Sarasota · Manatee · Charlotte

Compass
Call (813) 394-3313Call (813) 394-3313
Waterfront houses with wooden docks and boats.
Cape Haze (Amena Mabrouk on Unsplash)

Englewood and Cape Haze · Waterfront

Cape Haze in Englewood and Cape Haze

A canal community on the Cape Haze peninsula in Placida, laid out by William and Alfred Vanderbilt in the 1950s, with seawalled waterways, mid-century Sarasota School homes and newer houses on Lemon Bay.

At a glance

Cape Haze at a glance

A seawalled canal neighborhood on Lemon Bay that William and Alfred Vanderbilt began building in the early 1950s, with mid-century Sarasota School homes, a members' dock and Gulf beach on Don Pedro Island, and Publix at the front entrance.

Airport
Punta Gorda (PGD) 53 min; Sarasota Bradenton (SRQ) 1 hr 14 min
Lifestyle
Waterfront

The area

Living in Cape Haze

Overview of Cape Haze

Location
West of Placida Rd on Lemon Bay, on the Cape Haze peninsula in Placida
Home types
Single-family homes and homesites
Built
Developed by the Vanderbilts from the early 1950s; platted in 1953
Waterfront
Seawalled canals off Lemon Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway
Association
Voluntary CHPOA (since 1969) plus a common area fee west of Placida Rd
Deed restrictions
1953 restrictions, re-filed in 2003 for another 30 years
School district
Charlotte County: Vineland, L.A. Ainger, Lemon Bay High

About Cape Haze

  • CHPOA members share a private dock and 400 feet of Gulf beachfront on Don Pedro Island, just north of the state park, reached by boat.
  • The Teri Rigsby Community Center at the Cape Haze circle has a screened patio, a kitchen, and a free library of books, games, and puzzles.
  • Publix is at the front entrance, and Don Pedro Island State Park's trails and kayak launch are 2 minutes up Placida Road.
  • For trailer boats, the county ramp at Placida Park on the Boca Grande Causeway is 5 minutes away.
  • Until the Intracoastal was dredged in the early 1960s, Cape Haze Drive crossed Lemon Bay by bridge to Don Pedro Island.

Cape Haze is a waterfront neighborhood on the Cape Haze peninsula in Placida, in the southwest corner of Charlotte County. It sits on the mainland side of Lemon Bay, facing Don Pedro Island across the Intracoastal Waterway. The area has a long history: the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad crossed the peninsula between 1905 and 1909, and a fishing settlement grew up at Placida. In the 1950s William and Alfred Vanderbilt bought about 35,000 acres here, land that today includes Rotonda, South Gulf Cove, Windward, Cape Haze East and Cape Haze.

The Vanderbilts began building Cape Haze and Cape Haze East in the early 1950s. They built seawalls and brought in fill to cut the canals and shape the homesites, so most lots in Cape Haze sit on seawalled water that leads out to Lemon Bay. Homes date from the late 1950s to the present: low mid-century houses in the Sarasota School style sit alongside larger homes built in recent decades. Homes sold from about $280,000 to $5.95 million in the last two years, with the higher prices on wide water and the bay.

The Cape Haze Property Owners Association, known as CHPOA, keeps a community center, renamed the Teri Rigsby Community Center, with a screened patio, and offers members private dockage access at Don Pedro Island and its Gulf beach. Cape Haze Drive once ran across a bridge to Don Pedro Island, but the bridge was removed when the Intracoastal Waterway was dredged in the early 1960s. Day to day, Ace Hardware of Cape Haze and the Publix plaza are close by, and Placida Road and Gasparilla Road lead north to Englewood and east toward Port Charlotte and I-75.

Schools near Cape Haze

Assigned schools depend on the address; confirm with the school district. Florida school grades from the Department of Education (opens in a new tab)

Comparing school zones in Cape Haze? Janelle can match them to the homes for sale. Email Janelle or call (813) 394-3313.

Restaurants near Cape Haze

Want to live near the best of Cape Haze? Janelle knows which streets put it at your door. Email Janelle or call (813) 394-3313.

Things to do near Cape Haze

Curious what life in Cape Haze is like week to week? Janelle can tell you, and introduce you to it. Email Janelle or call (813) 394-3313.

Parks and outdoors near Cape Haze

Looking for a home close to the parks and water in Cape Haze? Ask Janelle where to look. Email Janelle or call (813) 394-3313.

Shopping near Cape Haze

Want everyday errands close by in Cape Haze? Janelle can point you to the right neighborhoods. Email Janelle or call (813) 394-3313.

Health care near Cape Haze

Need to be near care in Cape Haze? Janelle can keep that in mind when she picks homes to show you. Email Janelle or call (813) 394-3313.

Getting around near Cape Haze

Commuting from Cape Haze? Janelle can tell you what the drive is like from each neighborhood. Email Janelle or call (813) 394-3313.

What to know before you buy in Cape Haze

  • What the HOA and any CDD fees are, what they cover, and whether a transfer fee applies at closing
  • The flood zone and elevation of the home, and a flood insurance quote before your inspection period ends
  • Rental and lease rules, if you may rent the home out
  • Drive times at the hours you would really travel, to work, to SRQ, and to the beaches

Buying in Cape Haze? Janelle can walk you through it before you make an offer. Email Janelle or call (813) 394-3313.

Cape Haze FAQ

Who developed Cape Haze?

Brothers William and Alfred Vanderbilt bought about 35,000 acres on the Cape Haze peninsula in the 1950s, starting with the 2-V Ranch in 1951. They began developing Cape Haze and Cape Haze East in the early 1950s, building seawalls and bringing in fill to shape the canals and land. The early homes followed the mid-century Sarasota School style.

How do boats get from Cape Haze to the Gulf?

The Cape Haze canals open to Lemon Bay and the Intracoastal Waterway. The nearest Gulf inlet is Stump Pass, between Manasota Key and Palm Island, which Charlotte County is responsible for dredging. Canal depth, dock depth and bridge clearances differ from lot to lot, so check them against the boat you plan to keep.

What does the Cape Haze Property Owners Association offer?

The association offers private dockage access at Don Pedro Island and the Gulf beach there, use of the Teri Rigsby Community Center with its screened patio, and periodic social events and dinners. Owners join through the association's membership plan.

Was Cape Haze ever connected to Don Pedro Island by road?

Yes. Cape Haze Drive once crossed Lemon Bay on a bridge to Don Pedro Island. The bridge was removed for good when the Intracoastal Waterway was dredged in the early 1960s, which is why the association now offers members dockage on the island instead.

What should I check about flood zones in Cape Haze?

Charlotte County's Forerunner portal shows a property's flood zone and base flood elevation and offers available elevation certificates. A and V zones are high-risk areas where flood insurance is required for federally backed mortgages. Ask for the elevation certificate and get flood and wind insurance quotes before you commit.

Have a question about Cape Haze that is not answered here? Ask Janelle. Email Janelle or call (813) 394-3313.

Cape Haze

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab) Get directions to Cape Haze (opens in a new tab)

Climate

Weather, month by month

Average high and low in °F, and rain in inches, for each month.

Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ)

  1. Janhigh 72.5°low 52.3°2.8 in
  2. Febhigh 74.9°low 54.6°1.9 in
  3. Marhigh 78.2°low 58.1°2.9 in
  4. Aprhigh 82.5°low 62.7°2.5 in
  5. Mayhigh 87.5°low 68.2°2.6 in
  6. Junhigh 90.0°low 73.6°7.1 in
  7. Julhigh 91.1°low 75.2°7.4 in
  8. Aughigh 91.5°low 75.3°9.1 in
  9. Sephigh 90.2°low 74.1°6.0 in
  10. Octhigh 86.3°low 68.3°2.8 in
  11. Novhigh 80.0°low 60.1°1.8 in
  12. Dechigh 75.2°low 55.2°2.3 in

Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 (NOAA National Hurricane Center, https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/); June through September is the rainy season, with most afternoons bringing a short thunderstorm.

NOAA climate normals, 1991 to 2020, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ). Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, station Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals), as reproduced in the Sarasota, Florida climate table (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarasota,_Florida); read 2026-10-04.

Nearby

More communities in Englewood and Cape Haze

All of Englewood and Cape Haze

For sale now

Cape Haze homes for sale

Janelle can send you new Cape Haze listings as soon as they list, often before they reach the big portals. Ask Janelle

Market

Market now

Ask Janelle for this week's homes for sale and recent sales in Cape Haze.

Keep reading

Guides from Janelle

All guides

New listings

Get new Cape Haze listings first

New Cape Haze listings often sell within days. Tell Janelle what you are looking for, and she will send new and coming-soon homes as soon as they list, often before they reach the big portals. Prefer to talk? Call or text (813) 394-3313.

With your message, this site also sends how you first found it: the first page you opened here and the website that sent you. How this works

Reviews

What clients say

Read all 39 reviews

5.0 from 41 reviews on Google, Zillow, Realtor.com, RateMyAgent, and HomeLight

  • Janelle is fantastic. We recently were able to sell our home in one week at 1% over asking price. I believe that the professional photos and staging coupled with Janelle helping us price competitively led to this success. We closed in one month and are so very grateful for Janelle and her help with the sale of our property.

    Bob Conner Google, October 7, 2026

    Sold a home

    Read on Google (opens in a new tab)

  • I highly recommend Janelle Mertins She is extremely knowledgeable, honest, and incredibly helpful throughout the entire process. She is also very responsive and even made herself available after hours when needed. After working with several agents in the Sarasota area, Janelle truly stood out. Her professionalism and dedication made all the difference.

    Pools by Jeff Google, April 7, 2026

    Read on Google (opens in a new tab)

  • Janelle did a great job selling our house. We have worked with 4 realtors over the past 19 years in FL, and she was by far the best. She is very knowledgeable about the real estate market, and was great at communicating with us throughout the sales process. Her responses to our emails and texts were very detailed and timely. She was also very proactive with recommendations on how to get our house ready for sale, and she went above and beyond to make sure our house was sparkling clean and staged appropriately to make sure our house stood out compared to others. The video she created for our...

    Seller RateMyAgent, July 20, 2025

    Sold a home in Bradenton

    Read on RateMyAgent (opens in a new tab)

Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte

Areas served

See all 292 communities
Janelle Mertins

Janelle Mertins · Compass

Want to see Cape Haze in person?

Call or text Janelle directly, or send her a note about the home, community, or move you have in mind.

Contact Janelle

Janelle Mertins

Realtor, Compass

Janelle's concierge

Answers from this site's own pages

Or call Janelle: +1-813-394-3313