The Official Website of the Sorrento East Property Owners Association

Looking eastward from, the Gulf, Sorrento East takes up most of that triangular neighborhood in the center, bounded by US 41 (Tamiami Trail) in front, State Route 681 angling up behind toward Interstate 75, and the green space of Oscar Scherer State Park to the left. Folks who live on that side of Rubens Drive have the park literally in their back yards.  In the foreground you can see pleasure boats on the Inland Waterway, Casey Key, and the blue-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Shopping areas, Nokomis Beach, North Jetty Beach where we hold our semi-annual picnics, and the City of Venice are just a few miles down the Trail toward the right.

History of Mid-County

The Mid County region, between Sarasota and Venice, comprises three unincorporated towns; Osprey to the north, Nokomis (named after Hiawatha's grandmother) to the south, and Laurel to the east.

The Homestead Act of 1862 granted 160 acre land tracts to anyone who would settle and develop the property. In 1867, the settlement of Osprey was established by John and Eliza Webb (see Historic Spanish Point). The following year, Reverend Jesse and Rebecca Knight formed a settlement on the south side of Dona Bay in what is now Nokomis. A few years later, Robert Roberts settled on the south side of what is now Roberts' Bay and the town of Nokomis began to grow along the coastal region.  It wasn't until 1884 that John S. Blackburn settled the eastern area we now refer to as Laurel.

Our area grew began slowly as the pioneer families added more children (the Knights alone had fifteen children) and more families arrived. Then in 1910 our began to grow more rapidly. Bertha Honore Palmer (Mrs. Potter Palmer), a very wealthy widow from the Chicago area, purchased most of the land which was then called South Manatee County. She also purchased a 140,000 acre land tract that included both the present mid county and all of the Venice areas.  The next year the Seaboard Railway was extended from Fruitville Junction to Venice.

It wasn't until 1921 that Sarasota County was formed as a separate county from Manatee. The meaning or origin of "Sarasota" is unknown, but it could have been from the native Americans in the area. There were even many early versions of the name including "Sarazota", "Sarasote", and "Sara Zota". There is no evidence to support the legend that it is named for Sara Desoto, daughter of the famed explorer.

Development accelerated rapidly. In 1916, Dr. Fred Albee, a bone specialist from New York, purchased a vast tract of land from the Palmer family and developed plans for what became Nokomis and vicinity.  In 1933, Albee was responsible for the first medical center in Venice. 

The Florida land boom (1924-1928) doubled the population of Sarasota County. 1928 ushered in the completion of the Tamiami Trail (just nine feet wide at the time), so named because it extended from Tampa to Miami. There now was a railroad, a major highway, some industry, and a school (Venice-Nokomis School located at the site of the present Nokomis Community Park). The first class graduated in 1930 and consisted of eight students. 

Then came the 1929 crash and the end of the "boom". Venice became a ghost town and all further development of the area ceased. The mid-30's began a new revival and commitment to the future. The Venice jetties and channel were constructed in 1937. 1951 was marked by the completion of our first, 14 bed, area hospital located across from the present hospital in Venice. The intracoastal waterway was started in 1960 and completed in 1967. 

Over the remaining years, the mid county area  continued to grow and expand into the paradise that was envisioned by those early 1860's pioneers. Their names appear today on many of our roads, parks, waterways, and landmarks.

History of Sorrento East

Originally, our area was known as Spring Hill. The owner of the property was named Springstead and even today the frontage property used as commercial offices still bears the name Spring Hill on the marquee. The name Sorrento was given to the areas on both sides of the Tamiami Trail by another owner, Vanderkloot, who felt the area reminded him of Sorrento Italy, a small coastal community on the Mediterranean Sea.

In late 1968, plans were approved to develop a community on the East side of the Trail, which would be called Sorrento east. The developer converted over 400 acres of farm land, citrus groves, and Florida scrub woodlands into a low density upscale residential community for 750 plus families. Low lying areas were dredged to form lakes for storm water retention and to supply fill for roads. The lakes would later be stocked with fish with the assistance of the county. There was one natural lake in the northeast quadrant that when viewed from above looked like a bird, so it was named Bird Lake. 

After the utility infrastructure was completed, the property was developed in stages or units. There would be a complex of two-story condominium apartments (Sorrento Park), three villa units, and five units for single family homes. The winding roads in the villas were created by leaving the most desirable and mature trees from the scrub areas, and the streets wound around them. Most of our street names were taken from a list of artists in an art encyclopedia. There was no rhyme to the naming except for one: Tiepolo (a popular European painter of the 1700's).  When unit #4 was completed, a roadway was needed to connect it to unit #2, this road would TIE the two units together so the name TIEpolo! 

In the early 1970's, the property owners took over responsibility for the community from the developer and formed the Sorrento East Property Owners Association. One of the most important acts of the association was to adopt and maintain sensible deed restrictions that were designed to not only provide a high quality life style, but to promote and enhance property values. Over the years, the Association's hard working volunteer board members have provided our community with services such as security patrol, community newsletter, telephone directory, social clubs and events, and the all important feature of representing our community concerns at both state and county governmental forums.

Clearly, we are proud of our community, it's past and its future. Whether you are a resident, a visitor, or someone considering living in Sorrento East, the Property Owners Association hopes you will find this web page useful and informative.