Can Sarasota County’s Wellen Park community implement its own curfews?

Wellen Park can implement a curfew because it is a privately-owned master-planned community that can set rules through its HOAs and special purpose district government.

The community recently announced a rule that anyone under 17 years old must be accompanied by an adult after 9 p.m. Anyone who doesn’t follow the rule will be asked to leave the community’s property. 

HOAs and special districts can enforce their own community rules as long as they don’t violate state or federal law. 

Part of Wellen Park lies within the city limits of North Port and part falls in unincorporated Sarasota County. Since Wellen Park is privately owned, the rules it sets apply to the people and buildings within its limits, not the public spaces within the city or county. This means it doesn’t need approval to implement rules as long as it doesn’t step outside its authority.