Lemon Bay Home For the Elderly

Pros

• The community is described as beautiful, small, and welcoming.
• Residents love the Key West style, the pool, and the grill.
• Kathy, the on-site property manager, does a good job.
• The pool and gym are great amenities.
• The community is lovely and clean.
• Amenities include a gym, a media center, and a pool; the faux firepit was a favorite.
• They made many friends there and miss them.

Cons

• They claim the so-called luxury apartments are not luxury at all; the one-bedroom units are dark and feel like a prison.
• Maintenance entered the apartments about a dozen times in a year.
• The dishwasher and garbage disposal broke frequently.
• The fire pit never worked during their stay.
• Water charges of about $90 per month are described as an illegal scam.
• A pet rent of $25 per month per pet is viewed as greedy.
• The complex is described as being run by a greedy corporate landlord who doesn't care about tenants.
• Over five years, upkeep quality declined and the office presence diminished; repairs were slow.
• A month-long wait for a master bathroom shower due to a leak, with a non-English-speaking crew and hazardous fumes; reglazing left dust on furniture and management was unaware.
• Rent increased by more than $700 in two years; tenants are pushed to leave and vacancies are high; a lack of compassion.
• Water billing was mishandled and confusing; paying online incurs a $3.95 convenience fee and late fees were charged.
• Flooring is described as cheap and walls as cardboard; appliances took months to repair.

Review

The place has a certain charm that draws people in and makes them feel connected. The community around Lemon Bay has a small-town, welcoming vibe, and many residents remember it as a beautiful little enclave with a Key West feel. People talk about the on-site delights - the pool, the grill, and the laid-back atmosphere that makes it easy to socialize and make friends. For several residents, the property even has a sense of location and lifestyle that makes visiting feel like returning to a favorite neighborhood. Some highlight the on-site manager, Kathy, who they say does a good job keeping things running and handling day-to-day needs. In short, there's a nostalgia for what drew long-time residents to the place in the first place, and a perception that the community itself was the real draw.

But beneath that initial warmth lies a harsher reality that many tenants describe in the strongest terms. A persistent thread across multiple reviews is disappointment with what's framed as luxury expectations not matching reality. Several residents insist that the one-bedroom layouts are unusually dark, featuring only a single sliding glass door and a window, which creates the sense of living in a small, closed space. The contrast between the advertised lifestyle and the actual experience is sharp for those who feel crowded or physically constrained by the design. Several long-term tenants recount a string of maintenance problems that seemed to recur with vexing regularity, including the dishwasher and garbage disposal failing repeatedly and the feeling that repairs were more disruptive than restorative.

The maintenance story is a dominant one. Across experiences, tenants report frequent intrusions into their apartments for repairs - sometimes as many as a dozen visits in a single year. Even when help did arrive, the encounters could be uneven: crews who spoke little to no English, fumes during refinishing projects, and notices that left residents surprised about what work was being done. There are accounts of reglazing a master bathroom shower that left a cloud of dust in the home and a lingering sense that management was not fully aware of the work being carried out. The resulting frustration isn't just about the repairs themselves but about a perceived inefficiency in scheduling and communication, with some tenants feeling that repairs were slow, poorly coordinated, or inadequately explained.

Financial and policy concerns add another layer of disappointment. Several residents point to water charges that feel opaque and difficult to reconcile with the local utility system. One reviewer mentions a consistent $90 monthly water bill that seems detached from their actual usage, accompanied by a belief that the billing process is an improper or questionable practice. The situation is exacerbated by pet rents and other fees that feel punitive to those already paying high rents, with rent itself described as rising substantially over a short period - "over $700 in two years" in one account. Add to that the contention that the water bill often isn't handled through the local water company, leading to miscommunications and late fees, and you have a sense of ongoing financial friction that colors every month's lease renewal.

Another recurring theme is how upkeep and staffing levels have changed over time. Several reviewers recall a time when there was an on-site office presence five days a week, which made for quicker reactions to problems. In contrast, others describe an office that's harder to reach and less predictable, contributing to a sense that the property's attention to upkeep had declined. The broader sentiment among some long-time residents is that the management prioritizes occupancy and turnover over tenant retention, and that this shift in focus has translated into longer repair times, more bureaucratic processes, and fewer immediate responses to urgent maintenance needs.

Despite these tensions, there are still moments of positive feedback and practical upside. A few reviewers acknowledge the basic conveniences and the general appeal of the property - the pool, the gym, and the general cleanliness of the community. Some also mention that maintenance has shown more effectiveness in responding when immediate threats or hurricane-related damage occurred, suggesting that urgent, tangible needs did sometimes drive quicker action. In this light, the property's amenities - paired with its overall location and style - remain appealing to certain tenants, especially those who place value on community atmosphere and a manageable, smaller-scale environment.

Ultimately, the experience at this complex appears to hinge on two parallel narratives. For some, the place offers a nostalgic, pleasant living environment with a real sense of community and lifestyle charm - the kind of atmosphere that makes friends and memories that last beyond the lease. For others, the reality of ongoing maintenance headaches, opaque billing, and a perceived shift away from tenant-centered service creates frustrations that overshadow any stylistic or locational advantages. The mixed bag speaks to a broader truth about rental living: charm and convenience can coexist with significant and persistent administrative and maintenance challenges, and which side you land on may depend as much on timing and personal expectations as on the property's fundamental design and management choices.

Located in Englewood, Florida, this area offers a variety of amenities for seniors looking to settle down in a peaceful and scenic environment. With a selection of restaurants like Zeke's Bayside Bar & Grill and Landy's On the Water nearby, residents can enjoy delicious meals with waterfront views. Medical facilities such as West Coast Dermatology and Millennium Physician Group are easily accessible for healthcare needs. For outdoor enthusiasts, Stump Pass Beach State Park and Brohard Paw Park & Beach provide opportunities for leisurely walks and relaxation. Places of worship like Colonial Baptist Church and Emmanuel Lutheran Church offer spiritual support within the community. The nearby Englewood Community Hospital ensures that residents have access to quality healthcare services. With a mix of dining options, medical facilities, recreational areas, places of worship, and entertainment venues like Spotlight Theatres Venice Luxury cinema, this area in Englewood provides a comfortable and convenient setting for seniors looking to enjoy their retirement years.

Restaurants

• Zeke's Bayside Bar & Grill (0.7 miles)
• Englewood On Dearborn (1.1 miles)
• Englewood Moose Lodge (1.4 miles)
• Landy's On the Water (2.9 miles)
• Magnolia’s On The Bay (3.2 miles)
• Denny's (3.4 miles)
• The Waverly Resturaunt & Bar (3.4 miles)

Physicians

• Medical Gardens Hearing Center (1.1 miles)
• Dr Kalwinski (1.2 miles)
• West Coast Dermatology (1.2 miles)
• Witkowski Edmund MD (1.2 miles)
• Millennium Physician Group (1.2 miles)
• Radiology Associates Of Florida (2.9 miles)
• 21st Century Oncology (3.2 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (1.5 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.2 miles)
• Woods Pharmacy (4.2 miles)
• Walgreens (4.7 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (5.4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (5.5 miles)
• Walgreens (5.5 miles)

Hospitals

• Englewood Community Hospital (3.3 miles)
• Center Of Surgical Excell (5.5 miles)
• Rodriguez, Charles Venice Healthpark Surgery Center (7.4 miles)

Parks

• Stump Pass Beach State Park (4.5 miles)
• Brohard Paw Park & Beach (8.4 miles)
• Rotonda Park (8.5 miles)

Places of Worship

• Colonial Baptist Church Venice Fl (5.1 miles)
• Foundation Church (5.5 miles)
• Sunnybrook Alliance Church (6.7 miles)
• Lift Church (7.5 miles)
• Emmanuel Lutheran Church (8.8 miles)
• Church of the Nazarene (8.9 miles)

Theaters

• Spotlight Theatres Venice Luxury (6.1 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (7.9 miles)