Apartment construction across Sarasota and Manatee counties is accelerating even as the rental market shows signs of slowdown. Developers are expected to deliver 3,802 new apartments in the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton metro this year—an 11 percent increase from 2024 and the largest volume in a decade, according to RentCafe’s analysis of Yardi Matrix data.
Bradenton accounts for 975 of those units, followed by Sarasota with 872, Palmetto with 864 and Venice with 720. Statewide, Florida will add more than 62,000 apartments in 2025, ranking second only to Texas. Together, the two states represent nearly a third of all new units projected to open nationally.
Similarly, a new Redfin analysis shows national apartment permitting has fallen 23 percent since the pandemic boom, but North Port stands out as an exception. From July 2024 to June 2025, the metro issued permits for 65 multifamily units per 10,000 residents—the highest rate in the country. By comparison, the national average was just 12.8…