These are the questions homeowners on Siesta Key, Lido and St. Armands, Longboat Key, and Cortez ask most often. Every project in this network starts with a free in-person estimate from an independent local screen contractor.
A 20/20 no-see-um weave on the walls that face the mangroves. Biting midges breed in salt marsh and mangrove fringe and pass through standard 18/14 screen. The Gulf-facing walls of the same cage can keep standard mesh for airflow. The contractor decides wall by wall at the estimate visit.
Salt, sun, and pool chemistry, all at full strength. Onshore breezes carry salt mist onto every panel and fastener, and there is nothing west of a Gulf-facing cage to block the afternoon sun. Island screens sit at the short end of every lifespan range, so plan by exposure rather than by the calendar.
Zinc-coated screws corrode early in salt spray and streak rust down the aluminum below them. Marine-grade 316 stainless resists chloride pitting because of the molybdenum in the alloy. A one-time whole-cage renewal ends the rust cycle at every connection instead of chasing it screw by screw.
Every estimate in this network is an in-person visit, so there is no phone or photo pricing. The contractor walks the cage, checks the mesh, spline, fasteners, doors, and bracing, and puts the scope in writing at the house. A photo cannot show tension, spline condition, or what is under a rust streak.
Mesh-only rescreening inside an unchanged frame generally does not require a permit on the islands, while frame repair and new screen walls do. Siesta Key is Sarasota County, Lido and St. Armands are the City of Sarasota, Longboat Key runs its own building division, and Cortez is Manatee County.
The association, in most cases. Lanai screens on Longboat Key and in the Gulf-front condos are commonly treated as limited common elements. The declaration decides whether the owner or the association pays, and the association usually sets the approved mesh and color. Bring that answer to the estimate visit.
It can reduce what carries to the beach. From May through October, Sarasota County rules on Siesta and Lido and the Longboat Key ordinance regulate light visible from the sand, including interior light through screens. Shade mesh or Florida glass on Gulf-facing panels cuts that light. Compliant fixtures still apply.
Have loose panels and hanging mesh made safe first, and photograph the damage before anything is removed if you plan to file a claim. Hurricane Milton came ashore at Siesta Key in October 2024 and left screen enclosures among the county's most-repaired structures. A bent or racked frame needs an in-person look.
Siesta Key Lanai Screens does not vouch for any contractor's licensing or insurance. Each contractor represents to us that they hold what their work requires. You can verify any Florida contractor yourself at myfloridalicense.com before hiring.
Partial rescreens are a normal scope when that is what the cage needs. Walls only, roof only, or a set of panels are all common. On many island cages the Gulf wall and roof panels age ahead of the shaded bay side, and rescreening the tired sections while leaving sound ones is a frequent outcome of the estimate visit.
Siesta Key, Lido Key and St. Armands, Bird Key, Longboat Key, and Cortez, including the neighborhoods and communities on each island. See the full service area list.
Call (941) 555-0100 or use the free estimate form. A local screen contractor will call back to schedule an in-person visit and give you a written estimate before anything is scheduled.