University Park
University Park, Manatee County, Florida · Sarasota golf market
- Homes
- $270,000 – $4,500,000
- Gated
- Yes
- Housing
- single-family estate homes, maintenance-free villas
Considering a Home in University Park?
Get connected with a local real-estate specialist who understands University Park and the surrounding Sarasota golf market.
University Park is a 1,202-home master-planned golf community in Manatee County, Florida, built out across 32 distinct sub-neighborhoods between 1992 and 2016 by developer Pat Neal and the late Rolf Pasold. It sits on the north side of University Parkway — commonly, though not always accurately, marketed as part of 'Sarasota' even though its governmental jurisdiction is Manatee County. The community's defining feature for a golf-oriented buyer is not just its 27-hole Ron Garl course, but its ownership structure: in 2019, University Park's own homeowners bought the golf course, clubhouse, and surrounding recreational land from the developer's partnership for $16.75 million, financed by resident-approved bonds issued through a newly formed public special district, the University Park Recreation District. A second bond series followed in 2024. This makes University Park one of relatively few Florida golf communities where the club is owned, in a literal governmental sense, by the residents themselves rather than by a private developer, an outside operator, or a member-equity corporation — though that structure comes with its own mandatory, property-tax-billed cost layer distinct from ordinary HOA dues.
Golf Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Homeownership in University Park does not by itself grant golf access for free — but governing documents require every homeowner to purchase and maintain a University Park Country Club membership as a condition of ownership, at a tier and price point set by the club (see the University Park Country Club anchor record for membership-tier detail). The club also accepts non-resident members and public daily-fee golfers, so it is not the case that only community residents can ever play the course.
Living in University Park
The community is fully gated, with a staffed main entrance and a secondary RFID-activated gate at Honoré Avenue. Housing spans maintenance-free villas (roughly 1,400-1,800 sq ft) through large single-family estate homes (reported up to 6,000+ sq ft) and some townhome product, spread across 32 named sub-neighborhoods each with its own HOA. Community governance runs on two separate tracks: the University Park Community Association (upcai-fl.com) handles neighborhood-level HOA matters, while the University Park Recreation District — an independent Manatee County special taxing district controlled by the community's own property owners — owns and funds the golf course, clubhouse, and recreational amenities via bond-backed property tax assessments. This split structure, and the underlying 2019 resident buyout, was covered in detail by regional outlets including the Your Observer (East County edition) and the nonprofit newsroom Suncoast Searchlight, including some resident controversy over bond-cost disclosure ahead of the 2024 vote.
Lifestyle & Amenities
Beyond the golf club amenities (see the anchor record), the community itself offers parks, playgrounds, and miles of tree-lined streets used for walking, jogging, and biking. It is positioned close to downtown Sarasota, University Town Center, and I-75, giving residents easy access to shopping, dining, healthcare, and Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport without being inside the urban core.
Location & Surrounding Area
University Park is located in Manatee County, Florida, ZIP 34201, on the north side of University Parkway (the Sarasota/Manatee county line in this corridor), a few miles north of downtown Sarasota. It shares its broader Sarasota-Manatee golf market with other US Golf Living anchors including TPC Prestancia, The Founders Club, and Laurel Oak Country Club to the south, and Lakewood Ranch-area communities to the north and east.
Costs & Fees
Figures below are labeled Current only when the source itself frames them as presently accurate. Everything else is labeled Historical — a source checked today does not make an old figure a current one.
Home price (low)
Current$270,000
Low end reflects current maintenance-free villa listings per real-estate aggregator sources (a range of roughly $249,900-$375,000 low-end figures appeared across sources); treat as an approximate current-market floor, not a fixed published price list.
Home price (high)
Current$4,500,000
High end reflects current estate-home listings; sources cited figures ranging from about $4,249,000 to $4,499,000 for top-end current listings. Median list price was reported around $730,000-$799,000 as of mid-2026 by aggregator sources, not independently confirmed against MLS.
Every home in the University Park Recreation District carries a non-ad-valorem special assessment on its Manatee County property tax bill, used to repay bonds the district issued so residents could buy the golf course, clubhouse, and recreational land from the original developer (2019 bond series, $24M authorized / $16.75M purchase price) and, per a second bond series approved by residents in January 2024, for further capital needs. PFM Group Consulting's November 2023 estimate for the 2024 series put the resulting assessment at roughly $900-$3,000/year per home over 30 years, across the district's 1,202 homes. This is separate from, and in addition to, both the sub-neighborhood HOA fee and University Park Country Club membership dues. Sources: https://universityparkrd.com/bonds/ , https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2024/may/08/bond-issue-university-park/ , https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2019/sep/17/judge-oks-university-park-country-club-purchase/
Interested in Homes in University Park?
We can connect you with a local real-estate specialist who knows University Park and the Sarasota market.
What Buyers Should Verify
- The specific HOA fee for the sub-neighborhood of any home under consideration — fees vary significantly across the 32 distinct sub-HOAs.
- The current University Park Recreation District assessment amount applicable to a specific home (varies by bond series, home value, and purchase date).
- Current home listing prices directly via MLS — the range and median cited here come from real-estate aggregator sites retrieved in September 2026, not a verified MLS pull.
- Whether National Association of Home Builders and Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council awards cited in community marketing can be confirmed against primary award-body sources.
Notable
- University Park's homeowners bought their own golf course and clubhouse from the developer in 2019 for $16.75 million, financed by a voter-approved $24 million bond issue through the newly formed University Park Recreation District — a structure distinct from a typical private-equity or developer-owned country club model.
- A second bond series for the district was approved by 62% of voting residents in January 2024 and validated by a Manatee County circuit judge in April 2024, adding a further estimated $900-$3,000/year per home (over 30 years) to property tax bills on top of the original 2019 assessment.
- The community is frequently marketed as part of 'Sarasota,' but its governmental jurisdiction — property appraisal, the Recreation District, and both bond referenda — is Manatee County.
Considering a Move to University Park?
Whether you're comparing University Park with another Sarasota golf community or you're ready to start looking at homes, US Golf Living can connect you with a local real-estate specialist.
US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.