Michael Saunders & Co. buys land for south Sarasota County office

Michael Saunders & Co. plans to build an office in south Sarasota County, where it will also offer a separate building for lease. 

The real estate company recently acquired 1.8 acres in Wellen Park for its office and retail space. Officials with the firm declined to disclose the purchase price for the property. (Sarasota County property records show that an entity named Saunders Family Limited Partnership LLP bought a parcel on Brightland Way for $747,000, in a deal that closed March 21. The seller was Main Street Ranchlands LLLP, records show.)

Based in Sarasota, Michael Saunders & Co. operates 16 full-service sales offices and has 600 agents serving southwest Florida.

While agents are already working in the Wellen Park area, the new real estate office on West Villages Parkway will provide a centralized place for a fully staffed team of professionals dedicated to the local market, according to a statement. The office will encompass 5,000 square feet and offer real estate brokerage services including title, mortgage and insurance.

Overseeing the new office will be Shawn Strodoski, who also manages the Venice and Plantation Michael Saunders locations, according to the statement. Plans call for the office to open in the fourth quarter of 2025. 

“This expansion aligns with our commitment to be locally rooted in the communities we serve,” Michael Saunders & Co. President Drayton Saunders says in a statement. “We are also excited to be investing in a location in the heart of Wellen Park, a community that has redefined the southern part of Sarasota County.”

To provide space for retail and commercial opportunities in the area, Michael Saunders & Company plans to offer 17,000 square feet for lease in a building adjacent to its office. It will be available for multiple tenants or one single occupant.

Plunkett Raysich Architects and Willis Smith Construction will oversee the project, which officials say is in the preliminary stages.

“We are thrilled to welcome Michael Saunders & Company to the ever-growing community,” Rick Severance, president of Wellen Park Division of Mattamy Homes, says in a statement. “Their commitment to service and quality truly aligns with Wellen Park and our desire to serve our current and future residents.”

Located in North Port, Wellen Park ranks among the top-selling master-planned communities in the country. It has 10,000 residents and at full buildout will be home to more than 50,000.