Sarasota neighborhoods rank high in walkability

To stroll through the most walking-friendly neighborhoods in Florida, head to cluttered Miami Beach — or Sarasota.

That’s a big takeaway in a new report from real estate brokerage Redfin. The firm uses data from Walk Score, which finds and promotes walkable neighborhoods. Walk Score, analyses walking routes within a given neighborhood, searching for amenities within a five-minute walk. The five-minute walks are given the maximum amount of points, while a 30-minute walk to amenities gets no points. Walk Score also measures pedestrian friendliness by analyzing population density and road metrics, such as the length of blocks.

The top 10 Florida list includes three neighborhoods in Miami Beach and another three in Fort Lauderdale, plus one in Orlando. Notably missing from the list is Tampa, where many leaders and officials pride themselves on the city’s walkability. Walking to amenities is also a major selling point in many of the current large-scale development projects in Tampa.

Here’s a glance at the Sarasota and St. Petersburg neighborhoods that made the list, including comments from area Redfin real estate agent Brian Walsh:

• Downtown St. Petersburg: Third on the Redfin list, with a 90.9 out of 100 walk score. “There was a pre-crash boom of high-rise and condo development here that signaled the starting gun of St. Pete’s sprint into the town it has become today,” Walsh says.

• Main Street, Sarasota: Fourth on the list, with a 90.1 walk score. “This neighborhood has a lot of interesting mixed-use space and cute boutiques,” says Walsh. “There are lots of small restaurants and antique shops that make it a fun neighborhood to stroll through on the weekend. It’s also really close to a lot of major condo towers on (the) bayfront that experience a surge of new homebuyer activity come fall and winter.”

• Rosemary District, Sarasota: Tenth on the list, with an 86.9 walk score. “The Rosemary District is one of the oldest communities in Sarasota, and it’s seeing a great renewal with a lot of new construction and building activity taking place,” Walsh says. “It has a very city-like feel to it in a lot of ways, with huge waterfront towers always in view and a major shopping area just a few blocks away.”