Nokomis is an unincorporated stretch of Sarasota County's Gulf coast, where barrier-island lots and waterfront setbacks shape more pool builds than the county's drier inland tracts.
Nokomis has a smaller pool of local builders than most Florida cities, so these top picks are ranked on license standing, permit history, and real reviews to help you narrow it down fast.
Real, recent project photos from Nokomis's most-reviewed builders, pulled straight from their own profiles.
Nokomis builders draw an above-average amount of customer feedback — here's a real, recent sample, good and bad.
“We Could’ve not asked for a better outcome!! Our pool turned out, absolutely beautiful and was done exactly as I asked! We Had a pebble resurface, beautiful glass tile all the way around. And also had our pavers laid .. Derek and Connor and the entire crew were amazing and professional .Anytime I had a…”
“I had to have my pool resurfaced and because it is such an expensive proposition i went into it with dread. I got 5 estimates and right away I knew that i was going to do business with Stand out Pools. Wes was the Sales person and he was fabulous from the very beginning. I…”
“This is the right crew to call make your pool beautiful!! Standout pools gave my old pool an excellent refresh with a new surface and waterline tiles! From start to finish the job went smoothly! Thanks to Derek, Connor, the awesome demo crew (who worked so hard and were spotless when they left), and Mr.…”
“Stand Out Pools recently replaced the tiles and surface on my 26 year old pool that had become almost impossible to keep free from algae due to the deteriorated surface. The pool is now crystal clear and easy to maintain. All the people were very professional and proficient at their jobs. I never expected that…”
“Poor service… My pool looked all the time dirty and they don’t provide a good cleaning service. Not a professional company at all. Don’t waste your money.”
Nokomis runs from the Casey Key barrier island and the sand at Nokomis Beach inland across 1970s ranch neighborhoods and newer gated communities east of Tamiami Trail. A builder who does polished work on a dry inland lot has often never poured a shell on a waterfront parcel near Dona Bay, so match the contractor to the ground you own before you shortlist anyone.
Verify the license first. Florida requires a state-certified or state-registered pool and spa contractor, and you can confirm any company's standing through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. DBPR's license lookup lists the license number, its status, and any discipline on file. A residential pool contractor holds a CPC- or RP-prefixed license; a general contractor's ticket does not cover in-ground pool work in this state.
Nokomis sits in unincorporated Sarasota County, so your permit runs through the county rather than a city hall, a point that trips up owners who assume a Venice mailing address means a Venice permit. A contractor who regularly works this corner of the county already knows the county portal, its inspectors, and the extra paperwork a waterfront lot brings.
Read every proposal for what it leaves off. On a Nokomis job the price gap between two bids usually traces to the screen enclosure, the safety barrier, and coastal site work rather than the pool shell itself. Get at least three written scopes, confirm the builder pulls the permit in their own name, and check that general liability and workers' compensation coverage are current before signing.
A residential in-ground pool or spa in Nokomis is permitted by Sarasota County, since the community is unincorporated. Applications go to Sarasota County Planning and Development Services, whose building division runs its walk-in counter from the PDS One Stop on Apex Road, and they are filed online through the county's Accela permitting portal. No excavation may start before the permit is issued.
The submittal package includes a scaled site plan showing the pool against property lines, easements, and the home, engineered structural drawings, the plumbing layout, the electrical bonding plan, and a signed Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act compliance form. The county reviews the plans against the Florida Building Code and sets inspections at fixed stages: steel and bonding before the shell pour, plumbing pressure tests, the safety barrier, and a final once the deck and any enclosure are done.
Safety barriers are law, not preference. Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (Chapter 515) and the Florida Building Code require a barrier at least four feet high around every new residential pool, with no gaps a small child could slip through and gates that self-close and self-latch, opening away from the water with the release on the pool side.
Chapter 515 asks for one more layer on new pools, on top of the barrier. Accepted options include an approved safety cover meeting the ASTM F1346 standard, exit alarms on the doors and windows with direct pool access, or a self-latching device on those doors set out of a young child's reach. A Nokomis builder folds the barrier and the second feature into the plan set from the start.
Coastal Nokomis carries a flood layer that inland lots skip. Much of the community west of Tamiami Trail, along Dona Bay and out to Casey Key, falls inside a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, which adds review and usually calls for a surveyor's elevation certificate and raised placement for the pump and heater. Lots seaward of the state's Coastal Construction Control Line need a separate Florida DEP permit, and pools built there must meet the structural rules in Section 3109 of the Florida Building Code.
Most Nokomis pool questions circle back to two things: who issues the permit, and what the water nearby does to the project. The permit question comes up constantly, since the Venice and Sarasota mailing areas sit right next door and owners often assume a city handles their file when the county actually does. Getting that straight early saves a wasted trip.
The second thread is the coast. Owners west of Tamiami Trail want to know how the flood zone changes the build, where the equipment has to sit, and what a barrier-island address on Casey Key does to insurance and to the paperwork. Owners on older ranch lots east of the highway ask a quieter set of questions about setbacks, aging screen cages, and whether a pool still fits once the barrier is accounted for. A third group, buyers in the newer gated and 55-plus villages inland, arrives asking about HOA sign-off and how long a full build runs from permit to final. The questions below are the ones that come up most on Nokomis projects.
Nokomis is unincorporated, so Sarasota County permits your pool, not a city building department. Applications go to Sarasota County Planning and Development Services and are filed online through the county's Accela portal. A neighboring Venice or Sarasota mailing address does not change that. Your licensed contractor normally pulls the permit in their own name.
Very possibly, if you are west of Tamiami Trail. Much of coastal Nokomis along Dona Bay and out toward Casey Key sits inside a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area. A flood designation adds review to the permit, calls for a surveyor's elevation certificate, and usually means the pump and heater sit raised. Your builder can pull the flood map for your parcel.
Yes. Beachfront parcels can sit seaward of Florida's Coastal Construction Control Line, which triggers a separate permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on top of the county building permit. Pools built there also have to meet the structural requirements in Section 3109 of the Florida Building Code. A builder who works Casey Key will flag this before design.
Under the Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, every new pool needs a barrier at least four feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates that open away from the water. On top of the barrier, a new pool needs one more safety feature: an approved safety cover, exit alarms on doors with pool access, or a self-latching device set out of a child's reach.
Look the company up on the Florida DBPR license portal. A residential pool contractor carries a state license, usually with a CPC or RP prefix, and the record shows whether it is active and clear of discipline. Confirm the license is current, the insurance is in force, and the builder pulls the permit rather than asking you to.
Yes. Screen cages are common on Nokomis pools for shade and for keeping out debris, and each one takes its own building permit and inspection apart from the pool shell. The screen doors have to self-close and self-latch to meet code. Fold the enclosure into the original contract so it is priced with the pool, not added later.
Every pool builder we currently track in Nokomis — a shorter, more manageable list than in busier Florida cities.
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