Sarasota Senior Advisor
What is Sarasota Senior Advisor?
Sarasota Senior Advisor is a free senior care referral and advisory service for families in Sarasota and Manatee counties, the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton area, from Palmetto and Lakewood Ranch south to Venice, North Port and Englewood.
We publish what Florida's regulators require, what the published cost data says, and every licensed facility on the state's own records, then a local advisor helps you narrow the list. Facilities pay us a referral fee when a family moves in, which is why the service is free to you; you should know that up front.
How many older adults and licensed care options are there in Sarasota and Manatee?
The two counties had about 323,934 residents 65 and older on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, and Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration licenses 128 assisted living facilities and 41 nursing homes there, while the Office of Insurance Regulation lists 9 life plan communities.
| County | Residents 65+ | Share 65+ | Licensed ALFs | Nursing homes | Life plan communities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarasota County | 186,055 | 38.8% | 86 | 29 | 6 |
| Manatee County | 137,879 | 29.4% | 42 | 12 | 3 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 county population estimates by age (July 1, 2025). Licenses: AHCA, retrieved October 31, 2026. CCRCs: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, CCRC facility map (Life and Health Financial Oversight, October 2025).
Is Sarasota really one of the oldest places in the country?
Yes: 38.8% of Sarasota County residents were 65 or older in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimates, against 22.8% for Florida as a whole, and the county's median age was 57.8; Manatee County stood at 29.4% and a median age of 49.3.
Sarasota County alone had 26,141 residents aged 85 or older, the age group most likely to need daily help. That density is why the region has an unusual concentration of life plan communities, and why waiting lists at the best-known campuses can run long.
How does Florida license assisted living and memory care?
AHCA licenses assisted living facilities under Chapter 429, Part I, with a standard license plus optional extended congregate care, limited nursing services and limited mental health licenses; a separate memory care services license created in 2026 takes effect once AHCA adopts rules, due by June 1, 2027.
Read how Florida licenses assisted living and the new memory care license.
What does senior care cost in Florida?
CareScout's 2025 Florida medians are about $5,500 a month for assisted living, $10,342 for a semi-private nursing home room and about $32 an hour for home care; no Sarasota figure and no memory care figure is published.
Florida Medicaid can pay for assisted living services but not room and board; see costs and paying for care.
Where should a Sarasota or Manatee family start?
Start from the situation, not the care type: a hospital discharge, a fall, a dementia diagnosis, an exhausted caregiver or money running low each point to different first steps.
What we are and aren't
| Sarasota Senior Advisor is | Sarasota Senior Advisor is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to families | Free; facilities pay a referral fee | Paid by you, now or later |
| Data | AHCA, CMS and OIR records | Aggregator listings or paid placements |
| Ratings | CMS star ratings for nursing homes, labelled as CMS's | Our own scores or rankings |
| Affiliation | An independent referral service | A government agency or Area Agency on Aging |
