Wild Blue at Waterside: Lakewood Ranch's Most Ambitious Luxury Community in Sarasota County
- Audra Lane
- Apr 10
- 8 min read
Updated: Apr 19
Here's everything you need to know about this exciting new luxury, lakefront development. 🌀
Written by Audra Lane, Realtor, CIPS | Preferred SHORE Real Estate
There's a moment when you turn off University Parkway and the landscape opens up with water on both sides, native grasses swaying, the skyline uncluttered, and you understand immediately why Wild Blue at Waterside is different. This isn't a community that just happened to be built near a lake. It was designed around one.
Spanning 500+ acres in the Waterside District of Lakewood Ranch, Wild Blue is one of the Greater Sarasota's most comprehensive lakefront lifestyle communities. And it's redefining what luxury new construction looks like in Southwest Florida. With five of the region's most respected builders, a 30,000-square-foot resort clubhouse, a 13-acre sports complex, and homes ranging from around $1.5M+ to over $5M, it occupies a category of its own.
Wild Blue Sarasota: Location That Actually Delivers
Wild Blue sits in the Waterside District, which is the newest and most southwestern section of Lakewood Ranch, and notably, the only part of Lakewood Ranch located in Sarasota County rather than Manatee County. That distinction matters more than most buyers realize. Sarasota County participation in FEMA's Community Rating System translates to meaningful flood insurance savings, and most Wild Blue home sites sit in FEMA Flood Zone X which is the lowest-risk designation available. After the 2024 hurricane season, that's not a footnote. It's a headline.
Practically speaking, the location puts residents:
8 minutes from Lakewood Ranch Main Street
11 minutes from The Mall at University Town Center
30 minutes from downtown Sarasota
~35-45 minutes from Lido Key Beach
Biking distance from Waterside Place, LWR's lakefront town center with restaurants, boutiques, live music, and Florida's top-ranked weekly farmers market
It's the rare community that feels genuinely secluded while being minutes from everything Sarasota has to offer.
Five Builders, One Elevated Standard
One of Wild Blue's most compelling differentiators is the builder lineup. Rather than committing to a single production builder, Stock Development assembled five of Southwest Florida's most acclaimed home builders, each bringing a distinct approach, price point, and design philosophy. The result is a community where no two streets look the same.
Stock Luxury Homes
The community's volume builder and the most accessible entry point into Wild Blue. Stock Luxury Homes offers a range of semi-custom single-family residences on 64-foot, 78-foot, and 90-foot lots, with floor plans running from approximately 2,400 to over 4,000 square feet. Homes start around the mid $1M range, making Stock the choice for buyers who want Wild Blue's lifestyle and address without committing to full custom construction. Stock's track record, with over two decades building premier communities in Southwest Florida, gives buyers the confidence of a proven process.
John Cannon Homes
For buyers who want full customization within the Wild Blue setting, John Cannon Homes delivers it. With an atelier-style design process and a reputation for architecturally distinctive residences, John Cannon is the builder of choice for buyers who have a specific vision and want a home that reflects it. Pricing starts significantly higher than the semi-custom tier, with estate homes regularly exceeding $3M+. John Cannon also builds in Wild Blue's most prestigious estate home sites; one-acre lots with expanded setbacks and premium water or preserve positioning.
AR Homes by Arthur Rutenberg
Arthur Rutenberg's signature is craftsmanship with coastal sensibility. AR Homes builds custom residences that lead with clean lines, natural materials, and seamless indoor-outdoor living, a natural fit for Wild Blue's nature-forward setting. AR's hurricane-impact construction standards are among the most rigorous in the region, a selling point that resonates strongly with buyers relocating from hurricane-inexperienced markets. Floor plans typically range from 2,300 to 4,500+ square feet, with considerable flexibility for personalization.
Anchor Builders
Anchor's reputation is built on thoughtful design and meticulous execution. Known for homes that photograph beautifully and live even better, Anchor Builders attracts buyers who prioritize architectural detail and interior quality over sheer square footage. Their Wild Blue homes skew toward the $2M–$4M range and are typically well-suited to buyers who want a finished product that feels custom without the extended timeline of a ground-up build.
Lee Wetherington Homes
A Sarasota institution. Lee Wetherington Homes has been building distinguished residences in Southwest Florida for over 40 years, and their presence in Wild Blue lends the community a layer of local credibility that newer builders can't match. Wetherington's homes blend traditional Florida craftsmanship with contemporary livability — wide lanais, high ceilings, thoughtful storage, and layouts engineered for how people actually live. A strong choice for buyers who want proven local expertise and a design sensibility rooted in the region.
The Amenities: Resort Living Is Not an Exaggeration
Wild Blue's amenity package is one of the most comprehensive in all of Lakewood Ranch, which is really saying something in a community known for high amenity standards. The centerpiece is a (currently under construction) 30,000-square-foot resort clubhouse designed by Clive Daniel Home, Southwest Florida's premier luxury interior design firm. The inspiration was the waterfront itself: expect earthy coastal textures, layered wood ceiling details, varying shades of blue, and spaces that feel more like a five-star resort than a community rec center.
Inside the clubhouse:
Indoor and outdoor dining, including a private dining room and a main restaurant with bar
Outdoor bar and grill overlooking the pool complex
State-of-the-art fitness studio with group classes
Indoor golf simulator for year-round practice
Private theater for resident screenings and events
Billiards room and social lounges
Concierge services and a dedicated Lifestyle Director
The pool complex is anchored by a Fiji-inspired resort lagoon pool with fire pits, cabanas, and a full outdoor bar ... plus a separate lap pool for fitness swimmers. A yoga lawn and a 9-hole putting course round out the outdoor clubhouse grounds.
Beyond the clubhouse, Wild Blue's 13-acre Midway Sports Complex is one of the most ambitious sporting facilities in any residential community in Sarasota-Manatee. It includes:
6 tennis courts
8 pickleball courts
Sports pro shop and gathering space
Basketball courts
Outdoor fitness equipment
Two dog parks
Children's playground
And threading through all 500+ acres: miles of lakeside and preserve walking and biking trails, kayak and paddleboard launches on Wild Blue Lake, dock access, and picnic areas with grilling stations. This is a community where you can paddle out onto a lake at sunrise, play competitive pickleball by 9am, have lunch at the clubhouse, and take an evening trail walk — without ever leaving the property.
How Wild Blue Stands Apart in Greater Sarasota
Sarasota has no shortage of luxury communities, so the reasonable question is: why Wild Blue over everything else?
The honest answer is that Wild Blue occupies a specific position that nothing else in the market currently fills. Here's how it compares to the major alternatives:
vs. The Lake Club (also in Lakewood Ranch): The Lake Club is the more established prestige address, and its Italian vineyard entrance and long history carry real cachet. But The Lake Club is nearing buildout, and new inventory is limited. Wild Blue is still actively developing, which means buyers have genuine choice of homesite, builder, and floor plan. For buyers who want to build rather than buy resale, Wild Blue is the answer.
vs. Bird Key / Harbor Acres (Sarasota proper): These neighborhoods offer waterfront access closer to downtown Sarasota and the bay. But they come with flood zone exposure, higher insurance costs, and no community amenities whatsoever. Wild Blue offers a managed waterfront lifestyle, with lakes, trails, kayak launches, but without the coastal risk. And the amenity package isn't remotely comparable.
vs. Siesta Key / Casey Key: Exceptional lifestyle, but almost entirely resale inventory and significantly higher price-per-square-foot for the luxury tier. No community infrastructure, no sports complex, no lifestyle director. Wild Blue buyers are often people who looked seriously at the keys and chose the community lifestyle instead.
vs. Esplanade / Lakewood National (golf communities): Those communities require golf membership and center their lifestyle around the course. Wild Blue is explicitly not a golf community, rather it's water and nature-forward. No membership fees, no mandatory golf buy-in. For buyers who want resort amenities without the golf culture, Wild Blue is the obvious choice.
The differentiator that no other community in Sarasota can claim: Wild Blue is the only comprehensive lakefront lifestyle community in this market. The combination of a true lake setting, resort amenities, five elite builders, Sarasota County address, and a large swath of Flood Zone X designation sites is genuinely unique.
What to Expect As Development Proceeds
Wild Blue's pricing reflects its position as the luxury tier of Lakewood Ranch's Waterside District. As of early 2026, the realistic range breaks down roughly as $1.5M to close to $6M. Position within the community heavily impacts pricing.
Recent closed sales have ranged from approximately $2.2M to $3.1M, with the market currently favoring buyers. Homes are averaging around 85–90 days on market and selling at approximately 97% of list price, creating some room to negotiate even in a community of this caliber.
The community is still in active development, with a large portion of the proposed 500 home sites sold. That's meaningful: buyers right now have a wide selection of lots and floor plans, and the ability to customize their home from the ground up, but that window won't last indefinitely.
Who Is Wild Blue Best For?
Wild Blue isn't the right community for everyone, and knowing that is part of what makes it the right community for the buyers it does serve.
It's an ideal fit if you:
Want new construction in the $1.5M–$6M range with genuine builder choice
Prioritize a resort lifestyle with daily access to high-quality amenities, fitness, dining, and social programming
Love outdoor living, kayaking, trail walking, paddleboarding, as part of your everyday routine
Are relocating from a northern metro (New York, Chicago, Boston, the Midwest) and want a community with an active social infrastructure to ease the transition
Want a Sarasota-area address with Flood Zone X designation and Sarasota County benefits
Care about having the choice between semi-custom and fully custom construction
Value proximity to Waterside Place, UTC, and Sarasota proper without being too far from the beach
It's probably not the right fit if you:
Want to be within walking distance of the Gulf or Sarasota Bay
Prefer a small, intimate enclave over a larger community
Are specifically seeking a golf-centric lifestyle (see: The Concession, Esplanade, Lakewood National)
Want an established neighborhood with mature landscaping and move-in ready resale inventory
The Bottom Line
Wild Blue at Waterside is the kind of community that rewards buyers who do their research. On the surface, it reads as another Lakewood Ranch luxury enclave. Look closer and it's something more specific: the only dedicated lakefront lifestyle community in Greater Sarasota, with a builder lineup that gives buyers genuine creative control, amenities that rival a boutique resort, and a location that threads the needle between community living and coastal access.
If you're exploring the $1.5M+ new construction market in Sarasota and haven't walked the trails at Wild Blue yet, it should be your next stop.
Interested in touring Wild Blue at Waterside or comparing it to other luxury communities in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch? Contact me directly. I work with buyers across the full range of Sarasota's luxury market and can arrange private tours of any active community. - Audra Lane, REALTOR®, CIPS, RSPS | Preferred SHORE
Connect: https://linktr.ee/AudraByTheSea
© 2026 Audra by the Sea | Audra Lane, LLC
Audra is a dual US/EU citizen, REALTOR®, Certified International Property Specialist, and founder of Audra by the Sea, based in Southwest Florida. She specializes in luxury waterfront properties and helping high-net-worth individuals navigate both domestic and international real estate opportunities.
Keywords: Wild Blue Waterside, Lakewood Ranch luxury homes, new construction Sarasota, Wild Blue builders, Waterside District Sarasota, luxury homes Lakewood Ranch 2025, John Cannon Homes Wild Blue, Stock Luxury Homes, AR Homes Sarasota, Flood Zone X Sarasota
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