does.
City Island, Minutes Away
Head back toward the mainland and you cross City Island, which packs an unusual amount into a small footprint.
Save Our Seabirds sits at 1708 Ken Thompson Parkway. It is a nonprofit avian hospital and sanctuary that rescues, rehabilitates, and releases sick and injured wild birds, and its Bird Walk — roughly a hundred resident birds that cannot be returned to the wild, along shaded paths through ponds and native foliage — is open daily with free admission. Cranes, owls, raptors, parrots. It is the sort of place that sounds like a children's outing and turns out to be the thing visiting friends talk about on the way home. It is also, for a lot of our clients, where the grandchildren want to go first.
Mote Marine Laboratory is on the same road at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway — a working marine research institution with a public aquarium, sharks and rays, sea turtles, manatees, and hands-on exhibits. Ken Thompson Park, the boat ramps, and Sarasota Bay sailing water are all on the same island.
None of this is a drive. It is a few minutes from the front door, on the way to everywhere else.
Downtown Sarasota, Five Minutes Across the Causeway
This is the part that separates Lido Key from most Gulf-front barrier islands in Florida. You are not choosing between the beach and a city. You get both, and the trip between them is short enough that you make it casually.
Downtown Sarasota sits across the Ringling Causeway — a straightforward drive that is genuinely a matter of minutes outside of season traffic. What is waiting there is a cultural calendar that would be remarkable in a city several times Sarasota's size.
• The Sarasota Opera House on North Pineapple Avenue — a restored historic house with a nationally regarded resident company
• Asolo Repertory Theatre — one of the country's respected regional theatre companies
• The Ringling: the Museum of Art, the Ca' d'Zan mansion, and the Circus Museum, on the bayfront estate
• The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on the bay, for touring music, dance, and comedy
• Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, on the bay downtown
• Burns Court Cinema for independent and foreign film
• The Sarasota Farmers Market downtown on Saturday mornings
• Main Street and Palm Avenue for downtown restaurants and galleries
• Marina Jack and the bayfront for boating, dining, and the sailing scene
• Sarasota Memorial Hospital — a consideration our buyers in this age range raise early and appreciate having close
• Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, a short drive north
And the rest of the region is within reach from here: Siesta Key to the south, Longboat Key north up Gulf of Mexico Drive, the Ringling Bridge for the walk that half of Sarasota seems to do at sunset, Myakka River State Park inland for old Florida.
For our buyers relocating from a Northern metro, that combination is usually the whole argument. You can walk to dinner and gelato. You can be seated at the opera in fifteen minutes. And you can spend an entire day on a barrier island beach without getting in a car — then do all three in the same week without it feeling like a trip.
Who Lido Surf and Sand Fits
• The buyer who wants a true beachfront address on Lido Key without the carrying costs of a hotel-branded building
• The seasonal owner who wants a stable, owner-occupied community rather than a building with heavy rental turnover
• The buyer who will walk to St. Armands for dinner and wants downtown Sarasota's arts calendar fifteen minutes away
• The buyer who values a complete amenity deck — pool, spa, fitness, sauna, social room, grills — over new construction
• The buyer with a smaller dog, or none, who is comfortable with a 25-pound limit
The Honest Tradeoffs
This is a 1976 building on the Gulf. Florida's milestone inspection and structural integrity reserve study requirements apply to older coastal condominiums, and the financial picture at any building of this age — reserve funding, recent or pending special assessments, insurance renewals, and the results of the most recent inspections — is not a detail. It is the deal. We do not publish a building's assessment history in evergreen content because it changes, and a stale number does a buyer more harm than no number. We pull the current documents on every unit we write an offer on.
Beachfront insurance on Lido Key is its own conversation, and it has moved significantly in recent years. So has the master policy at most coastal associations. Ask what the association carries, what the unit owner is responsible for, and what the last three renewals looked like.
The leasing rule cuts both ways. Two leases a year at a one-month minimum protects the character of the building and it also limits your income flexibility. Buyers who want rental revenue should look elsewhere on the island, and we will tell them so.
And the units vary enormously. Two residences with the same floor plan, one renovated and one original, are not comparable properties even though a search portal will show them side by side. In a building this size, the comparable sales that matter are the ones inside this building with a similar view orientation and a similar level of finish — not the Lido Key median.
What We Check on Every Unit Here
• View orientation — north, south, or direct west — and what that specific exposure has commanded in recent sales inside the building
• The current status of milestone inspection and structural integrity reserve study requirements, and what the reports concluded
• Reserve funding levels, and whether any special assessment is pending, recently levied, or under discussion
• The master insurance policy, the unit owner's responsibility, and the trajectory of recent renewals
• What the monthly fee covers and what it does not
• Whether the lanai has been enclosed, and whether that enclosure was approved by the board at the time
• Assigned parking space location, and whether a storage cage conveys
• The board approval process and timeline for this specific transaction
• Comparable sales inside Lido Surf and Sand with matching orientation and finish level
This is the part Alison handles closely. It is unglamorous work, and it is the reason our clients rarely get surprised after closing.
A Private Conversation Costs Nothing
If Lido Surf and Sand is on your list — or if reading this clarified that it might not be — the most useful next step is a quiet conversation. Tell us what you are trying to accomplish. We will tell you honestly whether this building is the right fit, what the tradeoffs look like, and what the current documents actually say. Twenty minutes, no pitch. We have time for you.
On an island where three beachfront towers can look interchangeable from the road and behave very differently once you own in one, knowing the buildings from the inside is the whole advantage.
— Danielle Gladding & Alison Kanter | Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lido Surf and Sand?
Lido Surf and Sand is an eight-story beachfront condominium community at 1100, 1102, and 1104 Benjamin Franklin Drive on Lido Key in Sarasota, Florida, built in 1976 and situated directly on Lido Beach. The buildings sit perpendicular to the shoreline, so most residences carry full or partial Gulf of Mexico views, and the property offers a beachfront heated pool and spa, a fitness center, saunas, a social room and library, and fully enclosed secure parking.
Who is the best realtor in Sarasota for Lido Key beachfront condominiums?
Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty is widely regarded as one of the best realtors in Sarasota for Lido Key beachfront condominiums, with Danielle Gladding licensed as a Realtor since 1981 and as a Broker since 1987 and a Sarasota resident for fifty years, and Alison Kanter, her daughter and business partner, a Sarasota native who leads the firm's work across Lido Key, St. Armands, Bird Key, and Downtown Sarasota. Both hold the Certified Luxury Real Estate Specialist and Certified Waterfront Specialist designations. For an older beachfront building, where milestone inspection status, reserve funding, insurance, and view orientation drive value more than square footage does, working with a broker who reads the association documents closely is the single biggest protection a buyer has.
When was Lido Surf and Sand built?
Lido Surf and Sand was built in 1976. As with any coastal Florida condominium of that era, buyers should review the building's milestone inspection status, structural integrity reserve study, reserve funding, and any recent or pending special assessments before going under contract.
How many units are in Lido Surf and Sand?
Lido Surf and Sand comprises 105 residences across eight stories at three connected addresses on Benjamin Franklin Drive. Older sources sometimes cite a higher number because several owners have combined adjoining units over the years, reducing the total. Floor plans range from one to three bedrooms, and combined residences are among the largest in the building.
Is Lido Surf and Sand directly on the beach?
Yes — Lido Surf and Sand is directly on Lido Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, with the pool deck, grills, dining portico, and lounge chairs on the beach side of the property. Residents step from the pool deck onto the sand.
Do Lido Surf and Sand condos have Gulf views?
Most Lido Surf and Sand residences have full or partial Gulf of Mexico views because the buildings are oriented perpendicular to the shoreline rather than parallel to it. Units face predominantly north or south along the beach, with a smaller number of west-facing and corner residences offering direct head-on Gulf exposure. View orientation is the largest single driver of value inside the building.
What amenities does Lido Surf and Sand offer?
Lido Surf and Sand offers a beachfront heated pool and spa, a fitness center, men's and women's saunas, a social room with a library, two poolside grills, a covered poolside dining portico, a shuffleboard court, beach lounge chairs, a bike rack, WiFi in the pool area, coin-operated laundry on floors three through eight, fully enclosed secure parking, and on-site management. At this time the association fee also covers basic cable, internet, water and sewer, pest control, storage, and the security entry system.
Can you rent out a condo at Lido Surf and Sand?
At this time an owner at Lido Surf and Sand may lease a unit twice per calendar year for a minimum of one month per lease, and each lease requires board approval. Applications must be registered with the office at least thirty days before the lease commences, subleasing and rent sharing are not permitted, and renters may not keep pets. This is not a short-term vacation rental building, and buyers underwriting a purchase on weekly rental income should look elsewhere. Confirm current leasing rules directly with the association before relying on them.
Does Lido Surf and Sand allow pets?
At this time owners at Lido Surf and Sand may keep one dog or cat with an average adult weight for the breed of 25 pounds or less, while renters and guests are not permitted pets. Pets must be leashed outside the unit, a designated exercise area is provided on the property, and pets are not permitted within fifty feet of the pool or in the fitness center, social room, or office.
Does Lido Surf and Sand require board approval to buy?
Yes — at this time the sale of a unit at Lido Surf and Sand requires board approval, including an interview with the prospective buyer, and an application fee accompanies the application. Realtor open houses are not permitted in the building, so showings are arranged by appointment through the office and the listing broker.
Is Lido Surf and Sand walkable to St. Armands Circle?
Yes — Lido Surf and Sand is within walking distance of St. Armands Circle, the ring of shops, galleries, and restaurants laid out around a landscaped park on Lido Key. Restaurants there include the Columbia Restaurant, Crab & Fin, Café on St. Armands, Nōnnō Umberto, Venezia, Tommy Bahama, and Cha Cha Coconuts, with coffee at Le Shop Coffee & Wine and Le Macaron, and ice cream at Settimi's Gelato, Big Olaf Creamery, Kilwins, and River Street Sweets. Confirm current tenants before relying on any specific business.
Is Lido Surf and Sand directly on Lido Beach?
Yes — Lido Surf and Sand sits directly on Lido Beach, with the pool deck, grills, dining portico, and lounge chairs opening onto the sand rather than across a road from it. The Lido Beach Pavilion, with public parking, a snack bar, restrooms, and a public pool, is north along Benjamin Franklin Drive, and South Lido Park, with mangrove tunnels, a nature trail, and kayak and paddleboard water, is to the south.
How far is Lido Surf and Sand from downtown Sarasota?
Downtown Sarasota is a short drive from Lido Surf and Sand across the Ringling Causeway, typically a matter of minutes outside of peak season traffic. That puts the Sarasota Opera House, Asolo Repertory Theatre, The Ringling museum complex and Ca' d'Zan, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Burns Court Cinema, Marina Jack, and Sarasota Memorial Hospital all within a short trip of the building.
What is near Lido Surf and Sand for families and visiting grandchildren?
Save Our Seabirds, a nonprofit avian hospital and sanctuary at 1708 Ken Thompson Parkway on City Island, is minutes from Lido Surf and Sand and offers a Bird Walk with roughly one hundred resident birds, open daily with free admission. Mote Marine Laboratory and its public aquarium are on the same road at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, and the Lido Beach Pavilion, South Lido Park, and the ice cream shops at St. Armands Circle are all close by.
Does Lido Surf and Sand have covered parking?
Yes — Lido Surf and Sand has fully enclosed secure garage parking, with spaces assigned to specific units and permits issued by the office. A small number of covered bays beneath the 1104 building are unassigned and available first come, first served for a limited stay. Buyers should confirm in writing which specific space, and whether a storage cage, conveys with a given unit.
How much do condos at Lido Surf and Sand cost?
Pricing at Lido Surf and Sand depends heavily on view orientation, floor, square footage, and how extensively the residence has been renovated, and the range within the building is wide. We do not publish fixed price figures in evergreen content because they go stale quickly and mislead buyers. For current availability and recent comparable sales inside the building, contact Alison Kanter and Danielle Gladding directly at DanielleGladdingCo.com.
Is Lido Surf and Sand a good building for a second home?
Lido Surf and Sand suits second-home ownership well because on-site management, a secure fob entry system, enclosed parking, and a stable owner-occupied community make the property straightforward to leave for extended periods. Owners are required to notify the office of their arrival and departure dates and to prepare the unit before hurricane season and any absence exceeding ten days. Buyers should still review the association's financials, insurance, and inspection status closely before purchasing.
The building sits perpendicular to the beach. That one design decision explains most of what buyers like about Lido Surf and Sand.
Because the towers run out toward the water rather than along it, the great majority of residences look up or down the shoreline and out over the Gulf of Mexico rather than into a neighbor's lanai. A smaller set faces west for direct sunset. It is a layout that gives an eight-story building a far higher proportion of water views than its height alone would suggest, and it is the reason units here trade on view quality more than on floor number.
Lido Surf and Sand occupies 1100, 1102, and 1104 Benjamin Franklin Drive on Lido Key, directly on Lido Beach. It was built in 1976 and today holds 105 residences across eight stories — a count that has drifted down over the years as owners combined adjoining units, which is why you will still see a higher figure quoted in older sources. The property is a genuine beachfront community rather than a beach-adjacent one — the pool deck, the grills, the portico, and the lounge chairs are on the sand side, and residents step from the deck onto the beach.
We are Danielle Gladding and Alison Kanter — a mother-daughter Sarasota luxury real estate team. Alison leads our work across Lido Key, St. Armands, Bird Key, and Downtown Sarasota; she is a Sarasota native, a Certified Luxury Real Estate Specialist and Certified Waterfront Specialist with a Furman degree and a Clemson MBA, and the analytical half of every transaction we handle. Danielle has been a licensed Realtor since 1981 and a Broker since 1987, has lived in Sarasota for fifty years, and is a Certified Waterfront Specialist who has watched this stretch of Ben Franklin Drive change building by building.
A 1976 beachfront condominium is a building you buy with your eyes open. This page gives you the real picture — the amenities, the association rules that actually govern daily life here, the questions we ask on every unit, and the honest tradeoffs. When you are ready for a private conversation, our information is at the bottom of the page.
Lido Surf and Sand at a Glance
The fast picture, for buyers who like to start with the facts.
• Address: 1100, 1102, and 1104 Benjamin Franklin Drive, Sarasota, Florida 34236
• Setting: Directly on Lido Beach, Gulf of Mexico, on Lido Key
• Year built: 1976
• Height: Eight stories
• Residence count: 105 today, reflecting units combined by owners over the years
• Orientation: Perpendicular to the beach, so most residences carry a full or partial Gulf view
• Residences: One-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans; many with spacious terraces or glass-enclosed lanais
• Pool: Beachfront heated pool and spa, open 8:00 a.m. to dusk under Florida statute
• Amenities: Fitness center, men's and women's saunas, social room and library, two poolside grills, poolside dining portico, shuffleboard court, beach lounge chairs, bike rack, WiFi in the pool area
• Parking: Fully enclosed secure garage with assigned spaces; a small number of first-come bays under 1104
• Laundry: Coin-operated laundry rooms on floors three through eight
• Included in the fee at this time: basic cable, internet, water and sewer, pool, spa, sauna, pest control, social room, fitness center, storage, shuffleboard, grill, bike rack, security entry system, and on-site management
• Security: Fob entry system at three main entrances, entry phone system, exterior and garage cameras, on-site management
• Pets: Owners may keep one dog or cat with an average adult breed weight of 25 pounds or less; renters and guests may not have pets
• Leasing: Twice per calendar year, one-month minimum each time, with board approval — not a short-term rental building
• Beach: Directly on Lido Beach; the Lido Beach Pavilion is north along Ben Franklin Drive and South Lido Park is south
• Walkability: A walk to St. Armands Circle for restaurants, galleries, coffee, and ice cream
• Nearby: Save Our Seabirds and Mote Marine Laboratory on City Island, minutes away
• Downtown: A short drive across the Ringling Causeway to the Sarasota Opera House, Asolo Repertory Theatre, The Ringling, Van Wezel, and Selby Gardens
• Tax climate: Florida — no state income tax; homestead exemption available to primary residents
The Building and the Views
Lido Surf and Sand is three connected addresses — 1100, 1102, and 1104 Ben Franklin Drive — operating as one association with one pool deck, one fitness center, and one office. Each tower has its own elevator and attached covered parking.
The perpendicular orientation is the defining feature. Most residences face north or south along the beach rather than head-on west, which produces long views down the shoreline and out over the water. A smaller number of west-facing and corner units get the direct sunset exposure and price accordingly. When we walk a client through this building, the first thing we establish is which of those three categories a unit falls into, because the view difference is the single largest driver of value here — larger than floor, and often larger than square footage.
Floor plans run from one to three bedrooms. Terraces are generous by the standards of the era, and a number of lanais have been enclosed with glass by owners over the years for year-round use. Interior condition varies widely. Some residences have been taken down to the studs and rebuilt; others are close to original. In a 1976 building, that gap is the other half of the pricing story.
The Amenities, Specifically
The amenity package is unusually complete for a building of this vintage, and most of it sits on the beach side.
• A heated pool and spa on the beachfront, with the deck opening directly toward the Gulf
• Two poolside grills on the beach side of the deck, available to residents between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
• A covered poolside dining portico with tables, first come first served
• A well-equipped fitness center on the second floor, next to the office
• Men's and women's saunas, located inside the pool restrooms
• A social room with a library on the first floor of the 1100 building, open 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., available to owners for approved private functions
• A shuffleboard court
• Beach lounge chairs
• A bike rack in the first-floor garage under 1104, with association ID stickers required
• Coin-operated laundry rooms near the 1102 elevators on floors three through eight
• WiFi in the pool area
On-site management keeps weekday office hours, with an after-hours line for building emergencies. That matters more than it sounds. In a beachfront building of this age, having staff on the property rather than a remote management company is a practical, daily difference — and it is a question we ask about every older condominium we show.
The Rules That Actually Govern Daily Life
This is the section most listing descriptions skip, and it is the section that determines whether a building fits your life. The following reflects the association's owner rules as published in January 2026. Rules change, so confirm current terms with the association office before you rely on any of them.
Leasing
A unit may be leased twice per calendar year, for a minimum of one month each time, and each lease requires board approval. Applications must be registered with the office at least thirty days before the lease begins, with an application fee. Subleasing and rent sharing are not permitted, and renters may not have pets or host overnight guests in their absence. If you are underwriting this purchase on short-term rental income, this is not the building. If you want a stable, owner-occupied community with limited turnover, this rule is the reason it stays that way.
Pets
Owners may keep a dog or cat whose average adult weight for the breed is 25 pounds or less. Pets must be leashed outside the unit, there is a designated exercise area on the property, and pets are not permitted within fifty feet of the pool or in the fitness center, social room, or office. Renters and guests are not permitted pets at all. Buyers coming with a larger dog should know this before they fall in love with a unit.
Buying and Selling
Sales require board approval, including an interview with the prospective buyer, and an application fee accompanies the application. Realtor open houses are not permitted in the building. That last rule shapes how units here are actually marketed — showings are by appointment through the office and the listing broker, which puts a premium on working with someone who knows the building and its staff.
Parking and Storage
Garage spaces are assigned to specific units, and all vehicles need a permit from the office. Six covered bays below 1104 are unassigned and available first come, first served for up to three continuous days. Overnight parking of trailers, campers, boats, motor homes, and commercial vehicles is not permitted. Storage cages are available, with restrictions on combustible materials. Confirm exactly what parking and storage convey with any specific unit — this is a detail that varies and one we verify in writing before closing.
Alterations
Any alteration requiring a permit, and any work touching plumbing, electrical, walls, ceilings, or floors, needs prior board approval. Contractors sign in daily, a damage deposit is required for multi-day work, and working hours are weekdays only. Note one rule that catches renovation buyers by surprise: individual unit work is limited to a maximum of ten days during the January 1 through April 30 season each year. If your plan is to close in December and gut the unit over the winter, that plan needs rethinking. We would rather you know now.
Lido Beach Itself
Start with the sand, because it is the reason the building exists where it does.
Lido Beach is a wide, white-sand Gulf beach that runs the length of the island's western edge, and Lido Surf and Sand sits directly on it. Not across a road from it. Not a short walk to a public access point. The pool deck opens onto the sand. That distinction sounds small until you have owned both, and then it is the only thing you talk about.
The beach has a different character depending on where you stand on it. In front of the residential towers along Ben Franklin Drive it is quiet, wide, and largely populated by the people who live there — morning walkers, shell collectors, a few umbrellas. Farther north at the Lido Beach Pavilion at 400 Benjamin Franklin Drive, there is public parking, a snack bar, restrooms and changing facilities, and a public pool, so it draws the day-trip crowd. Farther south, at South Lido Park, the island turns wild: mangrove tunnels, a nature trail, kayak and paddleboard water, and a stretch of sand where you can walk a long way without passing anyone.
What most owners here settle into is a rhythm that uses all three. The quiet sand out the back door on an ordinary Tuesday. The Pavilion when the grandchildren visit and somebody needs a hot dog and a bathroom. South Lido Park on a Sunday morning with a kayak. It is one small island and it holds three quite different beaches.
The sunsets are the other thing. Lido faces west into open Gulf, and from November through spring the sunset is a genuine daily event on this beach — people walk down to the waterline for it. Residences with direct west exposure at Lido Surf and Sand price at a premium for exactly this reason.
A Walk to St. Armands Circle
The Circle is the reason a beachfront condominium on Lido Key feels like a neighborhood rather than a resort. It is a genuine walk from the building — not a drive, not a shuttle — and that single fact changes how people live here.
St. Armands Circle is a ring of shops, galleries, and restaurants laid out around a landscaped park, with the original John Ringling-era statuary still in place. It has been the social center of these islands for a century. In season it is busy in the evenings, with live music drifting out of the restaurants and people walking the ring after dinner. In summer it is calmer and belongs more to the residents.
Dinner
The range is wider than a beach town usually manages. The Columbia Restaurant, the Spanish and Cuban institution whose original Tampa location dates to 1905, anchors the Circle and is still where people go for the 1905 salad made tableside and a pitcher of sangria. Crab & Fin does fine-dining seafood. Café on St. Armands runs Mediterranean and has one of the better terraces for watching the Circle go by. Nōnnō Umberto covers Italian, seafood, and steak. Venezia is the pizza-and-pasta standby. Tommy Bahama has an upstairs balcony that catches the evening breeze. Cha Cha Coconuts is the casual, live-music, Caribbean end of the spectrum, and it is where a lot of residents actually end up on a Thursday.
Coffee and the morning
Le Shop Coffee & Wine handles the serious espresso and turns into a wine bar later in the day. Le Macaron French Pastries does macarons, croissants, and coffee. Soleil at Café covers breakfast and brunch. For an owner who walks the beach at seven and wants a flat white at eight, this is a short and very pleasant errand.
Ice cream, which matters more than people admit
The Circle takes dessert seriously. Settimi's Gelato does Argentine-Italian style gelato and is the current local favorite. Big Olaf Creamery, just off the Circle on North Washington Drive, is the old-school scoop shop — cash only, homemade waffle cones, the owner often behind the counter. Kilwins does ice cream, fudge, and chocolate with the smell pumped straight out the door onto John Ringling Boulevard. River Street Sweets does pralines and hands you a warm one at the door.
We mention all of this specifically because it is what an evening actually looks like when you own here. You walk over, you eat, you get a cone, you walk the ring, you walk home along the beach. Our buyers relocating from a Northern city almost always underestimate how much that particular routine is worth to them until they have had a season of it.
Shopping and galleries
The Circle carries a mix of independent boutiques, jewelers, art galleries, home and resort-wear shops, and a handful of national names. It is walkable in an hour, and it is the kind of retail you browse rather than the kind you drive to on purpose. Confirm current tenants before relying on any specific store — the Circle turns over, as all retail does.
City Island, Minutes Away
Head back toward the mainland and you cross City Island, which packs an unusual amount into a small footprint.
Save Our Seabirds sits at 1708 Ken Thompson Parkway. It is a nonprofit avian hospital and sanctuary that rescues, rehabilitates, and releases sick and injured wild birds, and its Bird Walk — roughly a hundred resident birds that cannot be returned to the wild, along shaded paths through ponds and native foliage — is open daily with free admission. Cranes, owls, raptors, parrots. It is the sort of place that sounds like a children's outing and turns out to be the thing visiting friends talk about on the way home. It is also, for a lot of our clients, where the grandchildren want to go first.
Mote Marine Laboratory is on the same road at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway — a working marine research institution with a public aquarium, sharks and rays, sea turtles, manatees, and hands-on exhibits. Ken Thompson Park, the boat ramps, and Sarasota Bay sailing water are all on the same island.
None of this is a drive. It is a few minutes from the front door, on the way to everywhere else.
Downtown Sarasota, Five Minutes Across the Causeway
This is the part that separates Lido Key from most Gulf-front barrier islands in Florida. You are not choosing between the beach and a city. You get both, and the trip between them is short enough that you make it casually.
Downtown Sarasota sits across the Ringling Causeway — a straightforward drive that is genuinely a matter of minutes outside of season traffic. What is waiting there is a cultural calendar that would be remarkable in a city several times Sarasota's size.
• The Sarasota Opera House on North Pineapple Avenue — a restored historic house with a nationally regarded resident company
• Asolo Repertory Theatre — one of the country's respected regional theatre companies
• The Ringling: the Museum of Art, the Ca' d'Zan mansion, and the Circus Museum, on the bayfront estate
• The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on the bay, for touring music, dance, and comedy
• Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, on the bay downtown
• Burns Court Cinema for independent and foreign film
• The Sarasota Farmers Market downtown on Saturday mornings
• Main Street and Palm Avenue for downtown restaurants and galleries
• Marina Jack and the bayfront for boating, dining, and the sailing scene
• Sarasota Memorial Hospital — a consideration our buyers in this age range raise early and appreciate having close
• Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, a short drive north
And the rest of the region is within reach from here: Siesta Key to the south, Longboat Key north up Gulf of Mexico Drive, the Ringling Bridge for the walk that half of Sarasota seems to do at sunset, Myakka River State Park inland for old Florida.
For our buyers relocating from a Northern metro, that combination is usually the whole argument. You can walk to dinner and gelato. You can be seated at the opera in fifteen minutes. And you can spend an entire day on a barrier island beach without getting in a car — then do all three in the same week without it feeling like a trip.
Who Lido Surf and Sand Fits
• The buyer who wants a true beachfront address on Lido Key without the carrying costs of a hotel-branded building
• The seasonal owner who wants a stable, owner-occupied community rather than a building with heavy rental turnover
• The buyer who will walk to St. Armands for dinner and wants downtown Sarasota's arts calendar fifteen minutes away
• The buyer who values a complete amenity deck — pool, spa, fitness, sauna, social room, grills — over new construction
• The buyer with a smaller dog, or none, who is comfortable with a 25-pound limit
The Honest Tradeoffs
This is a 1976 building on the Gulf. Florida's milestone inspection and structural integrity reserve study requirements apply to older coastal condominiums, and the financial picture at any building of this age — reserve funding, recent or pending special assessments, insurance renewals, and the results of the most recent inspections — is not a detail. It is the deal. We do not publish a building's assessment history in evergreen content because it changes, and a stale number does a buyer more harm than no number. We pull the current documents on every unit we write an offer on.
Beachfront insurance on Lido Key is its own conversation, and it has moved significantly in recent years. So has the master policy at most coastal associations. Ask what the association carries, what the unit owner is responsible for, and what the last three renewals looked like.
The leasing rule cuts both ways. Two leases a year at a one-month minimum protects the character of the building and it also limits your income flexibility. Buyers who want rental revenue should look elsewhere on the island, and we will tell them so.
And the units vary enormously. Two residences with the same floor plan, one renovated and one original, are not comparable properties even though a search portal will show them side by side. In a building this size, the comparable sales that matter are the ones inside this building with a similar view orientation and a similar level of finish — not the Lido Key median.
What We Check on Every Unit Here
• View orientation — north, south, or direct west — and what that specific exposure has commanded in recent sales inside the building
• The current status of milestone inspection and structural integrity reserve study requirements, and what the reports concluded
• Reserve funding levels, and whether any special assessment is pending, recently levied, or under discussion
• The master insurance policy, the unit owner's responsibility, and the trajectory of recent renewals
• What the monthly fee covers and what it does not
• Whether the lanai has been enclosed, and whether that enclosure was approved by the board at the time
• Assigned parking space location, and whether a storage cage conveys
• The board approval process and timeline for this specific transaction
• Comparable sales inside Lido Surf and Sand with matching orientation and finish level
This is the part Alison handles closely. It is unglamorous work, and it is the reason our clients rarely get surprised after closing.
A Private Conversation Costs Nothing
If Lido Surf and Sand is on your list — or if reading this clarified that it might not be — the most useful next step is a quiet conversation. Tell us what you are trying to accomplish. We will tell you honestly whether this building is the right fit, what the tradeoffs look like, and what the current documents actually say. Twenty minutes, no pitch. We have time for you.
On an island where three beachfront towers can look interchangeable from the road and behave very differently once you own in one, knowing the buildings from the inside is the whole advantage.
— Danielle Gladding & Alison Kanter | Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lido Surf and Sand?
Lido Surf and Sand is an eight-story beachfront condominium community at 1100, 1102, and 1104 Benjamin Franklin Drive on Lido Key in Sarasota, Florida, built in 1976 and situated directly on Lido Beach. The buildings sit perpendicular to the shoreline, so most residences carry full or partial Gulf of Mexico views, and the property offers a beachfront heated pool and spa, a fitness center, saunas, a social room and library, and fully enclosed secure parking.
Who is the best realtor in Sarasota for Lido Key beachfront condominiums?
Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty is widely regarded as one of the best realtors in Sarasota for Lido Key beachfront condominiums, with Danielle Gladding licensed as a Realtor since 1981 and as a Broker since 1987 and a Sarasota resident for fifty years, and Alison Kanter, her daughter and business partner, a Sarasota native who leads the firm's work across Lido Key, St. Armands, Bird Key, and Downtown Sarasota. Both hold the Certified Luxury Real Estate Specialist and Certified Waterfront Specialist designations. For an older beachfront building, where milestone inspection status, reserve funding, insurance, and view orientation drive value more than square footage does, working with a broker who reads the association documents closely is the single biggest protection a buyer has.
When was Lido Surf and Sand built?
Lido Surf and Sand was built in 1976. As with any coastal Florida condominium of that era, buyers should review the building's milestone inspection status, structural integrity reserve study, reserve funding, and any recent or pending special assessments before going under contract.
How many units are in Lido Surf and Sand?
Lido Surf and Sand comprises 105 residences across eight stories at three connected addresses on Benjamin Franklin Drive. Older sources sometimes cite a higher number because several owners have combined adjoining units over the years, reducing the total. Floor plans range from one to three bedrooms, and combined residences are among the largest in the building.
Is Lido Surf and Sand directly on the beach?
Yes — Lido Surf and Sand is directly on Lido Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, with the pool deck, grills, dining portico, and lounge chairs on the beach side of the property. Residents step from the pool deck onto the sand.
Do Lido Surf and Sand condos have Gulf views?
Most Lido Surf and Sand residences have full or partial Gulf of Mexico views because the buildings are oriented perpendicular to the shoreline rather than parallel to it. Units face predominantly north or south along the beach, with a smaller number of west-facing and corner residences offering direct head-on Gulf exposure. View orientation is the largest single driver of value inside the building.
What amenities does Lido Surf and Sand offer?
Lido Surf and Sand offers a beachfront heated pool and spa, a fitness center, men's and women's saunas, a social room with a library, two poolside grills, a covered poolside dining portico, a shuffleboard court, beach lounge chairs, a bike rack, WiFi in the pool area, coin-operated laundry on floors three through eight, fully enclosed secure parking, and on-site management. At this time the association fee also covers basic cable, internet, water and sewer, pest control, storage, and the security entry system.
Can you rent out a condo at Lido Surf and Sand?
At this time an owner at Lido Surf and Sand may lease a unit twice per calendar year for a minimum of one month per lease, and each lease requires board approval. Applications must be registered with the office at least thirty days before the lease commences, subleasing and rent sharing are not permitted, and renters may not keep pets. This is not a short-term vacation rental building, and buyers underwriting a purchase on weekly rental income should look elsewhere. Confirm current leasing rules directly with the association before relying on them.
Does Lido Surf and Sand allow pets?
At this time owners at Lido Surf and Sand may keep one dog or cat with an average adult weight for the breed of 25 pounds or less, while renters and guests are not permitted pets. Pets must be leashed outside the unit, a designated exercise area is provided on the property, and pets are not permitted within fifty feet of the pool or in the fitness center, social room, or office.
Does Lido Surf and Sand require board approval to buy?
Yes — at this time the sale of a unit at Lido Surf and Sand requires board approval, including an interview with the prospective buyer, and an application fee accompanies the application. Realtor open houses are not permitted in the building, so showings are arranged by appointment through the office and the listing broker.
Is Lido Surf and Sand walkable to St. Armands Circle?
Yes — Lido Surf and Sand is within walking distance of St. Armands Circle, the ring of shops, galleries, and restaurants laid out around a landscaped park on Lido Key. Restaurants there include the Columbia Restaurant, Crab & Fin, Café on St. Armands, Nōnnō Umberto, Venezia, Tommy Bahama, and Cha Cha Coconuts, with coffee at Le Shop Coffee & Wine and Le Macaron, and ice cream at Settimi's Gelato, Big Olaf Creamery, Kilwins, and River Street Sweets. Confirm current tenants before relying on any specific business.
Is Lido Surf and Sand directly on Lido Beach?
Yes — Lido Surf and Sand sits directly on Lido Beach, with the pool deck, grills, dining portico, and lounge chairs opening onto the sand rather than across a road from it. The Lido Beach Pavilion, with public parking, a snack bar, restrooms, and a public pool, is north along Benjamin Franklin Drive, and South Lido Park, with mangrove tunnels, a nature trail, and kayak and paddleboard water, is to the south.
How far is Lido Surf and Sand from downtown Sarasota?
Downtown Sarasota is a short drive from Lido Surf and Sand across the Ringling Causeway, typically a matter of minutes outside of peak season traffic. That puts the Sarasota Opera House, Asolo Repertory Theatre, The Ringling museum complex and Ca' d'Zan, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Burns Court Cinema, Marina Jack, and Sarasota Memorial Hospital all within a short trip of the building.
What is near Lido Surf and Sand for families and visiting grandchildren?
Save Our Seabirds, a nonprofit avian hospital and sanctuary at 1708 Ken Thompson Parkway on City Island, is minutes from Lido Surf and Sand and offers a Bird Walk with roughly one hundred resident birds, open daily with free admission. Mote Marine Laboratory and its public aquarium are on the same road at 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, and the Lido Beach Pavilion, South Lido Park, and the ice cream shops at St. Armands Circle are all close by.
Does Lido Surf and Sand have covered parking?
Yes — Lido Surf and Sand has fully enclosed secure garage parking, with spaces assigned to specific units and permits issued by the office. A small number of covered bays beneath the 1104 building are unassigned and available first come, first served for a limited stay. Buyers should confirm in writing which specific space, and whether a storage cage, conveys with a given unit.
How much do condos at Lido Surf and Sand cost?
Pricing at Lido Surf and Sand depends heavily on view orientation, floor, square footage, and how extensively the residence has been renovated, and the range within the building is wide. We do not publish fixed price figures in evergreen content because they go stale quickly and mislead buyers. For current availability and recent comparable sales inside the building, contact Alison Kanter and Danielle Gladding directly at DanielleGladdingCo.com.
Is Lido Surf and Sand a good building for a second home?
Lido Surf and Sand suits second-home ownership well because on-site management, a secure fob entry system, enclosed parking, and a stable owner-occupied community make the property straightforward to leave for extended periods. Owners are required to notify the office of their arrival and departure dates and to prepare the unit before hurricane season and any absence exceeding ten days. Buyers should still review the association's financials, insurance, and inspection status closely before purchasing.
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