Daytona Beach gets a peek at what Margaritaville community has in store for Hardeeville

Parrotheads are flocking to the newly opened Latitude Margaritaville sales center in Daytona Beach, Fla., and locals will soon have the same opportunity to preview a second Jimmy Buffett-themed retirement community coming to Hardeeville.

The Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head community planned for a roughly 2,700-acre site on U.S. 278 will include about 3,000 homes. The project is a a partnership between Buffett’s Margaritaville brand, residential builder Minto Communities, and commercial developer Sutton Properties Inc.

Bill Bullock, the senior vice president at Minto Communities, said Thursday that over the past three days more than 1,500 people have toured the Daytona Beach sales center.

“It’s been packed,” he said.

“For the next two weeks we are letting people preview the sales center and learn as much as they can” about the community, Bullock said.

According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, “Looking like something plucked straight out of the Florida Keys complete with sandy beach, the Latitude Margaritaville sales center is like an interactive museum.”

“The walls on the inside are adorned with colorful murals and tropical decor,” the story written by Clayton Park reads. “Signs throughout the center offer quips, such as ‘If Life Gives You Limes, Make Margaritas.’”

“Starting on Nov. 13, on a first-come-first-served basis, we are going allow people to start reserving lots (at the Florida community) and picking their homes,” Bullock said. “This will be the first opportunity for people to start buying product.”

An existing building at the Hardeeville site is in the process of being transformed into a Buffett-inspired sales center, which is expected to open in January or February.

“We are going to recreate the sales center we are doing in Daytona” with a few differences, such as Lowcountry-style architectural elements, Bullock said.

Model homes at Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head are expected to built by mid-2018, he said, “but just like we are doing in Daytona, we will pre-sell (lots and homes) in advance of models.”

Bullock said he anticipates the first residents to be able to move in by late next year.

If you can’t wait a couple of months to check out what Latitude Margaritaville Hilton Head has to offer, Bullock is extending an invitation to take a trip down Interstate 95 and visit the Florida site.

“You can transport a lot of the elements from location to location,” he said. “So if you want an early sneak peek of what’s coming (to the Hardeeville site), come on down to Daytona.”

Buffett himself made an appearance in August at the Florida site, posting a photo on Facebook in front of the sales center. Could he be making a trip to Hardeeville any time soon?

“You never know when or where he is going to show up, but he’s taking a very keen interest” in both of the communities, Bullock said. “I feel very confident that he’ll come out (to Hardeeville) and give a thumbs up, just like he did in Daytona.”

This story was originally published November 2, 2017 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Daytona Beach gets a peek at what Margaritaville community has in store for Hardeeville."