Longboat Key.

Longboat Key is a barrier island split between two counties, with its own town government, its own review process and a housing mix that runs from mid century beach cottages to substantial bayfront and gulf front homes. Working here means understanding three things that do not apply on the mainland: the town's own approvals, the corrosion environment, and the flood rules.

The flood rules are the one that surprises people, and it is worth knowing before you plan a renovation rather than after. Much of the island sits in a FEMA special flood hazard area, and when the cost of an improvement reaches half the assessed value of the structure it is treated as a substantial improvement, which means the whole building has to be brought up to current flood requirements rather than only the part you were remodelling. That single threshold can change the shape and the sequencing of a project completely. We would rather have that conversation at the walkthrough than halfway through demolition. Everything else here follows from the salt: stainless fasteners and hardware throughout, materials chosen for the exposure, and exterior detailing done properly because there is nothing between this island and the Gulf.