The Sarasota Florida area is home to more than 100 mobile home parks which are unique from each other. With beautiful beaches, growing local businesses, and a warm climate all year round, Sarasota is becoming one of the favorite destinations for snowbirds during the cold winter season.

People of all ages are coming down to Florida to enjoy their summer holiday, but one may ask, what type of mobile home is suited for myself or my family?

With the continued increase in housing costs throughout the Sarasota Florida area and the need for affordable housing on the rise, one has to ask, where are all the all-age mobile home parks?

Sarasota County has over 100 mobile home parks and only a few of them are for families.

The vast majority of these parks are for age-qualified residents which are usually regulated at 45 or 55 years of age and older.

Palm Terrace mobile home

For many, Sarasota Florida is a destination location with its beautiful beaches, lively downtown area, and close proximity to everything that larger cities such as Tampa and Fort Myers have to offer.

The majority of the mobile home parks within the Sarasota Florida County area were built in the 1960s and 1970s as vacation-style retirement communities where many of the homeowners would come down during the winter months to live and then return up North the rest of the year.

As years went on, these folks were cleverly referred to as “snowbirds”.

Snowbirds continue to own and operate a large portion of the mobile home parks that we see here today throughout Sarasota.

Within these age-qualified parks, there is usually a strong restriction to those who are under the age of 45 living in the home full time. The hardest restriction set is of those of school-aged children living in the home on a regular basis.

While these children are certainly welcome for a few weeks a year, they are not allowed to be living in the homes on a regular basis.

This then begs to ask the question, well then where are the all-aged mobile home parks in Sarasota Florida?

While we, at The Mobile Home Dealer, do not know for sure the answer to this puzzling question we do know the facts about mobile homes that are located within mobile home parks where the owner pays lot rent.

Within the state of Florida, mobile homes that are located on leased land where the owner of the home pays a monthly fee to the park for the usage of the land in a payment commonly referred to as lot rent is viewed as and taxed as personal property. What this means is that these homes do not pay property tax as the land that the home is located on is not owned by the owner of the home, but rather, the owner of the park. The owner of the home does pay title and registration fees just like one would do if they owned a motor vehicle.

When property taxes are assigned, as in when living in a traditional stick-and-brick home, they are usually based on the value of the land and the structure that sits on this piece of ground. These taxes are then paid to the county in which the home is located. Once these taxes are paid to the county, the county uses them for city-based services such as schools, road upkeep, law enforcement, firefighters, etc.

If the owners of the mobile home that is located on leased land are utilizing city services, such as sending their kids to the local public school, and are not paying property taxes that help fund the school district then chances are the school district will begin running lower and lower on their funds to operate the school district. This could then result in educator layoffs, cutting of school programs, or other budget cuts needed to operate the school system.

Sarasota Fl, Mobile Home

If, on the other hand, the owners of the mobile homes that are located on leased land are not utilizing a bunch of city services, in this example the fact that they do not have school-aged children living in the mobile home itself, then there will be less of a strain put on the city services that are not being paid for by the homeowner through property taxes.

All hope is not lost, however!

Just this year, two Bradenton Florida mobile home parks that were age-qualified have changed to all-aged mobile home parks!

While this is a new trend that started just as recently a few months ago, we believe that it will be something that will continue to grow in popularity as the need for affordable housing continues to increase throughout the greater Sarasota Florida area!

Why do most Sarasota mobile home parks allow only 45-year-old and older people?

Although there is no law that says mobile home parks are created just for older people, most parks are occupied by older and senior people for many good reasons.

For senior citizens, who are usually retired and have very little or no source of income, living in a mobile home can provide them with a perfect place to live in, and that too in a very affordable range. Buying Mobile homes is comparatively easier than constructing regular homes, requiring more investment and more hassle.

Perhaps the main reason why younger people like teens and children are not allowed to stay longer in mobile homes is because of noise and other things young people could do that could disturb the peaceful senior living community.

The Mobile Home Dealer are licensed mobile home broker in Sarasota Florida and the surrounding areas. We provide professional buy and/or sell assistance to our clients. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by clicking this link. You may also visit our Facebook Page and send us a message.

This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life.

See Also:

• Is Sarasota Florida A Popular Place For Snow Bird Mobile Home Buyers?
• What Does Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Lot Rent Include?
• What Are Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Park Models?
• Does A Smoke Smell Affect The Sales Price Of A Sarasota Florida Mobile Home?
• How To Budget Your Sarasota Mobile Home Money-Floor Repairs!