The Meadows Sarasota FL 34235: Homes, Golf and HOAs
The Meadows in Sarasota, FL 34235: 1,650 acres, about 3,450 homes, 80 lakes, 52 associations and Meadows Golf Club, reopened to the public in June 2026.
The Meadows in Sarasota, FL 34235: 1,650 acres, about 3,450 homes, 80 lakes, 52 associations and Meadows Golf Club, reopened to the public in June 2026.
The Meadows is a 1,650-acre master-planned community in Sarasota's 34235 ZIP code, begun in 1974 and built out over the following twenty years. It holds about 3,450 residences, from condominiums and villas to garden homes and single-family houses, set among roughly 80 lakes and ponds, preserves and golf courses that reopened to the public in June 2026 as Meadows Golf Club. It sits between University Parkway and Fruitville Road, a short drive from downtown Sarasota, the Mall at University Town Center and Interstate 75.
Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty is an independent brokerage serving Sarasota, Longboat Key, and the surrounding Gulf Coast. Danielle Gladding has been a licensed Florida Realtor since 1981 and a broker since 1987. Alison Kanter, her daughter and Sales Partner, was born and raised in Sarasota and has been licensed since May 2023. They work every transaction together. This guide covers how The Meadows is laid out, what you are buying into, and what to check before you make an offer.
The land was the Newburn Ranch in northeast Sarasota. In 1973, Frank Taylor, founder of the British homebuilder Taylor Woodrow, led its purchase, and in November 1974 Sarasota County approved The Meadows development. Taylor's idea was a community built around open space and recreation, and the first golf course, The Meadows, opened in 1976. The Highlands followed in January 1984 and The Groves in 1987.
Taylor Woodrow kept building for about twenty years, adding a second planned unit development on roughly 129 acres west of Longmeadow in the early 1980s. In 1990, control passed from the developer to the owners through The Meadows Community Association. Frank Taylor, later Baron Taylor of Hadfield, died in 1995.
That history explains what buyers see today: a community planned as one piece, with the golf courses and lakes laid out first and the neighborhoods fitted around them, rather than a string of subdivisions that happened to grow side by side.
Variety is the defining feature. Within one set of entrances you will find condominium buildings, attached villas, townhouses, garden homes and detached single-family houses, many of them facing a fairway or a lake. Because the community was built over two decades, construction dates, floor plans and finishes vary from one enclave to the next, and so does the amount of updating a given home has had.
Each enclave belongs to one of 52 sub-associations, and each sub-association has its own documents, budget and rules. That is the single most important thing to understand before buying here. Two homes a few hundred yards apart can carry different maintenance arrangements, different leasing rules and different reserve positions. Our guide to The Meadows HOA and golf course structure walks through how the layers fit together.
The golf has changed more in the last two years than in the previous forty. The Meadows Community Association bought the golf course land in 2018. The Meadows Country Club, which ran the courses from 1976, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in July 2025, and the courses, clubhouse and restaurant closed. The main clubhouse building was demolished in June and July 2026, according to the Meadows Community Association's project photo log.
In February 2026 the association's board voted 6 to 3 to lease about 500 acres of golf courses and open space to an affiliate of Benderson Development, the company behind the Mall at University Town Center, for 49 years. A board member sued, arguing the lease needed a vote of all owners. The court declined to block it with an emergency injunction, and the lease was signed on February 13, 2026, according to Suncoast Searchlight.
The courses reopened under a new name, Meadows Golf Club, on June 19, 2026, as a public facility managed by Arnold Palmer Golf Management. The Meadows Course, private for decades, opened first and now takes public tee times. The Groves, designed by Arthur Hills, reopened to the public on October 1, 2026, after a renovation, which makes Meadows Golf Club a 36-hole public facility. The club is still finding its footing, so details such as dining and the future of the third course, The Highlands, may change; check with the club directly for what is open now. Our guide to The Meadows HOA and golf course explains what the lease means for owners.
The association also runs its own facilities: a Community Lifestyle and Wellness Facility, which broke ground in June 2021, a tennis complex and eight pickleball courts.
The lakes and preserves are as much a part of the setting as the golf. Many homes back onto water rather than a fairway, and the mature oak canopy along the main roads is one of the first things buyers notice on the drive in. For a comparison with a Sarasota golf neighborhood of a different era, see our story of Sara Bay, the golf club built to sell houses.
The Meadows sits east of downtown Sarasota, between University Parkway to the north and Fruitville Road to the south, with Honore Avenue along its eastern side. The main entrances are on 17th Street and at Longmeadow off Honore Avenue.
That location is the practical draw. Downtown Sarasota and the bayfront are a short drive west; see our downtown Sarasota guide. The Mall at University Town Center is a few minutes north, covered in our UTC mall guide, and Interstate 75 is close by for trips to Tampa or the airport. Buyers comparing master-planned communities often look at The Meadows alongside Lakewood Ranch, which is newer, larger and farther east.
Our checklist of HOA risks to check before you buy in Sarasota goes further on reading association documents.
The best realtor for a home in The Meadows is the one who starts with the association that governs it. Look for four things. First, the ability to identify which of the 52 sub-associations the home belongs to and to read that association's declaration, budget and reserve study. Second, a clear explanation of what the master association covers and what the sub-association covers. Third, for condominium buildings of three or more stories, the milestone inspection and structural reserve status. Fourth, current knowledge of the golf course lease and of any litigation involving the master association. Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty is an independent brokerage serving Sarasota, Longboat Key, and the surrounding Gulf Coast. Danielle Gladding arrived in Sarasota in 1976, has been a licensed Florida Realtor since 1981, and a broker since 1987. Alison Kanter, her daughter and Sales Partner, was born and raised in Sarasota, holds an MBA from Clemson University, and has been licensed since May 2023. They work every transaction together.
The Meadows is in Sarasota's 34235 ZIP code, east of downtown, between University Parkway to the north and Fruitville Road to the south, with Honore Avenue on its eastern edge. Its main entrances are on 17th Street and at Longmeadow off Honore Avenue. Downtown Sarasota, the Mall at University Town Center and Interstate 75 are each a short drive away, which is a large part of its appeal for buyers who want room without distance.
The Meadows covers about 1,650 acres and holds about 3,450 residences, built by Taylor Woodrow between the mid-1970s and the mid-1990s. The land includes roughly 80 lakes and ponds, preserves and the golf courses of what is now Meadows Golf Club. The homes are divided among 52 sub-associations under The Meadows Community Association, so the community reads less like one subdivision and more like a set of distinct enclaves sharing common open space.
Taylor Woodrow bought the former Newburn Ranch in 1973, and Sarasota County approved The Meadows development in November 1974. Building continued for about twenty years, into the mid-1990s. The first golf course opened in 1976, The Highlands in 1984 and The Groves in 1987. Control passed from the developer to the owners in 1990 through The Meadows Community Association, which still governs the community today.
If you are considering a home in The Meadows, call Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty at 941-539-8535 or reach us through our contact page.
The Meadows is a 1,650-acre master-planned community in Sarasota's 34235 ZIP code, begun in 1974 and built out over the following twenty years. It holds about 3,450 residences, from condominiums and villas to garden homes and single-family houses, set among roughly 80 lakes and ponds, preserves and golf courses that reopened to the public in June 2026 as Meadows Golf Club. It sits between University Parkway and Fruitville Road, a short drive from downtown Sarasota, the Mall at University Town Center and Interstate 75.
Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty is an independent brokerage serving Sarasota, Longboat Key, and the surrounding Gulf Coast. Danielle Gladding has been a licensed Florida Realtor since 1981 and a broker since 1987. Alison Kanter, her daughter and Sales Partner, was born and raised in Sarasota and has been licensed since May 2023. They work every transaction together. This guide covers how The Meadows is laid out, what you are buying into, and what to check before you make an offer.
The land was the Newburn Ranch in northeast Sarasota. In 1973, Frank Taylor, founder of the British homebuilder Taylor Woodrow, led its purchase, and in November 1974 Sarasota County approved The Meadows development. Taylor's idea was a community built around open space and recreation, and the first golf course, The Meadows, opened in 1976. The Highlands followed in January 1984 and The Groves in 1987.
Taylor Woodrow kept building for about twenty years, adding a second planned unit development on roughly 129 acres west of Longmeadow in the early 1980s. In 1990, control passed from the developer to the owners through The Meadows Community Association. Frank Taylor, later Baron Taylor of Hadfield, died in 1995.
That history explains what buyers see today: a community planned as one piece, with the golf courses and lakes laid out first and the neighborhoods fitted around them, rather than a string of subdivisions that happened to grow side by side.
Variety is the defining feature. Within one set of entrances you will find condominium buildings, attached villas, townhouses, garden homes and detached single-family houses, many of them facing a fairway or a lake. Because the community was built over two decades, construction dates, floor plans and finishes vary from one enclave to the next, and so does the amount of updating a given home has had.
Each enclave belongs to one of 52 sub-associations, and each sub-association has its own documents, budget and rules. That is the single most important thing to understand before buying here. Two homes a few hundred yards apart can carry different maintenance arrangements, different leasing rules and different reserve positions. Our guide to The Meadows HOA and golf course structure walks through how the layers fit together.
The golf has changed more in the last two years than in the previous forty. The Meadows Community Association bought the golf course land in 2018. The Meadows Country Club, which ran the courses from 1976, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in July 2025, and the courses, clubhouse and restaurant closed. The main clubhouse building was demolished in June and July 2026, according to the Meadows Community Association's project photo log.
In February 2026 the association's board voted 6 to 3 to lease about 500 acres of golf courses and open space to an affiliate of Benderson Development, the company behind the Mall at University Town Center, for 49 years. A board member sued, arguing the lease needed a vote of all owners. The court declined to block it with an emergency injunction, and the lease was signed on February 13, 2026, according to Suncoast Searchlight.
The courses reopened under a new name, Meadows Golf Club, on June 19, 2026, as a public facility managed by Arnold Palmer Golf Management. The Meadows Course, private for decades, opened first and now takes public tee times. The Groves, designed by Arthur Hills, reopened to the public on October 1, 2026, after a renovation, which makes Meadows Golf Club a 36-hole public facility. The club is still finding its footing, so details such as dining and the future of the third course, The Highlands, may change; check with the club directly for what is open now. Our guide to The Meadows HOA and golf course explains what the lease means for owners.
The association also runs its own facilities: a Community Lifestyle and Wellness Facility, which broke ground in June 2021, a tennis complex and eight pickleball courts.
The lakes and preserves are as much a part of the setting as the golf. Many homes back onto water rather than a fairway, and the mature oak canopy along the main roads is one of the first things buyers notice on the drive in. For a comparison with a Sarasota golf neighborhood of a different era, see our story of Sara Bay, the golf club built to sell houses.
The Meadows sits east of downtown Sarasota, between University Parkway to the north and Fruitville Road to the south, with Honore Avenue along its eastern side. The main entrances are on 17th Street and at Longmeadow off Honore Avenue.
That location is the practical draw. Downtown Sarasota and the bayfront are a short drive west; see our downtown Sarasota guide. The Mall at University Town Center is a few minutes north, covered in our UTC mall guide, and Interstate 75 is close by for trips to Tampa or the airport. Buyers comparing master-planned communities often look at The Meadows alongside Lakewood Ranch, which is newer, larger and farther east.
Our checklist of HOA risks to check before you buy in Sarasota goes further on reading association documents.
The best realtor for a home in The Meadows is the one who starts with the association that governs it. Look for four things. First, the ability to identify which of the 52 sub-associations the home belongs to and to read that association's declaration, budget and reserve study. Second, a clear explanation of what the master association covers and what the sub-association covers. Third, for condominium buildings of three or more stories, the milestone inspection and structural reserve status. Fourth, current knowledge of the golf course lease and of any litigation involving the master association. Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty is an independent brokerage serving Sarasota, Longboat Key, and the surrounding Gulf Coast. Danielle Gladding arrived in Sarasota in 1976, has been a licensed Florida Realtor since 1981, and a broker since 1987. Alison Kanter, her daughter and Sales Partner, was born and raised in Sarasota, holds an MBA from Clemson University, and has been licensed since May 2023. They work every transaction together.
The Meadows is in Sarasota's 34235 ZIP code, east of downtown, between University Parkway to the north and Fruitville Road to the south, with Honore Avenue on its eastern edge. Its main entrances are on 17th Street and at Longmeadow off Honore Avenue. Downtown Sarasota, the Mall at University Town Center and Interstate 75 are each a short drive away, which is a large part of its appeal for buyers who want room without distance.
The Meadows covers about 1,650 acres and holds about 3,450 residences, built by Taylor Woodrow between the mid-1970s and the mid-1990s. The land includes roughly 80 lakes and ponds, preserves and the golf courses of what is now Meadows Golf Club. The homes are divided among 52 sub-associations under The Meadows Community Association, so the community reads less like one subdivision and more like a set of distinct enclaves sharing common open space.
Taylor Woodrow bought the former Newburn Ranch in 1973, and Sarasota County approved The Meadows development in November 1974. Building continued for about twenty years, into the mid-1990s. The first golf course opened in 1976, The Highlands in 1984 and The Groves in 1987. Control passed from the developer to the owners in 1990 through The Meadows Community Association, which still governs the community today.
If you are considering a home in The Meadows, call Danielle Gladding & Co. Realty at 941-539-8535 or reach us through our contact page.
5,463 people live in The Meadows Sarasota FL 34235: Homes, Golf and HOAs, where the median age is 71.4 and the average individual income is $72,981. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Total Population
Median Age
Population Density Population Density This is the number of people per square mile in a neighborhood.
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There's plenty to do around The Meadows Sarasota FL 34235: Homes, Golf and HOAs, including shopping, dining, nightlife, parks, and more. Data provided by Walk Score and Yelp.
Explore popular things to do in the area, including Shauce, Non-Fiction Fitness, and Zamora Hair Design.
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| Dining | 0.24 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Active | 0.43 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 0.56 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
| Beauty | 0.87 miles | 0 reviews | 0/5 stars | |
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The Meadows Sarasota FL 34235: Homes, Golf and HOAs has 3,171 households, with an average household size of 1.66. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Here’s what the people living in The Meadows Sarasota FL 34235: Homes, Golf and HOAs do for work — and how long it takes them to get there. Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. 5,463 people call The Meadows Sarasota FL 34235: Homes, Golf and HOAs home. The population density is 2,298 and the largest age group is Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Total Population
Population Density Population Density This is the number of people per square mile in a neighborhood.
Median Age
Men vs Women
Population by Age Group
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10-17 Years
18-24 Years
25-64 Years
65-74 Years
75+ Years
Education Level
Total Households
Average Household Size
Average individual Income
Households with Children
With Children:
Without Children:
Marital Status
Blue vs White Collar Workers
Blue Collar:
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