FREILUFT kitchens made to order in Germany, prepared for local review, and installed by Florida-licensed contractors.
01 Sarasota County
An outdoor kitchen in Sarasota County is planned around the Gulf and its keys: the permit office for your address, hurricane wind, flood zones and the setbacks on your lot.
02 Places
Four cities and towns have their own building departments; the rest of the county, from most of Siesta Key to Casey Key, Osprey, Nokomis and Englewood, is handled by Sarasota County. Our pages explain what that means for an outdoor kitchen. In North Port, the City issues the permits.
For ideas, see our built-in outdoor kitchens, the wood-fired grill, kitchens by the pool and the aluminum outdoor kitchen cabinets. Further south on the Gulf, see our Lee County and Collier County pages. Every kitchen is made by FREILUFT.
Kitchens for gardens on the bay and on Lido, St. Armands and Bird Key.
Kitchens for island gardens, planned for the beach setback line and storm surge.
Kitchens for gardens and terraces between the Gulf and Sarasota Bay.
Kitchens for gardens in a planned city on the Gulf.
Kitchens for gardens on lakes and golf courses, inland from the Gulf.
03 County-wide
Some things apply everywhere in the county, whichever city or community your home is in.
Sarasota County lies on the Gulf in Southwest Florida, between Manatee and Charlotte counties, with 575 square miles of land and 37 miles of open Gulf shoreline. Its barrier islands include Lido Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key, the island of Venice and Manasota Key. Sarasota County was established in 1921, when it was created from part of Manatee County, and adopted a home rule charter in 1971.
Sarasota County has four municipalities, the cities of Sarasota, Venice and North Port and the Town of Longboat Key, which runs across the line into Manatee County. The City of Sarasota includes Lido Key, St. Armands Key, Bird Key and the northern part of Siesta Key. Outside the four municipalities, Sarasota County itself issues building permits and applies its Unified Development Code, for example on most of Siesta Key, on Casey Key, on the Sarasota County part of Manasota Key and in Englewood, Osprey and Nokomis. The county's coastal setback code also covers the unincorporated parts of the island of Venice.
A Sarasota address alone does not tell which rules apply. We check this at the start of every project and prepare the documents the licensed contractor needs for the permits. Under the Florida Building Code, a permit from the building official is needed before a structure is built or altered and before electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems are installed or altered.
Sarasota County is not in Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which covers only Miami-Dade and Broward counties. On the Florida Building Code 2023 wind map for Risk Category II buildings, the county lies between the 140 and 160 mph lines with the 150 mph line running through it, which places the whole county in the wind-borne debris region; the county applies the code values through its own GIS map. Hurricane Milton made landfall on Siesta Key as a Category 3 hurricane on the evening of October 9, 2024, with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph (100 knots), two weeks after Helene. Storm surge reached 4 to 6 feet above ground from Longboat Key to Venice and 6 to 9 feet from Venice southward, with up to 10 feet estimated near Manasota Key.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. A FREILUFT kitchen is built to stay outside year-round and has storm hooks in the plinth that secure the doors; before a storm, secure everything loose.
At Sarasota-Bradenton, June through September bring 29.55 of the 49.05 inches of average yearly rainfall, about 60 percent, with average highs of 90 to 91.5 °F (normals 1991 to 2020). The National Weather Service for the Tampa Bay area dates the rainy season from mid or late May to mid-October. Near the Gulf, salt air reaches the garden: FREILUFT cabinets use 5/16 in (8 mm) marine-grade aluminum, finished with Off-Shore powder coating with a chromate-free, nano-ceramic pre-treatment.
Hurricane Helene passed offshore in September 2024 but pushed a storm surge of 4 to 6 feet above ground from Venice to south of Englewood, with a water level of 5.71 feet above mean higher high water measured near the Venice Fishing Pier. The surge damaged numerous structures in Sarasota County's coastal areas. New FEMA flood insurance rate maps for Sarasota County took effect on March 27, 2024, with changed base flood elevations and floodplain boundaries. They show A, AE, AH and AO zones, coastal VE zones with storm waves, and a Limit of Moderate Wave Action that marks the Coastal A Zone with breaking waves of about 1.5 feet.
In flood zones of unincorporated Sarasota County, new buildings and improvements that reach 50 percent of a structure's market value need their lowest floor at least one foot above the base flood elevation. The county's flood code states that outdoor kitchens, decks, patios and pool cages must be anchored to resist flotation and built of flood-resistant construction, and the equipment of accessory structures must sit above the base flood elevation. Where power, appliances and the base can go in your flood zone, we plan with the licensed contractor.
In unincorporated Sarasota County, accessory structures belong on the same lot as the house and may not stand in a required setback. In the RSF, RMF and RC residential districts they may be no taller than 20 feet and may cover no more than half the footprint of the house. On waterfront lots in unincorporated Sarasota County, accessory structures, decks and other improvements over 30 inches high must stay at least 20 feet from the mean high water line or seawall, and lower decks or improvements at least 10 feet. Screen enclosures and pool cages need 20 feet from the water and 6 feet from the rear lot line.
How your kitchen is classified under these rules, we clarify with the permit office during planning. The cities and communities can set their own rules.
On the Gulf beaches of unincorporated Sarasota County, the county's Gulf Beach Setback Line follows the state coastal construction control line of 1978. Seaward of it, and waterward of the 20-year hazard line along the barrier island passes, construction and excavation are prohibited unless the code allows an exception. On Lido Key, Siesta Key, Casey Key, Manasota Key and the unincorporated parts of the island of Venice, the county's marine turtle code applies during the nesting season from May 1 to October 31. Outdoor lights visible from the beach must be shielded or repositioned so the beach is not lit, and campfires and bonfires on the beach are prohibited from sunset to sunrise. In beachfront gardens, we plan the kitchen lighting with these rules in mind.
Sarasota County is one of the few local governments to which the state has delegated Florida's mangrove trimming program, and its own mangrove code applies throughout the unincorporated county. Trimming or altering mangroves needs a county permit unless an exemption applies, and mangroves taller than 10 feet may only be trimmed by a professional mangrove trimmer. In unincorporated Sarasota County, removing a tree generally needs a county tree permit and new development must avoid and then minimize harm to trees. Owner-occupied home lots of up to five acres with a certificate of occupancy are exempt, but not for Grand Trees, conservation areas or a house being torn down and rebuilt.
Under the Florida Building Code, a permit from the building official is needed before a structure is built or altered and before electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems are installed or altered. Which ones apply depends on the gas, water and power connections, on the flood zone and on your city or community; we prepare the documents, and the licensed contractor applies for them.
Outside the four municipalities, Sarasota County itself issues building permits and applies its Unified Development Code, for example on most of Siesta Key, on Casey Key, on the Sarasota County part of Manasota Key and in Englewood, Osprey and Nokomis. The county's coastal setback code also covers the unincorporated parts of the island of Venice. We check which applies to your address at the start.
Sarasota County is not in Florida's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which covers only Miami-Dade and Broward counties. On the Florida Building Code 2023 wind map for Risk Category II buildings, the county lies between the 140 and 160 mph lines with the 150 mph line running through it, which places the whole county in the wind-borne debris region; the county applies the code values through its own GIS map.
Seaward of the Gulf Beach Setback Line, a new accessory structure of up to 1,200 square feet can receive a written exception from county staff once per property, if it sits no farther seaward than the existing development and does not touch protected native habitat. Otherwise it needs a coastal setback variance granted by the Board of County Commissioners after a public hearing with mailed notice to owners within 500 feet. We check where your kitchen can stand before you approve the layout.
Hurricane Ian made landfall in neighboring Lee County in September 2022, but its rain sent the Myakka and Peace rivers to record crests, and a portion of Interstate 75 in southern Sarasota County was shut down by flooding from the Myakka River.
Yes, throughout the county. We deliver the kitchen, set and level the cabinet modules and place the stone worktops. Foundations, anchoring and the gas, electrical and plumbing connections are made by Florida-licensed contractors engaged by you or your builder, who also apply for the permits.
Mainland or key. Your kitchen is planned for the rules of your address in Sarasota County and made to order in Germany. One contact stays with you to handover.
Tell us whether your home is on the mainland or on a key, and how you want to cook outside. We reply personally within one business day.
